Modern Music Learns from the Past

Some friends and I were at a club last night for a birthday party and heard Fergalicious by Fergie. I offered $5 to anyone who could name what song this modern dance song was based on. I still have $5 in my pocket.

Listen to "Fergalicious" by Fergie:

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Then listen to "It's More Fun to Compute" by Kraftwerk released in 1981 from the album Computer World.

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From Wikipedia:
"Kraftwerk’s releases in the 1970s and early 1980s, most significantly Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981), directly influenced and continues to inspire many popular artists from many diverse generes of music."

This is just one example of so many. Notice that the entire bassline and many of the riffs are all taken directly from Kraftwerk. So if you want a history of where modern dance music came from, just listen to Kraftwerk. A German band that started in the 1970's, still tours to this day, and whose influence continues today and likely beyond.