The hip-hop subculture that spawned hip-hop music was born in New York City in the early 1970s.  Young African Americans living in the city would attend block parties where DJs gained popularity by isolating the percussion elements of popular songs.  This technique was already popular in Jamaica, and was largely credited to Clive Campbell, aka DJ Kool Herc, who is universally regarded...

Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone at some time during the 1840s. No one knows the exact date; Sax filed a patent for the instrument in 1846, although there are various accounts given by friends that date the saxophone as far back as 1840.

Early Development

Sax was a clarinet player, born in Belgium but predominantly working in Paris. Sax’s aim was to develop somethi...

Like most music genres, dance can trace its roots far back to the beginning of the 20th century. However, it is only in recent years that dance has truly emerged to become one of the most popular musical styles in the world.

1970s & The Birth of Dance

Dance music as we know it today came to the fore in the 1970s thanks to legendary group Kraftwerk, who are widely...

Like hip-hop, salsa music emerged from New York City during the mid-to-late 1970s. However, the genre was actually popular for 30 years prior to that, just without the term salsa being applied to it. The Cuban community in the city, particularly Afro-Cubans, were mainly responsible for its popularity, with mambo bands playing regularly at venues across the city in the 1940s and 1950s.