Acid Jazz

Unlike other “acid” genres, the naming of Acid Jazz had nothing to do with drugs, and was just a joke by the founders of the Acid Jazz record label (Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson). The name of the label was a tongue-in-cheek response to the ‘Acid House’ explosion. The popularity of the label and a series of This Is Acid Jazz compilations led to the term being used to describe anything in styles similar to the label’s acts. Often, acid jazz songs consist largely of funky basslines and upbeat hip-hop breaks, with the only improvised element being a melodic solo performance by a single instrument or vocalist.