New Jilll Swing 1988-94

The original source of new jack swing - or swingbeat - could be found in key records like Janet Jackson’s “Control”, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, which mixed hard beats with soul, real R&B with 808s and a tough shuffle. Producer Teddy Riley took these sounds a step further at the end of the 80s, blending them with hip hop because - strange as it now seems - hip hop in the 80s was barely integrated into R&B.

Solo acts like Karyn White (‘The Way You Love Me’) and Jasmine Guy (‘Try Me’) followed in Janet Jackson’s future-perfect footsteps, inspiring a bunch of female groups who followed in the early 90s. The initial ground-breakers were a Motown act called the Good Girls who were set up to be a swingbeat Supremes, with the wonderful ‘Your Sweetness’ in 1989. 1990 saw the emergence of R&B superstars En Vogue whose confidence and style proved that swingbeat wasn’t just a genre for boy bands. Xscape (‘Love On My Mind’) followed in 1991while SWV (‘I’m So Into You’) and Jade (‘Don’t Walk Away’) both had their first UK hits in the spring of 1993. These hits were also pop classicist in their melodies and lyrics, harking back to 60’s girl groups as much as they looked forward to the 21st century.

“New Jill Swing” has been compiled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and is historically significant as the first ever compilation of the genre. New jill swing may have borrowed from hip hop but it was more smartly stylized and consciously retro-modern in its look, whether that was in En Vogue’s Old Hollywood references, the Good Girls’ plaid skirts or Jade’s baseball caps and braids. It would also unwittingly lay down the groundwork for the ultra-modern sounds to come later in the decade from the likes of TLC and Missy Elliot.

It's a classic soundtrack already.