Go-go

Go-go is a subgenre of funk that originated in the Washington, D.C., area during the mid- to late-1970s. A handful of bands contributed to the early evolution of the genre, but singer-guitarist Chuck Brown is credited with having developed most of the hallmarks of the style.

In technical terms, "Go-go's essential beat is characterized by a syncopated, dotted rhythm that consists of a series of quarter and eighth notes (quarter, eighth, quarter, (space/held briefly), quarter, eighth, quarter)… which is underscored most dramatically by the bass drum and snare drum, and the hi-hat… [and] is ornamented by the other percussion instruments, especially by the conga drums, timbale, and hand-held cowbells."

Unique to Go-Go is an instrumentation with 2 standard Congas and 2 "Junior Congas", 8" and 9" wide and about half as tall as the standard Congas, a size rare outside of Go-Go. They were introduced to Rare Essence by Tyrone Williams -aka- Jungle Boogie in the early days when they couldn't afford enough full sized Congas, and are ubiquitous ever since. A swing rhythm is often implied (if not explicitly stated).

Another important attribute in go-go is call-and-response vocals with the crowd in concert.

With few exceptions, go-go bands have seen little success outside of the Washington, D.C., metro area (Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland), yet the style lives on and continues to evolve.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-go