Was (Not Was)
Eccentric Detroit funk meets beat poetry and surrealist soul. A kaleidoscopic blend of danceable grooves and sharp, absurdist social commentary for the thinking dancer.
Eccentric Detroit funk meets beat poetry and surrealist soul. A kaleidoscopic blend of danceable grooves and sharp, absurdist social commentary for the thinking dancer.
Was (Not Was) sounds like a high-concept art project that accidentally crashed a Motown recording session. It is a dense, colorful collision of heavy Detroit funk basslines, shimmering 80s synths, and a brass section that feels both celebratory and slightly menacing. The music carries a distinct urban grit, yet it is polished with a sophisticated pop sheen that allowed them to infiltrate the charts without losing their edge.
What truly sets them apart is the friction between the music and the message. You have world-class soul singers like Sweet Pea Atkinson delivering lines about existential dread, nuclear anxiety, or bizarre domestic vignettes. It is music that demands you dance while simultaneously forcing you to double-check if you actually heard that lyric correctly. They treated the recording studio as a laboratory for genre-mashing, bringing in everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Frank Sinatra Jr. to serve their weird, wonderful vision.
Start with 'What Up, Dog?' to hear their most successful balance of chart-topping hooks and subversive wit. From there, dive into 'Born to Laugh at Tornadoes' for a deeper look at their experimental, guest-heavy madness. It is the perfect soundtrack for anyone who likes their pop music with a side of high-brow irony and a heavy dose of groove.
Was (Not Was) is an American band founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was. Their song catalog features an eclectic mix of pop and rock styles, often featuring guest musicians from across the musical spectrum. The band's most popular period was during the 1980s and early 1990s, with their highest-charting hit, the song "Walk the Dinosaur", released in 1987 as the lead single from their 1988 album What Up, Dog?, becoming a worldwide top-40 hit and peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The band went on indefinite hiatus in the mid-1990s, but has returned sporadically since the turn of the millennium. Their most recent release was the 2008 album Boo!.
Shares funk, dance-pop, new wave (subgenres); maximalist, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares urban night, late night, dive bar (atmosphere); art pop, dance-pop, new wave (subgenres)
Shares funk, art pop, dance-pop (subgenres); maximalist, studio polished (production style)
Shares urban night, late night, dive bar (atmosphere); maximalist, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares maximalist, studio polished, analog warmth (production style); playful, bittersweet, rebellious (moods)
Shares maximalist, studio polished, sample based (production style); art pop, contemporary r&b, new wave (subgenres)
Shares urban night, late night, dive bar (atmosphere); bass, saxophone, drum machine (instrumentation)
Shares art pop, bass, funk, maximalist (signature)
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