Rare groove

Rare groove is soul or jazz music that is very hard to source or relatively obscure. Rare groove is primarily associated with funk, jazz and pop, but is also connected to subgenres including jazz fusion, Latin jazz, soul, R&B, northern soul, and disco. Vinyl records that fall into this category generally have high re-sale prices. Rare groove records have been sought after by not only collectors and lovers of this type of music, but also by hip hop artists and producers. Online music retailers sell a wide selection of rare groove at more affordable prices, offering fast downloads in digital format. This availability and ease of access has brought about a resurgence of the genre in recent years.

History and development

The term was coined by British DJ Norman Jay after his "The Original Rare Groove Show" on pirate radio station Kiss 94 FM (the progenitor of Kiss 100 London). The show was a collaboration with DJ Judge Jules and featured a mainly urban soundtrack from the 70s and 80s mixed with early house music.