Music / Styles A–Z / Guitars · 15 of 35
Shoegaze
Shoegaze, also called dream rock, came from the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s: ethereal washes of effected, distorted guitar with the vocals mixed low.
- Where and when
- United Kingdom, late 1980s to early 1990s
- Tempo
- Not fixed by the style
- Played on
- Layered, effected guitars, bass, drums, buried vocals
- Lesson
- Guitars →
What it is
Shoegaze, also called dream rock, is a branch of indie and alternative rock from the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s: ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals and heavy use of guitar effects and distortion. The name, coined in 1991, mocked guitarists who stared down at their effects pedals.
For the producer. Layers of distorted, bent or flanged guitar make a wash in which no single instrument stands out, and the vocals are mixed low into it. Kevin Shields' "glide guitar" technique is the starting point of the original scene.
The records that made it
From the lesson Guitars, where the sources are listed · links open a search
- 1985PsychocandyThe Jesus and Mary Chain · Credited as the immediate forerunner.
- 1988You Made Me RealiseMy Bloody Valentine · An EP that established the style.
- Isn't AnythingMy Bloody Valentine · The album that established the style.
- 1991LovelessMy Bloody Valentine · The style's peak.
Shoegaze in this month’s records
New releases the press we read wrote about, tagged shoegaze on MusicBrainz · updated with every build