GENRE

Wonky Artists

Lurching beats, detuned synth chords, and chopped vocal snippets make the groove feel playful and slightly off-balance.

27 Wonky artists · 51 releases in the last 6 months · Top labels: Warp Records, Friends Of Friends, Young Art Records

Related Genres

Artists

TOKiMONSTA photo
TOKiMONSTA
Young Art Records · Rhino
Lapalux photo
EASYFUN photo
EASYFUN
PC Music · LDH Records
hyperpopbubblegum basselectronic
Baths photo
Baths
Basement's Basement · Palette Recordings
chillwaveelectronicglitch-hop

About Wonky

Off-kilter programmed beats give wonky its shifting, lopsided motion within electronic dance music. The style draws its colour from hip-hop, electro-funk, 8-bit sounds, jazz fusion, glitch and crunk, so tracks can feel playful and sharply detailed even when the rhythm refuses a straight line. Artists including Joker, Rustie and Flying Lotus are associated with its development. Wonky differs from related electronic and dubstep styles through its deliberately skewed rhythmic feel and its broad mix of source sounds; it also overlaps with purple sound and includes the aquacrunk microgenre.

Wonky at a glance

Descriptorsoff-kilter, colorful, experimental, bass-heavy, playful
Characteristicsunstable, syncopated beats, genre-blending electronic production, distorted synthesized basslines, glitchy melodic fragments, hip-hop and electro-funk influences
Key instrumentssynthesizer, drum machine, sampler, DAW
OriginGlasgow, late 2000s

Top Labels

Warp RecordsFriends Of FriendsYoung Art RecordsLuckyMeTwenty Twenty London RecordingsFuture Classic3024Rad CultPlay InstinctOoze

Notable Contributors

Producers
TOBACCOFlying LotusSOPHIESteven EllisonSophie XeonLowlyNaomi McPhersonNathan SalonOneohtrix Point Never
Songwriters
TOBACCOFlying LotusSOPHIEBig FreediaFreddie Ross Jr.Sophie XeonKai CamposKatie GavinArlo ParksNaomi McPhersonOneohtrix Point Never

Recent Releases

Ball of Light artwork
Ball of Light
Chrome Sounds
I Don't Care artwork
I Don't Care
Your Old Droog, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Flying Lotus
REM-U-LAK RECORDS
Mere Mortals artwork
Mere Mortals
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Floating Points
Deutsche Grammophon (DG), Deutsche Grammophon
3 Negative Pop(?) Songs artwork
3 Negative Pop(?) Songs
Basement's Basement
Echoed Dafnino (Pearson Sound Remix) artwork
Echoed Dafnino (Pearson Sound Remix)
MaMan, Olof Dreijer, Pearson Sound
dh2
Memory on the Run artwork
Memory on the Run
Young Art Records
Sleeper artwork
Sleeper
Chrome Sounds
Movement 5 - Pandora’s Creation artwork
Movement 5 - Pandora’s Creation
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Floating Points
Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Common questions

What is Wonky?

Wonky is a music genre defined by unstable, syncopated beats, genre-blending electronic production, distorted synthesized basslines, glitchy melodic fragments, and hip-hop and electro-funk influences. Lurching beats, detuned synth chords, and chopped vocal snippets make the groove feel playful and slightly off-balance.

Where did Wonky come from?

Wonky originated in Glasgow, late 2000s.

What instruments are used in Wonky?

Wonky is built mainly from synthesizer, drum machine, sampler, and DAW.

Which Wonky artists are most popular?

Flume, TOKiMONSTA, Modeselektor, Lapalux, and EASYFUN are the highest ranked by Spotify popularity of the 27 Wonky artists on this page.

Which labels release Wonky?

Warp Records, Friends Of Friends, Young Art Records, LuckyMe, and Twenty Twenty London Recordings have put out the most Wonky records in the Tracknack catalogue.

What genres are similar to Wonky?

Artists tagged Wonky are most often also tagged Electronic, Electronica, IDM, Experimental, and Future Garage.

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