'Progressive' in dance music descends from 1970s progressive rock through 'progressive dance' of the late 1980s

In popular music, ‘progressive’ was first used widely in the 1970s to distinguish experimental rock (progressive rock) from mainstream styles. Carl Craig reports the term was used in early-1980s Detroit for Italo disco drawing on Giorgio Moroder’s Euro disco rather than Philadelphia-soul disco. In the late 1980s UK journalist Simon Reynolds introduced ‘progressive dance’ for acts like 808 State, The Orb, Bomb the Bass and The Shamen; between 1990 and 1992 ‘progressive’ contracted into the buzz-word ‘progressive house’. Across this chain, ‘progressive’ consistently signals ambition to move beyond genre conventions rather than a specific tempo or texture.

Examples

Progressive rock (1970s) → ‘progressive’ Italo disco in Detroit (early 1980s) → ‘progressive dance’ (late 1980s, 808 State/The Orb) → ‘progressive house’ (1990-1992, UK rave).

Assessment

Trace the word ‘progressive’ from 1970s rock to 1992 progressive house, naming the key figures (Craig, Reynolds) and what the word meant at each step.