Madchester kept the rock-band lineup but soaked it in the dance beats of the clubs. A swaying groove (the 'baggy' beat), funky bass, and euphoric melodies define it, putting rock's swagger and rave's intoxication in the same room. The appeal is a loose, never-quite-tight feel and the high of a party that won't end.

It emerged in late-1980s Manchester around the club The Haçienda, as ecstasy-fueled rave culture spread through the city. The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays became the two flagships, and guitar-toting kids absorbed the pleasure principle of dance music.

The drums' bouncing-yet-dragging 'baggy' beat is the heartbeat here. Surrender to the springy bassline borrowed from funk, the wah-soaked guitar, and the hypnotically repeating groove to grasp its essence.

The Stone Roses' 'Fools Gold' (1989) is the definitive fusion of rock and dance. For the band's lyrical side, hear 'I Wanna Be Adored' (1989).

The scene's beating heart, The Haçienda, was bankrolled by New Order and others, yet it hemorrhaged money through chaotic mismanagement and was eventually forced to close, becoming a legend in the process.