freakbeat
what it is
Freakbeat is a rock music genre that peaked approximately between 1966 and 1967. The term was invented in the 1980s by the music journalist Phil Smee, to retroactively describe a music style that has been described as a missing link between the early to mid-1960s mod R&B scene and the psychedelic rock and progressive rock genres that emerged in the late-1960s with bands such as Pink Floyd. Freakbeat music was typically created by four-piece bands experimenting with studio production techniques.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make freakbeat a playlist
turn these 16 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is freakbeat?
Freakbeat is a rock music genre that peaked approximately between 1966 and 1967. The term was invented in the 1980s by the music journalist Phil Smee, to retroactively describe a music style that has been described as a missing link between the early to mid-1960s mod R&B scene and the psychedelic rock and progressive rock genres that emerged in the late-1960s with bands such as Pink Floyd. Freakbeat music was typically created by four-piece bands experimenting with studio production techniques.
What are good freakbeat albums to start with?
Try A Quick One by The Who, The Small Faces by Small Faces, Cellophane by The Troggs, and Evolution by The Hollies.
Who are some women making freakbeat?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/freakbeat/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making freakbeat, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20