yogib 10:36 Fri Apr 21
The Story of Funk..
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On BBC4 in a minute for anyone into a bit of George Clinton etc.....
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Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
zebthecat
10:41 Fri Apr 21
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Bootsy Collins is the funkiest bass of all time
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Alex V
11:55 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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I think funk gets a raw deal - funk that is interesting and innovative gets labelled as 'jazz funk', if song-based gets pulled into 'soul' while anything more commercial gets labelled as 'disco'. Funk gets left with a very small bunch of artists as weak examples despite being probably the most influential musical style of the past 40 years (imo).
Actually pretty much all that is left to fit the original definition of funk seems to be James Brown, Sly Stone and Parliament/Funkadelic. But actually Sly Stone is basically soul music imo and has a very 60s sound - there's very little actual funk in there imo. Even with Parliament/Funkadelic the actual albums only contain a handful of tracks that you'd recognise as classic funk - the rest covers a range of experimental styles that are closer to prog rock. Even James Brown as the originator of the style covers quite a limited idea of what funk is - I consider it to be basically very rhythmic soul music and has none of the lazy groove that filled dancefloors in the 70s.
For me the funk I love originates in the Stax sound of Al Green and Ann Peebles, the Ohio Players, Earth Wind & Fire, Stanley Clarke, Ramsey Lewis, Isaac Hayes, The Crusaders, early Level 42, The Brothers Johnson etc.
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Side of Ham
11:57 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Alex V, me and you get on fine with regards to funk. :-)
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Westham67
11:58 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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George Clinton, theres a blast from the past
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Takashi Miike
12:14 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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good call on Level 42, their early albums are golden
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BRANDED
12:36 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Funk is pretty broad ranging. It can come from the guitar, bass, drums, voice, horns, synths etc but when all are combining to be funky nothing beats it. I saw George Clinton in Brixton in the mid 80s and they funked for hours. It was well funky.
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Far Cough
12:54 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Funky Chicken
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lowermarshhammer
1:01 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Jasper the Vinyl Junkie
Funkin Pussy night at Fish Club Oxford Street
Extremely funky about 1992
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joe royal
1:33 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Like planet rock we just won't stop we're going to drive you nuts.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
2:34 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Who says a rock band can't play funk music? - that's what I want to know.
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Stranded
2:40 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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“But actually Sly Stone is basically soul music imo and has a very 60s sound - there's very little actual funk in there imo”
A lot of the Family Stone stuff sounds very 60s because their first four albums were recorded in the 60s. Over the course of which they played almost as big a part in laying the groundwork for funk as James Brown did. They put this out in 1970, you think there’s ’very little actual funk’ going on here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj5VODa-eTY
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Ilford Hammer
3:00 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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There's a difference between 'funk' and 'funky'. Lots of bands/music is funky but few are actual funk bands. James Brown is the king obviously but there were also The Meters, Kool And The Gang (their debut album), The JB's plus there are newer bands like The Dap Kings and The Bamboos.
The thing with funk is that a great deal of the best songs were one off singles by groups who did nothing else and who most people haven't heard of. So if you really want to get some of the great funk music your best bet is one of the many compilations.
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Alex V
3:09 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Stranded 2:40 Sat Apr 22
Not knocking Sly & The Family Stone, who I think overall are one of the most interesting bands of the whole era. And obviously you have to trace that bass sound for example right back to them. Massively influential. But as you say, a big chunk of their material is not funk as it pre-dates it. I just think a lot of the music of that early 70s period (and certainly before) is really soul music with a growing funk influence - I find it somehow a bit dry for my tastes at times, personally.
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Alex V
3:14 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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A lot of Duran Duran stuff is very funky imo. Some of The Police, too. I was listening to mid-80s Scritti Politti recently - that is basically funk. It's not all black people with afros.
It mainly is though.
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Swiss.
3:23 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Saw a band in the *80s Defuked. They were great.
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Swiss.
3:24 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Powerhosue - Some Like It Hot. Great funky rift
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Alex V
3:25 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Never heard of Defuked. Was it Defunkt? Would have loved to have seen them live.
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White Pony
3:29 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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Prince - We Can Funk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTmc8ZhHccA
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Takashi Miike
3:56 Sat Apr 22
Re: The Story of Funk..
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you want funk, watch some live videos of Ian Dury & The Blockheads when Charlie Charles was alive. him & Norman Watt Roy were FUNK
also anything by Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards/Stuart Zender
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