A Brief History Of Funk
Origins
The word "funk", once defined in dictionaries as body odour or the smell of sexual intercourse, commonly has been regarded as coarse or indecent.
African-American musicians originally applied "funk" to music with a slow, mellow groove, then later with a hard-driving, insistent rhythm because of the word's association with sexual intercourse. This early form of the music set the pattern for later musicians. The music was slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented and danceable. Funky typically described these qualities.
1960s
Only with the innovations of James Brown in the late 1960s was funk regarded as a distinct genre. In the R&B tradition, these tightly rehearsed bands created an instantly recognizable style, overlaid with catchy, anthemic vocals. Brown changed the rhythmic emphasis from the two-four beat (or backbeat) of traditional soul music to a one-three emphasis - but with a hard-driving, brassy swing. This pumping, one-three beat became a signature of classic funk. Often cueing his band with the command, "On the one!" previously associated with West African poly-rhythmic musical forms, diverse rhythms that all came together on one beat (which found its way through New Orleans during the slave era, was incorporated into military marching bands, picked up by pop/R&B artists, and thus diffused. In fact, JB hired a drummer from an R&B performer specifically for his intricate poly-rhythmic capability, which ultimately changed his music). While James Brown's 1965 Top 10 King Records hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is widely presumed to be the song that paved way for the funk genre, much of Brown's work in 1965 and 1966, though remarkable, still maintained the rhythms and approach found in earlier records. It was the #1 R&B hits "Cold Sweat" in 1967, "I Got The Feelin'" and "Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud" in 1968 that further defined the feel of funk. R&B #1's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" and "Mother Popcorn" in 1969 continued to solidify the tight rhythms, riffs and grooves for which funk music is known, setting the standard for James Brown's future work and the rising wave of funk to come in the 1970s.
1970s
In the 1970s, a new group of musicians further developed the "funk rock" approach innovated by George Clinton, with his bands Parliament and, later, Funkadelic, produced a new kind of funk sound heavily influenced by jazz and psychedelic music. The two groups had members in common and often are referred to singly as "Parliament-Funkadelic." The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic gave rise to the term "P-Funk," which both referred to the music by George Clinton's bands and defined a new subgenre.
Two bands in particular, Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, took the rhythmic power of funk and added to it more complex song forms, combined with large scale instrumentation - large horn sections, latin percussion, numerous capable soloists. These bands sold many records and brought the funk ethos to a larger audience.
Disco music also owed a great deal to funk. Many early disco songs and performers came directly from funk-oriented backgrounds. Some disco music hits, for example "Le Freak" by Chic, included riffs or rhythms very similar to funk music.
1980s
In the 1980s, many of the core elements that formed the foundation of the P-Funk formula began to be usurped by machines. Horns were replaced by synths, effectively phasing out horn sections, and the horns that remained were simplified from the patterns and hooks of the earlier funk sound. Horn solos were out. The classic keyboards of funk, like the Hammond B3 organ and the Fender Rhodes piano began to be replaced by the brash sound of new digital synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7. Drum machines began to replace the "funky drummers" of the past, and the slap and pop style of bass playing began to fall out of favor, often replaced by thinner sounding and rhythmically simpler keyboard bass. The lyrics and hooks of funk began to change from often suggestive and using double entendre to more graphic and sexually explicit.
Afrika Bambaataa influenced by Kraftwerk created "Electro Funk", a minimalist machine-driven style of funk with his single "Planet Rock" in 1982. Also known simply as Electro, this style of funk was driven by synthesizers and the electronic rhythm of the TR-808 drum machine. The single "Renegades of Funk" followed in 1983.
1990s
While funk was all but driven from the radio by slick commercial R&B and New Jack Swing, its influence continued to spread. Rock bands began adding elements of Funk to their sound, creating new combinations of "funk rock" and funk metal. Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Primus, Fishbone, Ronii, Faith No More, and Rage Against the Machine spread the approach and styles garnered from funk pioneers to all new predominantly white audiences in the mid-to-late 1980s and the 1990s. These bands later inspired the underground mid-1990s funkcore movement.
Since the mid 1990s the New Funk scene, centered around the Deep Funk collectors scene, is producing new material influenced by the sounds of rare funk 45's. Labels include Desco, Soul Fire, Daptone, Timmion, Neapolitan, Kay-Dee, and Tramp.
2000s
DJ Kub emerged in Dublin and played his debut funk set at Soul Food in Bia Bar on 17 August 2006. The set list was lean, mean and keen and included:
01. Bullitt (Main Title) - Lalo Schifrin
02. Runnin' (Rae & Christian Mix) - The Pharcyde ft Mark 1 & FF Crew
03. Feeling Fine - Sharpshooters
04. Keep Steppin' - Omar
05. California Soul - Marlena Shaw
06. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Otis Redding
07. Grooving With Mr G - Richard 'Groove' Holmes
08. Vida de Otario - Antonio Pinto & Ed Cortes
09. Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
10. Bring Down The Birds - Herbie Hancock
11. Crik Crak - The Lovers
12. Beat Goes On - The All Seeing I
13. Wicky Wacky - Fatback Band
14. I Got The Feelin' - James Brown
15. Son Of Shaft - The Bar-Kays
16. I Gotcha - Joe Tex
17. What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You - Marva Whitney
18. Itch And Scratch (Pt 1) - Rufus Thomas
19. I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth
20. I Want To Take You Higher - Sly & The Family Stone
21. Hollywood Swinging - Kool & The Gang
22. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
23. Root Down - Beastie Boys
24. Stroke '75 - Tower Of Power
25. Juicy - Notorious BIG
26. Ooh La La - The Wiseguys
27. Sunshine Of Your Love - Spanky Wilson
28. Sexy Coffee Pot - Tony Alvon & The Belairs
29. Don't Joke With A Hungry Man - Quantic ft Spanky Wilson
30. Peckings - Ballistic Brothers
31. Rude Boy Rock - Lionrock
32. Punch Bowl - Alan Parker
33. I Can't Explain - Yvonne Elliman
34. Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
35. Magnificent Romeo - Basement Jaxx
36. If It Ain't Broke... Break It! - The Limp Twins
37. Me Myself And I (OBLAPOS MODE) - De La Soul
38. Last Night Changed It All (7" Version) - Esther Williams
39. Mixed Drums - Andy Loore
40. Sport - Lightnin' Rod
41. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
42. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
43. Hot Pants Road - James Brown
44. Brothers Gonna Work It Out - Willie Hutch
The word "funk", once defined in dictionaries as body odour or the smell of sexual intercourse, commonly has been regarded as coarse or indecent.
African-American musicians originally applied "funk" to music with a slow, mellow groove, then later with a hard-driving, insistent rhythm because of the word's association with sexual intercourse. This early form of the music set the pattern for later musicians. The music was slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented and danceable. Funky typically described these qualities.
1960s
Only with the innovations of James Brown in the late 1960s was funk regarded as a distinct genre. In the R&B tradition, these tightly rehearsed bands created an instantly recognizable style, overlaid with catchy, anthemic vocals. Brown changed the rhythmic emphasis from the two-four beat (or backbeat) of traditional soul music to a one-three emphasis - but with a hard-driving, brassy swing. This pumping, one-three beat became a signature of classic funk. Often cueing his band with the command, "On the one!" previously associated with West African poly-rhythmic musical forms, diverse rhythms that all came together on one beat (which found its way through New Orleans during the slave era, was incorporated into military marching bands, picked up by pop/R&B artists, and thus diffused. In fact, JB hired a drummer from an R&B performer specifically for his intricate poly-rhythmic capability, which ultimately changed his music). While James Brown's 1965 Top 10 King Records hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is widely presumed to be the song that paved way for the funk genre, much of Brown's work in 1965 and 1966, though remarkable, still maintained the rhythms and approach found in earlier records. It was the #1 R&B hits "Cold Sweat" in 1967, "I Got The Feelin'" and "Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud" in 1968 that further defined the feel of funk. R&B #1's "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" and "Mother Popcorn" in 1969 continued to solidify the tight rhythms, riffs and grooves for which funk music is known, setting the standard for James Brown's future work and the rising wave of funk to come in the 1970s.
1970s
In the 1970s, a new group of musicians further developed the "funk rock" approach innovated by George Clinton, with his bands Parliament and, later, Funkadelic, produced a new kind of funk sound heavily influenced by jazz and psychedelic music. The two groups had members in common and often are referred to singly as "Parliament-Funkadelic." The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic gave rise to the term "P-Funk," which both referred to the music by George Clinton's bands and defined a new subgenre.
Two bands in particular, Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, took the rhythmic power of funk and added to it more complex song forms, combined with large scale instrumentation - large horn sections, latin percussion, numerous capable soloists. These bands sold many records and brought the funk ethos to a larger audience.
Disco music also owed a great deal to funk. Many early disco songs and performers came directly from funk-oriented backgrounds. Some disco music hits, for example "Le Freak" by Chic, included riffs or rhythms very similar to funk music.
1980s
In the 1980s, many of the core elements that formed the foundation of the P-Funk formula began to be usurped by machines. Horns were replaced by synths, effectively phasing out horn sections, and the horns that remained were simplified from the patterns and hooks of the earlier funk sound. Horn solos were out. The classic keyboards of funk, like the Hammond B3 organ and the Fender Rhodes piano began to be replaced by the brash sound of new digital synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7. Drum machines began to replace the "funky drummers" of the past, and the slap and pop style of bass playing began to fall out of favor, often replaced by thinner sounding and rhythmically simpler keyboard bass. The lyrics and hooks of funk began to change from often suggestive and using double entendre to more graphic and sexually explicit.
Afrika Bambaataa influenced by Kraftwerk created "Electro Funk", a minimalist machine-driven style of funk with his single "Planet Rock" in 1982. Also known simply as Electro, this style of funk was driven by synthesizers and the electronic rhythm of the TR-808 drum machine. The single "Renegades of Funk" followed in 1983.
1990s
While funk was all but driven from the radio by slick commercial R&B and New Jack Swing, its influence continued to spread. Rock bands began adding elements of Funk to their sound, creating new combinations of "funk rock" and funk metal. Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Primus, Fishbone, Ronii, Faith No More, and Rage Against the Machine spread the approach and styles garnered from funk pioneers to all new predominantly white audiences in the mid-to-late 1980s and the 1990s. These bands later inspired the underground mid-1990s funkcore movement.
Since the mid 1990s the New Funk scene, centered around the Deep Funk collectors scene, is producing new material influenced by the sounds of rare funk 45's. Labels include Desco, Soul Fire, Daptone, Timmion, Neapolitan, Kay-Dee, and Tramp.
2000s
DJ Kub emerged in Dublin and played his debut funk set at Soul Food in Bia Bar on 17 August 2006. The set list was lean, mean and keen and included:
01. Bullitt (Main Title) - Lalo Schifrin
02. Runnin' (Rae & Christian Mix) - The Pharcyde ft Mark 1 & FF Crew
03. Feeling Fine - Sharpshooters
04. Keep Steppin' - Omar
05. California Soul - Marlena Shaw
06. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Otis Redding
07. Grooving With Mr G - Richard 'Groove' Holmes
08. Vida de Otario - Antonio Pinto & Ed Cortes
09. Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
10. Bring Down The Birds - Herbie Hancock
11. Crik Crak - The Lovers
12. Beat Goes On - The All Seeing I
13. Wicky Wacky - Fatback Band
14. I Got The Feelin' - James Brown
15. Son Of Shaft - The Bar-Kays
16. I Gotcha - Joe Tex
17. What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You - Marva Whitney
18. Itch And Scratch (Pt 1) - Rufus Thomas
19. I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth
20. I Want To Take You Higher - Sly & The Family Stone
21. Hollywood Swinging - Kool & The Gang
22. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
23. Root Down - Beastie Boys
24. Stroke '75 - Tower Of Power
25. Juicy - Notorious BIG
26. Ooh La La - The Wiseguys
27. Sunshine Of Your Love - Spanky Wilson
28. Sexy Coffee Pot - Tony Alvon & The Belairs
29. Don't Joke With A Hungry Man - Quantic ft Spanky Wilson
30. Peckings - Ballistic Brothers
31. Rude Boy Rock - Lionrock
32. Punch Bowl - Alan Parker
33. I Can't Explain - Yvonne Elliman
34. Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
35. Magnificent Romeo - Basement Jaxx
36. If It Ain't Broke... Break It! - The Limp Twins
37. Me Myself And I (OBLAPOS MODE) - De La Soul
38. Last Night Changed It All (7" Version) - Esther Williams
39. Mixed Drums - Andy Loore
40. Sport - Lightnin' Rod
41. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
42. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
43. Hot Pants Road - James Brown
44. Brothers Gonna Work It Out - Willie Hutch
posted by Kub at 11:19
3 Comments:
That's one set I'm sorry I missed. When are you going to start burning & selling these things instead of torturing me by making me find all the tracks and make it myself???
Nice.
You got me wondering what the New Jack Swing is about, never heard of it.
j.
Lovin the funk man!!!!
Paulo,
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