| Author |
Message |
 
splanky (splanky) 6-Zenith Username: splanky
Post Number: 3373 Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 10:34 am: |   |
Tim, you're talking about a totally different generation of men and women than I was speaking of. Both genders have changed considerably in this country since the 70's and have re-defined what it is to be masculine or feminine in many ways. Yes, there are hundreds, hell thousands of women who listen to, perform or even write about Funk today but they would have been in a small minority when this music was reaching it's peak. With the exception of JB most of the girls I knew barely cared for most funk performers and from him they wanted the ballads most. In the seventies men loved to dance as much, some even more than women. Any viewing of Soul Train episodes will show you that. Another thing is that anyone going to a P-Funk or EWF show to hear these bands for the first time AFTER, say 1990 is really enjoying the music retroactively. It's good but it's a totally different experience than seeing George or Bootsy perform a release that is at the time on the radio or charts... |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3131 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 12:28 pm: |   |
Believe me, my recollections pertaining to FL are from my childhood when the record was heard for the first time, not after the fact. I came out of my shell as a dancer when I discovered P-Funk. It's almost as if the music taught me how to dance. I do think that there is a strong masculine presence in Funk music that can either intimidate or turn off a lot of females. Hmmmm.....this thread certainly took a different direction, didn't it. |
 
cOzmic (cozmic) 6-Zenith Username: cozmic
Post Number: 1351 Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 4:28 pm: |   |
- Dreamin' -1980 - Never Get Away - 1980 - Sizzlin' Hot - 1980 - Stone Jam - 1980 - Party Lites - 1981 - Snapshot -1981 - Spice of My Life (Oh Yes, You're the Best) - 1981 - Steal Your Heart - 1981 - Be My Babe - 1982 - Do You Like It Girl - 1982 - Friday Nights - 1982 - I'll Be Gone - 1982 - Dance - 1983 - Showdown - 1983 - Steppin' Out - 1983 - E.Z. Lovin' You - 1984 - Don't U Be Afraid - 1985 - Thrill Me - 1985 - I Like Your Style -1987 - Juicy O - 1987 - You Got The Power To Say No - 1987 - You Take My Breath Away - 1987 SPECIAL EVENT: SLAVE & SOUL SCHOOL 8:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aug 03, 2010 Join us for the 25 Year Anniversary Celebration of jazz89KUVO 89.3, In collaboration with A Funk Above The Rest Radio Show & Executive Entertainment, we present :R&B 70's group Slave featuring original bass player Mark Adams! Performing their hits Slide, Watching You, Just A Touch of Love, Snap You, and more! Special Guests Soul School Hosted by Skip The Funktologist A portion of the proceeds will be donated to: www.sicklecellcurefoundation.o rg Help them Fund The Cure Tickets: VIP $35 GA Day of show $30 if available GA Advance $25 Buy Now : Buy Advance Tix here : http://www.instantseats.com/in dex.cfm?r=5A0F&fuseaction=home .venue&VenueID=106 http://www.localendar.com/even t?DAM=PublishedEvent&m=268569& event_id=1615&calendar_id=2685 69&more_info=N&export_date=Aug %2003,%202010&category=1 |
 
Soulster (soulster) 6-Zenith Username: soulster
Post Number: 2914 Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 2:21 am: |   |
Steph, "Slide", to me, was more of a musician's jam. yeah, it probably was a guy thing. And, that's pretty much what Slave was until Steve Arrington joined. Maybe women like to hear less jamming and more song. Maybe it't the songs' subject matter. Maybe a touch of both. I think the same goes for other late 70s/early 80s self-contained bands, like Bar-kays, Brick, Cameo, and The Brothers Johnson. They appealed more to men than women. They all did a certain number of love songs, and had good singers, but the main thing were the hard funk jams. What do you all think? |
 
Juicefree20 (juicefree20)
6-Zenith Username: juicefree20
Post Number: 14477 Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 2:47 am: |   |
Splanky I understand what you're saying & I also have a great deal of respect for you, as well as Timmy & everyone here on this thread is saying. Now when it comes to Funk, I was a James Brown fanatic in the 60s & 70s & James could do no wrong with me. Hell, I even ran "World" like it was the greatest song ever. Of course, I was only 9 back then, but that's how deep my love for Funk went. Then too, there was "Testify", which was funky as hell, "We're A Winner", as well as "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Coming" & "Tramp", which were some of the funkiest jams ever. Now a group like Cameo was a group that I thought was a bit better overall than Slave was for those 1st 3 LPs. "It's Serious' was my jam, as was "Rigormortis". During that period of time I preferred The Bar-Kays, The Commodores, The Brothers Johnson, EWF, Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy, Johnny "Guitar" Watson (Blues meets Funk), The Isley Brothers, Con Funk Shun, Brass Construction & even The Kay-Gees over Slave. Slave had a few good jams after "Slide" but to my ear, there were other groups who were funky, but were doing it better overall than Slave was. I guess that what appealed to me about these other groups is that for me, they simply seemed to be more versatile than Slave was at that point. Not only that, but while Slave made some good songs, these others were dropping whole LPs that were the bomb, their hits were devastating & were undeniable classics. To this day, I can play the vast majority of these songs & have people running to the dance floor. Aside from "Slide", I can't say the same for anything else that Slave made during their 1st 3 LPs. I think that that is the biggest difference between Slave circa 1977 to mid '79 & the rest. I can honestly say that here in the N.Y./Metro area, everyone knows "Slide" & from "Touch Of Love" through "Showtime" & Steve's 1st 3 solo LPs. But if I were to play anything from their 1st 3 LPs (save for "Slide"), the vast majority wouldn't know what in the hell I'd be playing. I can also tell you that I don't remember Atlantic giving those LPs a huge push when they were released. Perhaps it truly was a regional thing. The male/female angle is an interesting one. I'd like to hear from more of our ladies & hear their perspective about this. Stephanie...any thoughts? |
 
Juicefree20 (juicefree20)
6-Zenith Username: juicefree20
Post Number: 14479 Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 4:01 am: |   |
Timmy: You know what I really think that it is? Here in N.Y., I grew up with Funk & that Soul music that was so deep, that you could smell the lard cooking in the grooves. That was from the mid-60s, through the mid-70s. But here in N.Y., somewhere around 1974, bands like Crown Heights Affair with jams like "Super Rod" & "Leave The Kids Alone", B.T. Express & "Do You Like It", "Express", "That's What I Want For You" & "If It Don't turn You On" & The Fatback Band were ruling the roost. And back then, the kings of the N.Y./Metro area Funksters were Kool & The Gang. They were damn near GODS back then. From 1975 to 1976, their sounds began changing. A lot of the bands were getting heavily into synths, strings began being introduced & the sound became glossier. Of course much of this has a lot to do with the move toward Disco. If we're to be fair about this, I also have to acknowledge the influence of the sounds coming out of Philly back then & how it affected what we listened to, as well as what we played. And if I'm to be totally honest, by 1976, the Soul music that we loved began to sound a bit dated to many of us. We were young, newer artists were coming along & many of us gravitated to these sounds. Traditionally, we're a musically restless people & were usually looking to the NEXT big thing. Unfortunately for many artists, this NEXT big thing was Disco & this was reflected on the charts, as well as how our artists began to (had to/coerced to/forced to) change their musical styles. Truthfully, how many of the Soul/Funk stars of the early 70s continued on in their former styles? And for those who did, how many of them continued to enjoy the same level of success that they once had while doing so? It seems to me that slowly, but surely, the acts that hearkened back to the Soul era such as Millie Jackson, Z.Z. Hill & Lattimore, while popular say around 1976, were being classified as "out of style" by around 1978. Icons such as James Brown, Al Green, Joe Simon, Bill Withers & others were pretty much dead in the water at that time. Most of the acts who survived from that pre-Disco era either began to give a nod to Disco & it's slicked up sound ("Boogie Wonderland" or "Winner Takes All", anyone?). Of course, all of this set the stage for groups like Slave, Cameo & even Con Funk Shun & we all know what happened with most of them in the 80s. As we moved deeper into the 80s, most of the bands & acts that were into hard Funk or Soul less than a decade earlier, either morphed into Pop balladeers (Lionel, Peabo, George) or were chasing crossover dreams (Lionel, Peabo, George, Kool & The Gang, etc.) Even a group like Cameo who could still hit you with the Funk, changed from a horn-heavy sound, to a synth & Linn Drum threesome over time. Here's a quick litmus test which should bear out the point that I'm driving at... As regards Funk, for the most part, what were the prevailing thoughts about the following acts say about 1984/85... The Brothers Johnson, The Ohio Players, The Bar-Kays, Con Funk Shun, Slave, George Clinton, Parliament, Funkadelic, B.T. Express, Brass Construction, Crown Heights Affair, James Brown, Kool & The Gang, The Isley Brothers, The Commodores, The Fatback Band From a purist standpoint & 20/20 hindsight, it may be politically incorrect to say this today, but in retrospect, for many back then, that's simply the way that it was. Music has always evolved & it's only natural that people would be influenced by that evolution. It happened when Jump Blues evolved into R&B (R&R for a short time), when R&B evolved into Soul & the hybrid known as Funk, which evolved into Dance Music aka TRUE DISCO, not that crap that folks decided to co-opt & synthesize until it beat every bit of life out of it to a steady 4/4 beat. I guess that I was influenced by all that I heard from infancy forward & could appreciate what each brought to the table. I guess one could say that I came of age in the era where this smoothed out sound was gaining in popularity & of course, as it was new & fresh, I took to it. Where Slave & others took Funk was simply its next natural progression, which I can appreciate as music should always seek to evolve, add to it & not remain stagnate. Otherwise, we'd have continued to hear Louis Jordan or Johnny Ace & while I can appreciate some of their music, that just wasn't my era, nor was it my music. I know that there were a lot of records & artists that were more popular elsewhere, that never got much play here & vice-versa. How many folks from California or the mid-west were playing Fatback's "I Found Love", not the 1988 remake, but the LP version like I was playing back in 1983? I remember being totally shocked when a few years ago, I spoke about Black Ivory here & discovered that a lot of people here weren't familiar with them. I guess that's what it all comes down to & yes, I believe that there's some regionality involved. |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3135 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 11:35 am: |   |
I do believe that there is a big divide that went down in the seventies. The first half of the decade seems to be defined by the whole Stylistics/Blue Magic/Delphonics/Chi-Lites thrust, which I really don't have much use for, as well as Kool and the Gang, CHA, Mandrill, BT Express, the Isleys, on the Funk end. While some Funk groups may not have received airplay in some sections of the U.S., the shut out angle was felt more in NYC, than in possibly any other area. While some cities might not have been playing certain cuts from particular acts, NYC just seemed to thumb it's nose at most of the prominent Funk bands, unless they scored a crossover hit. Then NYC had to fall in line. Juice, Splank, I definitely see where you guys coming from overall. |
 
Marv (marv2) 6-Zenith Username: marv2
Post Number: 4212 Registered: 11-2008
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 12:00 pm: |   |
I know I am coming into this a bit late, but Slave was just one of the best groups of that era (roughly 1977-82!) Steve Arrington was a BEAST! I do not recall them ever releasing a bad single. I did not however realize that they had released so many albums (thank you Cozmic!). Stephanie, "Slide" was our jam! "Walking Down the Street Watching Ladies" was the one I use to hum and sing around campus back at that time.......Great stuff! |
 
DJ Funk-O-Nots (dj_funkonots) 4-Laureate Username: dj_funkonots
Post Number: 166 Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 4:03 am: |   |
Hey Cozmic good to see you, thanx for the overview! In case still needed Show time is on cd ; http://www.amazon.com/Show-Tim e-Visions-Life-Slave/dp/B000AQ KVAI Wanna know more on SLAVE playing live , here an radio-interview i did with Steve Arrington were he explained something on it. http://www.soulinterviews.com/ interviews-archive/334-steve-a rrington-fon.html Greetz from the Netherlands. F-O-N. |
 
TAMLA617 (tamla617) 5-Doyen Username: tamla617
Post Number: 398 Registered: 1-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 8:09 am: |   |
timmy funk i checked discogs before i made another mistake and memory loss came back. discogs "says 1975" for the brass construction's 1st UA label album and not '76. with singles from that album comin out 75/76.as the song said "times are changin'".which is the right year tho',i dont have that album anymore to check |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3137 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 8:49 am: |   |
Then Discogs is wrong! I'll look on the back of my album, because I tell you that no single from that album was released prior to the release of the album, nor was it released prior to 1976. Just as some eBay sellers put wrong dates on albums that they're selling, Discogs is open to make the same mistake. Post script: Brass Construction's debut album charted 2/14/76, which means it was probably released sometime in January. The first single "Movin" charted 3/20/76, which puts the release date somewhere in February. Record releases and charts debuts generally happens within the span of three weeks to a month. (Message edited by timmyfunk on July 20, 2010) |
 
Wonder B (wonder_b) 6-Zenith Username: wonder_b
Post Number: 2121 Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 9:47 am: |   |
Don't know about the release date of the Brass Construction LP but Billboard R&B Top Albums indicates charts debut at Feb 14th 1976 and Top R&B Singles indicate 1st single 'Movin' entering on March 20ieth 1976... just to help you guys with some facts... |
 
Soulster (soulster) 6-Zenith Username: soulster
Post Number: 2918 Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 10:12 am: |   |
Juice, excellent statement on how it was in the 70s. It's exactly how I remember it as one who grew up in the 70s. And, about the gender thing: there was the younger generation, say, those women who also teens in the 70s, seem to also prefer the harder funk sounds from the likes of Parliament/Funkadelic, Slave, and Brick. Brass Construction? As stated above, "Movin'" was a hit single in the spring of 1976. |
 
kamasu (kamasu) 6-Zenith Username: kamasu
Post Number: 8388 Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 11:08 am: |   |
The only time females were into funk bands were when they had boyfriends in the bands. Most females went out to clubs to hear funk bands mainly because there might be dudes present to dance with. Most women usually prefer suave, romantic singers like Al Green & Teddy Pendergrass or bands with charismatic and smooth lead singers like Ron Isley. Most Funkers tend to sing about girls rather than sing to them. Bootsy's I'd Rather Be with You is an exception that comes to mind. It sounds sexist or odd, but it seems to be true. I think Funk was a genre enjoyed more by males who liked the grooves or the bass lines of particular songs. Most of the males I knew who were heavy into funk were musicians - amateur & otherwise. I have a buddy who learned to play bass guitar by practicing Slide over and over again. Like Juicefree, I prefer my funk smoothed out or polished, but not too slick like EW&F became. I tend to prefer the compilations of Funk outfits because they offer more variety in sounds. I get bored easily if something sounds the same. A groove can get monotonous but Slide or Just a Touch stick out as exceptions. (Message edited by kamasu on July 20, 2010) |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3138 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 11:22 am: |   |
Give me the original albums any day of the week. Compilations tend overlook the conceptual identity of the music. I do know that most of the people that I know that are into P-Funk are definitely musicians, top level musicians at that. I also think that women tend to gravitate towards Funk groups with a female lead or a prominent female player in the band (i.e. Rufus, Rolls Royce), which means that they will be equally adapt at at ballads as well as Funk. |
 
TAMLA617 (tamla617) 5-Doyen Username: tamla617
Post Number: 399 Registered: 1-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 6:36 pm: |   |
timmy funk it was 1975.i wouldnt take any notice of sellers info on ebay,amazon. i would believe a dozen specialist websites.and the record collector price guide it was an instant hit in the soul charts both sides of the pond.staight to No 1.what chart are you refering to? the pop charts lagged behind.anyway you got the album,whats the year on the cover |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3141 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 7:17 pm: |   |
In this case, the charts (Billboard Magazine) doesn't lie. I've given you exact chart placings as did Wonder B. The record wasn't released before January 1976. Billboard magazine would be able to give you a more accurate account of when a record was officially released to the public. I no longer have the record, but I do remember it coming out in 1976. |
 
DJ Funk-O-Nots (dj_funkonots) 4-Laureate Username: dj_funkonots
Post Number: 167 Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 11:12 am: |   |
I thought it was about SLAVE but now it's Changin', one two ha ,cha , cha. Brass website says ; http://www.brassconstruction.c om/music.html Good luck , i'm wandering who is gonna win. Keep on funkin'. |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3143 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 12:46 pm: |   |
OK, let's compromise: the album was probably released in very last week of December 1975, which would basically make it a 1976 release for all intents and purposes. (Message edited by timmyfunk on July 21, 2010) |
 
stephanie (stephanie) 6-Zenith Username: stephanie
Post Number: 3046 Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 2:16 pm: |   |
Juice, I saw your post later forgive me for not responding. I agree and disagree with the poster who said women gravitated towards the funksters who had women singers (Chaka and Rufus, Rose Royce, BT Express, SKYY etc.) I liked all of the funksters! I think its a good statement in theory but the one thing I DO think the poster would have been right about is if they had named the titles. When it came to the Ohio Players we women didnt mind if we saw couples and bondage (no Im not a fan of bondage) but females didnt find the Ohio Players album covers offensive at all! Im speaking for myself here its when I saw titles like Maggot Brain - Funkdadelic, and Sweet Sticky Thing - Ohio Players, Funkedelic - The Motor Booty. Women (girls at the time) we didnt like that stuff we liked everything else. If we saw a title like Jimmy's got a little bit of Bitch In Him or something like that it was a turnoff. I liked Slide but I couldnt listen to it because of the chink a chink in it that was definitely for the guys and musicians. Cameo didnt have any raunchy titles in their music from what I remember. I Just Wanna Be was my favorite record by them but if it had been named Ill be Your Freaky Deke I can promise you women (or girls) would have been turned off. I grew up in the burbs and that might have something to do with it I just couldnt stand the Maggot Brain title....LOL At that time the more (I dont want to use the word "ghetto" because I offended some on the board last time but the more "urban" the individual was it seemed the more they were into Slave, Funkedelic and groups like that. The more Cosby they were (I know bad analogy) the more they liked groups like BT Express, Mass Construction, Rufus and Chaka Khan. Black Heat was another group that urbanites seemed to love (I happen to like Never No Time to Burn and I Just Want to Dance with You.) by the way. Did they do Let your Mind Be Free? We couldnt muster titles with the word Booty in it I still cant! It wasnt the funk it was the sex in the funk..LOL |
 
stephanie (stephanie) 6-Zenith Username: stephanie
Post Number: 3047 Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 2:25 pm: |   |
Correction Juice! Brother to Brother did Chance with You not I Just want to Dance with you...LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =oMSfJSyC2-8 They also did Let your Mind be Free I found it on my own. Black Heat only did No Time to Burn. Those were the days! |
 
Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark
Post Number: 2737 Registered: 1-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 6:20 pm: |   |
I got that Brass Construction on cd and the booklet says it came out in summer 1975.The Moving 45 came out before the album. I scanned the liner note from that cd http://i164.photobucket.com/al bums/u7/Sharkadelic/brassconst ruction001.jpg Kam, there were plenty of funk bands singing to the ladies. EWF, Ohio Players, Graham Central Station, Tower Of Power, AWB, Cameo, Kool & the Gang, WAR, Isley Bros, Commodores and yes even P-Funk |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3144 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 7:41 pm: |   |
Then whoever did the liner notes is sadly mistaken. That album definitely didn't come out in the summer of 1975. There's no way that the album released in the summer of 1975, yet didn't chart until February the following year? Not likely at all. |
 
Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark
Post Number: 2740 Registered: 1-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 8:01 pm: |   |
Lloyd Bradley. |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3145 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 8:27 pm: |   |
Still incorrect. |
 
GEETEE(HPK) (geeteehpk)
6-Zenith Username: geeteehpk
Post Number: 4878 Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 10:01 pm: |   |
Changing the subject a bit, Steve Arrington is doing a telephone interview in a matter of minutes on WRLR. www.wrlr.fm |
 
Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark
Post Number: 2743 Registered: 1-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 10:12 pm: |   |
You don't believe that LLoyd Bradley wrote that? Just having a little fun, I know what you meant. To prove your point: Brass Construction album charts @ #6 in the week of 12/25/76 http://tinyurl.com/billborad Here's an ad that says 1976 http://tinyurl.com/jet-ad (Message edited by PShark on July 21, 2010) |
 
GEETEE(HPK) (geeteehpk)
6-Zenith Username: geeteehpk
Post Number: 4879 Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 11:05 pm: |   |
In case you missed the interview,Steve has some new material coming out. He signed with Stone Throw Records,and Dam-Funk is producing the CD. Steve will be touring in support of the CD. He will be covering some classic Slave material,as well as his solo hits. |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3148 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 11:16 pm: |   |
Oh you are the funny one, PShark. |
 
Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark
Post Number: 2745 Registered: 1-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 11:52 pm: |   |
^Well you know, some of my best jokes are friends. Stephanie: more "urban" the individual was it seemed the more they were into Slave, Funkedelic and groups like that. The more Cosby they were (I know bad analogy) the more they liked groups like BT Express, Mass Construction, Rufus and Chaka Khan. Black Heat was another group that urbanites seemed to love (I happen to like Never No Time to Burn and I Just Want to Dance with You.) by the way. Did they do Let your Mind Be Free? I remember the one Cosby episode where Vanessa & her boyfriend were in the kitchen (I think) listenining to Cosmic Slop on the radio. How unCosby is that (Message edited by PShark on July 22, 2010) |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3153 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2010 - 8:13 pm: |   |
I think that in the end, Funk had an across the board appeal to young African-Americans. The black college was diggin' the Funk heavily, especially in places like Howard University and Tuskegee. But it was definitely directed at the have-nots (or never-will haves...take your pick). Those citizens of Chocolate City that the record industry, up until that time, largely ignored. In that demographic, males and females loved the Funk equally. The cultural references injected into the music made it impossible for anyone in the 'hood' to ignore it. Stephanie, "Jimmy..." was a song that was designed to be a message of tolerance towards the gay community. It was probably the earliest example of understanding towards that particular lifestyle. |
 
daddyacey (daddyacey)
6-Zenith Username: daddyacey
Post Number: 2828 Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 - 2:52 am: |   |
The entity known as Funk ,I.M.O. ,changed in the late 70's early 80's ,as a result of the early introduction of the digital medium ,with the synth expansion ,as far as in varied sounds the instrument was able to "emulate". First went the horns ,a key element in the core of the Funk. The most blatent examples of this started with tracks from the founders , Sly and later J.B. While Skyy and Slave for example took the Funk to another level ,without horns , Sly and J.B. choose to follow that trend. That led to a trend of some groups having horns ,such as Brass Construction ,which actually was the source of the spin off of the hornless Skyy and Slave. G.C.S. ,Kool and the Gang ,Ohio Players ,E.W.F. and Cameo, continued on for a while with the horns but eventually dropped them ,in following the trend , supported by the advent of digital and midi. Midi changed the face of Funk and I.M.O. ,made it more minimal in substance ,rather that more raw in feeling. For example , the intro to the O.P.'s ,Skin Tight ,is raw Funk ,and then sweetened by the horn refrain , while Slave's ,Watching You , is raw all the way thru ,an it's synth refrain could be equally or more effective as horns instead of synth. Eventually all the Big Band Funk groups would follow suit. Eventually that magic ingredient of the horns ,would be eliminated in the formula that was known as the Funk. Horns began to disappear from K.& the G. ,The O.P. ,E.W.F. .G.C.S and Cameo. The one thing that defined them as an entity ,was gone, because of the synth and midi. At least thats how I see it. |
 
Timmy Funk (timmyfunk)
6-Zenith Username: timmyfunk
Post Number: 3155 Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 - 8:48 am: |   |
And how you control that synth and midi. Bernie and Junie were far ahead of the pack in terms of manipulation of the synth. |
 
cOzmic (cozmic) 6-Zenith Username: cozmic
Post Number: 1352 Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 02, 2010 - 8:42 am: |   |
Thanks Marv and Funk-O-Nots for your words and apologies for my late reply ! As far as i know, Slave's last album with horns was "Bad Enuff" (1983) on tracks like "Steppin' Out" and "Dance". One of the only hornless Cameo-albums i can think of is "Style" (1983). |
 
cOzmic (cozmic) 6-Zenith Username: cozmic
Post Number: 1353 Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 02, 2010 - 9:08 am: |   |
GEETEE( HPK) (geeteehpk) 6-Zenith Username: geeteehpk Post Number: 4879 Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 11:05 pm: " In case you missed the interview,Steve has some new material coming out. He signed with Stone Throw Records,and Dam-Funk is producing the CD. Steve will be touring in support of the CD. He will be covering some classic Slave material,as well as his solo hits." .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. ......................... Yeah, Steve already distributes his recent album "Pure Thang" through cdbaby : www.cdbaby.com/cd/sarrington The instrumental track "Coolin" is so far what i like. Could'nt relate to the rest. Maybe in time. Dam-Funk so far released a 4-track single including Steve on "4 My Homies" , and i believe Steve also sings background-vocals on "Hood Pass Intact". Haven't been able to find a sample of "4 My Homies" online, but "Hood Pass Intact" isn't really my thang, although Dam-Funk's synths sound tight. http://stonesthrow.com/podcast /stonesthrow_damfunk_mceiht.mp 3 www.stonesthrow.com/news/2010/ 07/damfunk-mceight-hoodpassint act |
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