Instant Funk: The Music Artist You Need to Know
Instant Funk was one of the most successful disco and funk bands of the 1970s. The group’s sound was a unique blend of R&B, disco, and funk, and their hits included “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl),” “Party Train,” and “Body Talk.” If you’re a fan of disco or funk, you need to know about Instant Funk!
Who is Instant Funk?
Instant Funk was an American disco and funk band that was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band was formed in Philadelphia in 1974 by guitarist Norman Hector, bassist Scotty Miller, and drummer Frank Waddy. The group’s name was inspired by the Instant Funk album by James Brown.
The band had several hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” (1978), “Candy” (1979), and “Body Work” (1980). They also had two Top 40 hits on the Dance Club Songs chart, “No Stoppin’ (Us) Now” (1979) and “Watchin’ You” (1980).
In addition to their own recordings, Instant Funk did session work for other artists, including Chic, Sister Sledge, and The Jacksons. They also did remixes for artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson.
The band broke up in the early 1980s but reunited in 2013 for a series of live performances.
What is their music like?
funk is a style of danceable, groove-oriented soul music popularized by James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to AllMusic, “funk’s definitive musical traits include dynamic snycopated rhythyms driven by sixteenth-note divisions of the beat; crisp and active rhythym guitar playing; vocals which tend toward the spoken or shouted variety characteristic of earlier Soul music, often with a pronounced rhyming lyric schemes; technically demanding, melodic bass lines; and horn sections employing jazz-based instruments for percussive effect” Often funk tracks have a producers or DJs adding electronic effects.
Why are they worth listening to?
instantiation of the Funk genre. The band was led by Montreal-born siblings Jean and Patrick Adams. The group’s hits included “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” (1979), “Crying”, “Shadows of Your Love” and “Nobody but You Babe”.
The group began its career in the 1970s as a backing band for other artists, but soon began releasing their own material. Their 1974 self-titled debut album was a commercial success, reaching number one on the US R&B chart and number 24 on the Billboard 200. The follow-up album, Electric Funk (1975), was also successful, reaching number two on the R&B chart and number 41 on the Billboard 200.
The group’s popularity began to decline in the late 1970s, but they continued to release albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, Patrick Adams died of a heart attack, aged 54. Jean Adams died of cancer in 2013, aged 66.
