That Music Sound: Can’t Wait for Funk

New music blog Alert! Can’t Wait for Funk will be your go-to source for the latest and greatest in funk music. Stay up to date on the freshest new tracks and find out about upcoming albums and artists.

Introduction

Funk is a style of music that began in the mid-1960s. It is a blend of African-American music styles such as soul and R&B with elements of rock and roll. Funk music was created by artists like James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic. The genre is known for its Groove, which is a repeated pattern that encourages dancers to move their hips and bodies in a rhythmic way.

While funk can be seen as a predecessor to disco, the two genres are different. Funk is more centered around the musician, while disco is more focused on the dancer. Funk also has a stronger emphasis on rhythm, while disco relies more on melody.

Both genres were popular in the 1970s, but funk began to decline in popularity in the 1980s. It made a comeback in the 1990s and 2000s with artists like OutKast and Bruno Mars.

The Funk Sound

Funk music originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The genre was created by African American musicians who blended soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Funk music is defined by its catchy grooves, syncopated rhythms, and call-and-response vocals. The genre is often associated with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic.

The Origins of Funk

Funk is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a blend of soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground.

Funk’s earliest origins are in the work of such disparate figures as James Brown and Sly Stone; it later came to be associated with the work of Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton’s sprawling array of bands, singers, and players. Other key Funk performers include Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Chic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, Maceo Parker, Prince, Rick James, Slave, Tower of Power, and War. Bootsy Collins has been called “the Michael Jordan of funk.”

While Funk was not generally embraced by the mainstream music industry or press during its formative years—and was often derided as “slumming” by Funk’s more middle-class African American fans—it did enjoy significant crossover success; in 1970 alone three different Funk songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (“Band of Gold” by Freda Payne,”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross,”War” by Edwin Starr). From the early 1970s onwards Parliament-Funkadelic began to achieve massive commercial success with a string of hit singles and albums. By the late 1970s Funk had become one of the most popular forms of African American music.

The Funk Sound Today

Funkadelic and Parliament, two of the most sampled bands in music history, laid the foundation for what we now know as funk. With their flamboyant stage shows, outrageous costumes, and unforgettable hits like “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” and “Flash Light,” they delivered a unique brand of danceable, party-starting music that was as fresh and new as it was steeped in the traditions of R&B, soul, and rock.

Funk enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s thanks to artists like George Clinton (who had transitioned from Parliament-Funkadelic to a solo career), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, and Bruno Mars. The 2010s saw a new wave of funk-influenced artists like Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and MGMT taking the sound in exciting new directions.

Today, funk is as popular as ever, with a new generation of fans discovering its groove-heavy goodness. If you’re looking to get your funk on, check out our list of essential funk songs. You can also check out our list of essential Prince songs for more great tunes from The Purple One.

Can’t Wait for Funk

Funk lives on as one of the most resilient, adaptable and popular genres of music. It has survived decades and is still going strong today. Funk music is often described as a mix of soul, R&B and jazz. The genre is known for its catchy rhythms, lively basslines and danceable tunes.

The Impact of Funk

Funk arrived on the music scene in the early 1970s, and it was a game changer. With its stripped-down sound and emphasis on rhythm, funk was the perfect antidote to the indulgent excesses of psychedelia and prog rock. It inspired a new generation of dance music and had a profound impact on R&B, hip hop, and even rock.

So what exactly is funk? As Bootsy Collins once said, “Funk is not necessarily just about the groove, it’s about the feeling.” Funk is all about groove and attitude; it’s music that you can feel in your bones. The best funk songs have a catchy bass line that gets your hips moving, a funky rhythm guitar that keeps the groove locked in, and horns or synths that add texture and flavor. And of course, no funk song is complete without a healthy dose of attitude.

The impact of funk can be felt in many different genres of music. Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” is often cited as an influence on psychedelic rock, while Parliament’s “Flash Light” was an important early building block of hip hop. Funk also had a major impact on R&B; performers like Sly Stone and Marvin Gaye used funk to create some of their most iconic tracks. Even rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Red Hot Chili Peppers have been known to dabble in funk from time to time.

If you’re looking to get your groove on, there’s no better place to start than with some classic funk jams. Here are just a few of our favorites:

– Parliament – “Flash Light”
– Funkadelic – “Maggot Brain”
– James Brown – “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine”
– Sly & The Family Stone – “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
– Bootsy Collins – “I’d Rather Be With You”
– George Clinton – “Atomic Dog”

The Future of Funk

Funk has been a dominant force in music for decades, but its influence can be felt in genres as disparate as pop, hip-hop, and even classical. As The New York Times put it, “In a way, funk is the only truly American form of dance music.”

With its emphasis on groove and feeling over technical virtuosity, funk has always been about the collective rather than the individual. This makes it the perfect musical style for the 21st century, when we’re more connected than ever before but often feel alone.

Funk is coming back into the mainstream after a period of being relegated to cult status. Artists like Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, and Anderson .Paak are incorporating elements of funk into their chart-topping hits. And there’s a new generation of funk bands carrying on the tradition of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, and James Brown.

The future of funk is bright. It’s a style of music that celebrates life and encourages us to come together to dance and feel good. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to Funk up your life!