The Best of Underground Funk Music

Looking for the best in underground funk music? Look no further than this blog, which showcases the best of the genre from around the world. From classic tracks to modern day bangers, we’ve got it all covered.

Introduction to Underground Funk Music

Underground funk is a style of music that developed in the late 1960s. It is a combination of soul, R&B, and funk. The music is often political and often has a message. It is different from mainstream funk music in that it is not as commercialized.

What is Underground Funk Music?

Underground funk is a type of music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is characterized by its funky, groove-oriented sound and its often politically or socially conscious lyrics. Unlike many other genres of popular music, underground funk was largely ignored by mainstream radio and media outlets. Instead, it was relegated to a small but dedicated group of fans who traded recordings of obscure tracks through the mail or via underground record labels.

Despite its lack of mainstream attention, underground funk played an important role in the development of hip hop and other genres of black popular music. Many early hip hop artists drew inspiration from underground funk tracks, sampling them extensively in their songs. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in underground funk, with several reissue labels devoted to releasing rare and hard-to-find tracks.

The Origins of Underground Funk Music

Funk is a music genre that originated in the African-American community in the mid-1960s. The term funk initially referred to a strong, pungent odor. later it was used to describe a type of African-American popular music characterised by a strong bassline and drumbeat.

Funk music was influenced by soul and rhythm and blues. It typically has a syncopated groove with emphasized percussive instruments, such as drums, congas, clavinet and electric bass.

The style originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s, when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul, jazz and R&B. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground.

The Best of Underground Funk Music

Funk is a style of music that was popularized in the 1970s. It is a mix of African American music genres such as soul, jazz, and R&B. Funk music is characterized by a groove which is created by the bass and drums. The best funk music is often underground or independent. Here is a list of the best underground funk musicians.

Parliament-Funkadelic

Formed in the late 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic was a collective of musicians led by George Clinton. The group blended elements of funk, soul, rock, and R&B to create a unique sound that was unlike anything else being made at the time. Parliament-Funkadelic achieved mainstream success in the 1970s with hits like “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” and “Flash Light.” The group’s popularity waned in the 1980s, but Clinton continued to lead various incarnations of Parliament-Funkadelic into the 21st century.

Bootsy’s Rubber Band

Formed in Cincinnati in 1972 by Bootsy Collins, Bootsy’s Rubber Band was a collective of Ohio musicians who helped pioneer the Funk sound. The band’s 1973 debut album, “The Bootsy Collins Show,” is considered one of the greatest Funk albums of all time. Over the next decade, the band released a series of successful albums, including “Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band” (1976), “Thisboot Is Made for Fonk-N” (1977), and “Bootsy? Player of the Year” (1978). In 1982, the band broke up, but Collins and several other members continued to record and perform as The New Bootsy Collins Band.

James Brown

The Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Soul Brother Number One—no matter what you call him, James Brown was a legendary figure in funk and popular music. The man with the raspy voice and distinctive dance moves was a dominant force on the charts in the 1960s and ‘70s, having over 100 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also had a profound influence on the development of hip hop, rap, and R&B.

Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, on May 3, 1933, James Joseph Brown was the third of six children born to Susie and Joe Brown. His father was a Baptist minister who abandoned his family when Brown was just four years old. His mother took odd jobs to support her children. As a young boy, Brown shined shoes and sold newspapers to help out. He also began singing in his church choir.

Brown’s musical talent was evident early on. He started playing the drums when he was six years old and by age 10 he was touring with gospel singer Bobby Byrd’s family band. When he was 13 years old, he left school to pursue a career in music full time. After relocating to Atlanta in 1953, Brown formed his own band, The Famous Flames. The group had their first hit record with “Please Please Please” in 1956 . . .

Sly and the Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone is an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, the group was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music. Headed by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and featuring songwriting contributions from bandmates Larry Graham, Jerry Martini, Freddie Stone, Rosie Stone, and Cynthia Robinson; Sly and the Family Stone’s sound reached its commercial peak with their 1971 album There’s a Riot Goin’ On. The work of the band was a funky fusion of soul music with rock music that facilitated a more general transition from 1950s rhythm and blues to 1970s funk.

The band began recording in 1966 with their self-titled debut album Sly and the Family Stone. The LP was mixed by Conceptual artist Stanley Mouse who added his own brand of cosmic country psychedelia to the band’s sound. The single “Dance to the Music” became their first top forty hit in 1967. Versions of the song ” Everyday People” and “Higher” reached number one on the pop charts in 1968. The group’s next album, A Whole New Thing was released later that year; it featured stripped down instrumental tracks that allowed each member of the band to shine. The LP would ultimately be considered their experimental phase as they moved away from straight soul/funk towards a more psychedelic sound.

In 1969, stand-up comedian Bill Cosby became one of the first high-profile celebrities to collaborate with Sly and the Family Stone when he guested on their third album Stand!, appearing on the songs “Little Miss Pretty”, “Love City”, and “I Wanna Take You Higher”. The album marked a change in direction for the band as they began to explore social issues such as race relations (“Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey”), drug addiction (“Stand!”), Vietnam War protests (“I Want To Take You Higher”), among others. “Everyday People”, written by bassist Larry Graham became one of their most successful singles; it topped both the pop and R&B charts in early 1968. The song’s simple message about racial harmony struck a chord with listeners during a time of great social turmoil in America.

Looking back on his time with Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham reflected: “We were trying to do something different … trying to take black music further than it had gone … Some of our harmonies were kind of complicated … We weren’t copycats like so many groups were … We did something new … Everybody started imitating us.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a great deal of amazing funk music being created by talented artists all over the world. If you’re a fan of funk music, it’s definitely worth taking some time to explore the underground scene and check out some of these incredible bands.