Some seriously funky music that you might like

Really truly funky music is hard to find these days. And when I say funk, I’m talking about "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, "1999" by Prince, "Jungle Love" by the Time, and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson.  It’s out there, but not in overabundant supply.  If you like funky music, really funky music, than you should listen to some of these recommendations, most of which are not new, but may be ones you haven’t heard before. 

Stereo MC’s

The Stereo MC’s came on the scene in the UK back in the late 1980s.  There are 3 members. The music is funky electronica with good raps and singing. The group is one of those rare talents, like Massive Attack, who not only put out their own really consistently good music, but also produce other bands’ music.  In fact, they do such a good job producing other groups’ music, that often they can make a song that wasn’t so interesting much better, and a song that was already very interesting, sensational.  An example of a really good song they made even better is "I changed my mind (Stereo MCs Rattlesnake Mix)" by Lyrics Born (who himself is very funky).

I Changed My Mind (Stereo Mcs Rattlesnake Mix - Lyrics Born

If you want to get an introduction to the Stereo MC’s music, check out their live DVD, ‘Connected’.  Great beats and layered rhythms.  Especially good tracks on the live concert performance are "Elevate My Mind", "Connected", "step it up". 

You can see a video of "Elevate My Mind" by Stereo MC’s, here:

Brian Eno & David Byrne, "My Life in The Bush of Ghosts"

This album was arguably the first Western contemporary music album to feature Eastern polyrhythmic beats and vocals–it preceded Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel’s efforts in this area.  If you can listen to the drums in "Jezebel’s Spirit" and not move your legs, you are a slab of wood.

You can experience "Jezebel’s Spirit" here–definitely listen to it in higher fidelity when you have a chance–there’s too much sonic detail to capture in this youtube video:

Leftfield with Roots Manuva "Dusted"

This is one of the funkiest beats ever.  Although you can get a flavor for it thru the embedded video, you really have to listen to the song on CD or as a mp3 without accompanying video to enjoy it.  The video is pretty cheesy.

Staple Singers "Slippery People"

Now you might say, "Isn’t ‘Slippery People’ a Talking Heads’ song?"  And the answer, of course, is ‘yes, it is’.  So why am I not listing this track in all its original funky goodness and listing the Staple Singers’ version? Because the Staple Singers took an already really funky song as performed by Talking Heads and made it even funkier.  If you disagree, let me know. By the way, David Byrne, the leader of Talking Heads, produced and plays on this version.

Alexander  O’Neal, "Fake"

When I first saw the video/heard this song, I was pretty amazed. It is performed by The Time, with Alexander O’Neal singing lead vocals (effectively), and  produced by one of the most funky production teams in history, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.  This is a great dance song.

The Family, "High Fashion" 

This was a group formed by Prince, who also wrote the song and performed most of it.  The group never hit it, but this song is a favorite club-tune.  When I used to DJ, it was usually one of the most popular songs that no one had ever heard until I played it.

I have many more that I will list at a future time.

Let me know what you think!

This entry was posted on 28. June 2008 at 06:44 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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