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Updated: Funk in the 21st Century - Radio show download here Many claim that Funk is dead, but I think that right now, we see a huge revival of oldschool Soul and Funk. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings from New York City are definitely the torch bearers of the 21st Centuey Funk movement, selling more records than any other contemporary Funk artist and even breaking through into the mainstream (the Dap-Kings played on Amy Winehouse's album and also backed her up on the road in the U.S.; they had a cameo appearance in American Gangster and Sharon appeared in The Great Debaters).
There are more great new Funk bands that subscribe to the oldschool sound, like Charles Walker & The Dynamites from Tennessee and Wiley and the Checkmates from Mississippi. We got the Budos Band from NYC and Breakestra from L.A., all sell records worldwide. But unlike in the late 1960s, the era that the new bands try to re-ignite, Funk is a global phenomen today. Japan got Osaka Monaurail, probably the tightest Funk band in the world right now. Groups like The New Mastersounds, Speedometer, The Harris Horns, Cookin' on 3 Burners, The Fantastics, The Grits and the Sound Stylistics from England are well established fixtures in the global Funk scene. Spain has the Sweet Vandals, Germany's Poets of Rhythm are said to have started the worldwide Funk revival back in 1993. Finland got Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators. All these groups have one thing in common: Unlike more polished and mainstream orientated new Funk groups like Mint Condition, they mostly record analogue, with vintage instruments and release their music on vinyl 45s. Even though the movement is still underground, let's not forget that most oldschool Funk groups back in the day were deeply underground as well. I think it's a great time and era for Funk, and globalization has helped to bring musicians, producers, DJs and fans together on a global scale. Funk is here to stay! In a last act of shameless self promotion, I encourage all Funk fans to listen to our radio show Midnight Soulstice tonight (Friday) from 11 pm to 1 am EST on www.wrir.org Tonight's show is dedicated to the new Funk movement, so you will get to hear two hours of brandnew Funk, and it may surprise many of you who funky it can get today! [Edited 12/19/08 8:35am] [Edited 12/20/08 13:14pm] | |
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Kewl! Can't wait till tonight. Got anything new by the Bamboos to throw into the mix? | |
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DakutiusMaximus said: Kewl! Can't wait till tonight. Got anything new by the Bamboos to throw into the mix?
Was gonna ask about this too since they weren't mentioned! Just found another band keeping it real with the funk FROM SPAIN! Phat Fred They like to get all crazy and take it into the crowd... | |
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Hell, I didn't know funk existed anymore except for Prince and Jamiroquai. Anytime someone refers me to a funk or dance group these days, it's never in the record store because all they carry that's new is shit hop. I will definately keep my eyes open for that Mississippi group though. Since I'm in Mississippi, surely some record store should have it. If they don't, they need their ass beat. Andy is a four letter word. | |
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DakutiusMaximus said: Kewl! Can't wait till tonight. Got anything new by the Bamboos to throw into the mix?
The Bamboos rock! There's also a new group from Australia called the Transatlantics, they're from Adelaide. You'll hear more about them soon. They recently backed up Eddie Bo on his Australian tour, and we're gonna couple them with Marva Whitney next year for some shows down under. | |
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vainandy said: Hell, I didn't know funk existed anymore except for Prince and Jamiroquai. Anytime someone refers me to a funk or dance group these days, it's never in the record store because all they carry that's new is shit hop. I will definately keep my eyes open for that Mississippi group though. Since I'm in Mississippi, surely some record store should have it. If they don't, they need their ass beat.
There's a whole world of new Funk out there. I don't even think Jamiroquai qualifies .. he's more Disco than anything and way too polished. But their first two albums were pretty ground breaking back in the Acid Jazz days .. Wiley and the Checkmates are from Oxford, Mississippi, I believe. Check 'em out on MySpace. | |
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Slave2daGroove said: Phat Fred I've heard the name, but I have to admit that I have not heard the music until now. I dig the first clip, very New Orleans style. | |
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Funk is forever coming | |
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MrSoulpower said: Many claim that Funk is dead, but I think that right now, we see a huge revival of oldschool Soul and Funk. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings from New York City are definitely the torch bearers of the 21st Centuey Funk movement, selling more records than any other contemporary Funk artist and even breaking through into the mainstream (the Dap-Kings played on Amy Winehouse's album and also backed her up on the road in the U.S.; they had a cameo appearance in American Gangster and Sharon appeared in The Great Debaters).
There are more great new Funk bands that subscribe to the oldschool sound, like Charles Walker & The Dynamites from Tennessee and Wiley and the Checkmates from Mississippi. We got the Budos Band from NYC and Breakestra from L.A., all sell records worldwide. But unlike in the late 1960s, the era that the new bands try to re-ignite, Funk is a global phenomen today. Japan got Osaka Monaurail, probably the tightest Funk band in the world right now. Groups like The New Mastersounds, Speedometer, The Harris Horns, Cookin' on 3 Burners, The Fantastics, The Grits and the Sound Stylistics from England are well established fixtures in the global Funk scene. Spain has the Sweet Vandals, Germany's Poets of Rhythm are said to have started the worldwide Funk revival back in 1993. Finland got Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators. All these groups have one thing in common: Unlike more polished and mainstream orientated new Funk groups like Mint Condition, they mostly record analogue, with vintage instruments and release their music on vinyl 45s. Even though the movement is still underground, let's not forget that most oldschool Funk groups back in the day were deeply underground as well. I think it's a great time and era for Funk, and globalization has helped to bring musicians, producers, DJs and fans together on a global scale. Funk is here to stay! In a last act of shameless self promotion, I encourage all Funk fans to listen to our radio show Midnight Soulstice tonight (Friday) from 11 pm to 1 am EST on www.wrir.org Tonight's show is dedicated to the new Funk movement, so you will get to hear two hours of brandnew Funk, and it may surprise many of you who funky it can get today! [Edited 12/19/08 8:35am] Thanks for the info! | |
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MrSoulpower said: Slave2daGroove said: Phat Fred I've heard the name, but I have to admit that I have not heard the music until now. I dig the first clip, very New Orleans style. WHOAH....I'm turning Mr Funk onto something? Just bought the live disk and it's not as rock solid as the Bamboos but it's FUNKY. Check out their myspace for the music and then scroll down for a concert they did. They have some chops, I just love people of the world for funk. http://www.myspace.com/dontspoilthesoup | |
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I'm kinda a loss, because except for Mint Condition, I haven't heard of any of the bands you listed in your posting. But as for funk, it never dies.
MrSoulpower said: Many claim that Funk is dead, but I think that right now, we see a huge revival of oldschool Soul and Funk. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings from New York City are definitely the torch bearers of the 21st Centuey Funk movement, selling more records than any other contemporary Funk artist and even breaking through into the mainstream (the Dap-Kings played on Amy Winehouse's album and also backed her up on the road in the U.S.; they had a cameo appearance in American Gangster and Sharon appeared in The Great Debaters).
There are more great new Funk bands that subscribe to the oldschool sound, like Charles Walker & The Dynamites from Tennessee and Wiley and the Checkmates from Mississippi. We got the Budos Band from NYC and Breakestra from L.A., all sell records worldwide. But unlike in the late 1960s, the era that the new bands try to re-ignite, Funk is a global phenomen today. Japan got Osaka Monaurail, probably the tightest Funk band in the world right now. Groups like The New Mastersounds, Speedometer, The Harris Horns, Cookin' on 3 Burners, The Fantastics, The Grits and the Sound Stylistics from England are well established fixtures in the global Funk scene. Spain has the Sweet Vandals, Germany's Poets of Rhythm are said to have started the worldwide Funk revival back in 1993. Finland got Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators. All these groups have one thing in common: Unlike more polished and mainstream orientated new Funk groups like Mint Condition, they mostly record analogue, with vintage instruments and release their music on vinyl 45s. Even though the movement is still underground, let's not forget that most oldschool Funk groups back in the day were deeply underground as well. I think it's a great time and era for Funk, and globalization has helped to bring musicians, producers, DJs and fans together on a global scale. Funk is here to stay! In a last act of shameless self promotion, I encourage all Funk fans to listen to our radio show Midnight Soulstice tonight (Friday) from 11 pm to 1 am EST on www.wrir.org Tonight's show is dedicated to the new Funk movement, so you will get to hear two hours of brandnew Funk, and it may surprise many of you who funky it can get today! [Edited 12/19/08 8:35am] | |
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Slave2daGroove said: MrSoulpower said: I've heard the name, but I have to admit that I have not heard the music until now. I dig the first clip, very New Orleans style. WHOAH....I'm turning Mr Funk onto something? Just bought the live disk and it's not as rock solid as the Bamboos but it's FUNKY. Check out their myspace for the music and then scroll down for a concert they did. They have some chops, I just love people of the world for funk. http://www.myspace.com/dontspoilthesoup One can never stop learning! I noticed they covered the Deep Funk classic Stay on the Groove. I'm gonna play the New Mastersounds version of that track on the show tonight, which hits even harder than Phat Fred's. | |
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eaglebear4839 said: I'm kinda a loss, because except for Mint Condition, I haven't heard of any of the bands you listed in your posting. But as for funk, it never dies.
That's all good, check out the show tonight or the download once I post it, and if you like Funk, it's gonna turn you on to a whole new universe of music. The good thing about New Funk is that most of the records are still available (although we're gonna play some that are hard to find now and not re-released on CD). | |
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MrSoulpower said: I think it's a great time and era for Funk, and globalization has helped to bring musicians, producers, DJs and fans together on a global scale. Funk is here to stay!
I hope you're correct. It'd be nice to hear more musicians playing some new hard groovin' music. tA Tribal Disorder http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Show is on air now! Primary stream on www.wrir.org | |
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Not really feeling it, and yes, I've heard stuff from a lot of the bands you listed.
It doesn't have the same feel as the funk music from back in the day has... I guess it doesn't matter, though, since I'm more than happy discovering new *old* music, rather than listening to contemporary stuff It is not known why FuNkeNsteiN capitalizes his name as he does, though some speculate sunlight deficiency caused by the most pimpified white guy afro in Nordic history.
- Lammastide | |
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FuNkeNsteiN said: Not really feeling it, and yes, I've heard stuff from a lot of the bands you listed.
It doesn't have the same feel as the funk music from back in the day has... I guess it doesn't matter, though, since I'm more than happy discovering new *old* music, rather than listening to contemporary stuff Don't underestimate the new Funk. While I agree that there are numerous new bands who believe that a haevy drum beat and a hammond organ is enough to create oldschool Funk (becoming dull and repetitious that way), there are many groups who sound extremely authentic. I'll post the download from last night's show pretty soon. I bet that with more than half of the songs, you'd never guess that they were recorded in the past four years. | |
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Funkenstien I'm with you. Some of the new bands seem like they're trying too hard, while the originals just naturally had it. Discovering new "old" funk is great.
The last "new" all funk record I actually liked was "Righteous" by DAG in 94. | |
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SPYZFAN1 said: Funkenstien I'm with you. Some of the new bands seem like they're trying too hard, while the originals just naturally had it. Discovering new "old" funk is great.
The last "new" all funk record I actually liked was "Righteous" by DAG in 94. I'd bet you my record collection that I could play you a 60 min set of music and you would not be able to say for sure which track is old and which one is new. | |
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Okay, fellas, let me change some minds here. Please download and listen to the show here:
http://wrir.org/x/modules...oryid=8587 Some tracks do in fact sound modern (not that there's anything wrong with that), but we've included some gems that could easily be mistaken for being recorded in 1968. Playlist: - Osaka Monaurail - Jam 1976 (Shout!) - The Imperials - Joseph's Popcorn (Daptone) - Binky Griptite - Stone Soul Christmas (Daptone) - Breakestra - Dueces Up, Double Down (Stones Throw) - Lee Fields - Do You Love Me (Truth and Soul) - El Michels Affair - Creation (Truth and Soul) - The Transatlantics - Save me from your love (Mecca Records) - Wiley and the Checkmates - Guess you wouldn't know nothing about that (Rabbit Factory) - The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker - Slinky (Outta Sight) - Neo-Hip-Hot-Kiddies Community - Hip Walk (Rabbi Records) - Clarence Foster and the Internal Revenue Service - Dunk it down Chocolate Thunder (Freestyle) - Sharon Jones - I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In (Daptone) - Joseph Henry - I Feel Right (Daptone) - The Horn Band - Pink Styrofoam pt.1 (Neapolitan) - The Whitefield Brothers - Chokin' (Soul Fire) - Lack of Afro - Touch my Soul (Freestyle) - Ogene Kologbo & Afrobeat Academy - Afro-Confusion (Rabbi Records) - Brownout - The Sexican (Freestyle) - Bio Ritmo - Lisandra - The Super-Phonics - Elevate our minds (Freestyle) - Connie Price & The Keystones - Sticks & Stones (Now-Again) - Misterholmes & The Brotherhood - Thrift Store Find (Light In The Attic) - SugerMan Three - Soul Donkey (Daptone) - Lee Fields - Put It On Me (Desco) - Sharpshooters - Balek (Light In The Attic) - Bo Baral's Excursionists of Enlightment - (Getting Down at the) Into Somethin' Record Store (Sloppy Joe Records) - The New Mastersounds - Stay on the Groove (Freestyle) - Baby Charles - Back of my hand (Record Kicks) [Edited 12/20/08 13:15pm] | |
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OH YEAH!
If this mix doesn't give you faith in a funky future, I don't know what will. Great Job MrSoulPower! Keep it coming! | |
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Slave2daGroove said: OH YEAH!
If this mix doesn't give you faith in a funky future, I don't know what will. Great Job MrSoulPower! Keep it coming! Thanks! Yeah, New Funk is highly underrated on this website (ironically dedicated to a musician who releases contemporary music), and it doesn't get the respect it should. But the tracks in this mix clearly prove that much of the New Funk is as good as it gets and hardly anybody would be able to tell the difference. | |
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this is excellent and restoring my faith in the MJ, Madonna, Britney, Janet, etc. forum | |
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japanrocks said: this is excellent and restoring my faith in the MJ, Madonna, Britney, Janet, etc. forum
Well, the attention New Funk thread get in this forum shows that the priorities are still with Madonna, Britney, Janet, etc. | |
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