Sly & The Family Stone.

Parliament / Funkadelic.

Bootsy's Rubber Band.

Graham Central Station.

Cameo.

James Brown....

....are the daddies of THE FUNK!

Zapp, hands down!

Agree with alot of these picks, but what about Kool & The Gang?

C'mon. P Funk collective as mentioned is the essence/best. No other choice need step up.

jonylawson said:

ohio players or parliamen

but then again..the NPG

just been watching the detroit musicology clip...that fuckin kills it

npg?.....jesus christ go sit down

rdhull said:

C'mon. P Funk collective as mentioned is the essence/best. No other choice need step up.

Yep..........

mjscarousal said:

My personal favorites:

P-Funk

James Brown

Prince

The Gap Band

Sly Family Stone

SONNYT said:

Parliament / Funkadelic.

Graycap23 said:

rdhull said:

C'mon. P Funk collective as mentioned is the essence/best. No other choice need step up.

Yep..........

4 my money there really isn't a close 2nd.

Graycap23 said:

Graycap23 said:

Yep..........

4 my money there really isn't a close 2nd.

Everyone else are pretenders to the throne.

P-Funk

Zapp

Slave

Cameo

Gap Band

kitbradley said:

Are they really considered just a "Funk" band? They spanned several genres like Disco, Jazz, and traditional R&B.

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all. They had funk elements and their style of clothing fit the funk style but to me they were more jazz than anything. Maybe jazz funk but not funk in the way it's assumed. And what's kinda sad is that they're often looked on as just that: a funk or disco band when to me they were more jazz, R&B and soul, with some funk and dance elements. They had funk songs (like "Let's Groove") but I wouldn't call them a funk band just like I wouldn't call the Isley Brothers a funk band when their musical landscape was just as broad as EW&F. Matter of fact I always considered the Isleys a band that didn't defy any genre typecasting that they gave them whereas EW&F was a little more specific.

Timmy84 said:

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all. They had funk elements and their style of clothing fit the funk style but to me they were more jazz than anything. Maybe jazz funk but not funk in the way it's assumed. And what's kinda sad is that they're often looked on as just that: a funk or disco band when to me they were more jazz, R&B and soul, with some funk and dance elements. They had funk songs (like "Let's Groove") but I wouldn't call them a funk band just like I wouldn't call the Isley Brothers a funk band when their musical landscape was just as broad as EW&F. Matter of fact I always considered the Isleys a band that didn't defy any genre typecasting that they gave them whereas EW&F was a little more specific.

100% co-sign.

thebanishedone said:

Strange nobody mentions Mandrill

reply #'s 7 & 13

Graycap23 said:

Timmy84 said:

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all. They had funk elements and their style of clothing fit the funk style but to me they were more jazz than anything. Maybe jazz funk but not funk in the way it's assumed. And what's kinda sad is that they're often looked on as just that: a funk or disco band when to me they were more jazz, R&B and soul, with some funk and dance elements. They had funk songs (like "Let's Groove") but I wouldn't call them a funk band just like I wouldn't call the Isley Brothers a funk band when their musical landscape was just as broad as EW&F. Matter of fact I always considered the Isleys a band that didn't defy any genre typecasting that they gave them whereas EW&F was a little more specific.

100% co-sign.

They started as a jazz outfit anyways. That very first album is experimental jazz with stabs of Chicago soul.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

[img:$uid]http://pic80.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2084/9118410/23349317/391159117.jpg[/img:$uid]

Sly and the Family Stone

P-Funk Collective

Zapp

Anything with JB as frontman

Slave

Cameo

Co-sign Fela

Mandrill

Timmy84 said:

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all. They had funk elements and their style of clothing fit the funk style but to me they were more jazz than anything. Maybe jazz funk but not funk in the way it's assumed. And what's kinda sad is that they're often looked on as just that: a funk or disco band when to me they were more jazz, R&B and soul, with some funk and dance elements. They had funk songs (like "Let's Groove") but I wouldn't call them a funk band just like I wouldn't call the Isley Brothers a funk band when their musical landscape was just as broad as EW&F. Matter of fact I always considered the Isleys a band that didn't defy any genre typecasting that they gave them whereas EW&F was a little more specific.

I respect your opinion but if this is the case wouldn't you classify the pre JT

Kool & The Gang Era the same. I would classify them both as jazzy funk

which is still funk but maybe not the hard slapping synthesized funk of Zapp,

Barkays, Cameo, etc.

rdhull said:

C'mon. P Funk collective as mentioned is the essence/best. No other choice need step up.

phunkdaddy said:

Timmy84 said:

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all. They had funk elements and their style of clothing fit the funk style but to me they were more jazz than anything. Maybe jazz funk but not funk in the way it's assumed. And what's kinda sad is that they're often looked on as just that: a funk or disco band when to me they were more jazz, R&B and soul, with some funk and dance elements. They had funk songs (like "Let's Groove") but I wouldn't call them a funk band just like I wouldn't call the Isley Brothers a funk band when their musical landscape was just as broad as EW&F. Matter of fact I always considered the Isleys a band that didn't defy any genre typecasting that they gave them whereas EW&F was a little more specific.

I respect your opinion but if this is the case wouldn't you classify the pre JT

Kool & The Gang Era the same. I would classify them both as jazzy funk

which is still funk but maybe not the hard slapping synthesized funk of Zapp,

Barkays, Cameo, etc.

I don't consider Kool funk either. Jazzy like EW&F though but also with R&B and soul elements (and later disco before and after JT and soft rock with JT and some electro and pop rock elements). Though like EW&F they did record some funk ("Funky Stuff", "Jungle Boogie", "Hollywood Swingin'") but to me their thing was so broad also that I couldn't necessarily link them to funk.

[Edited 6/5/12 19:51pm]

Terrib3Towel said:

No love for Dazz?

The Dazz is cool but i think they are on the second or third tier of funk bands the

same way i would classify GCS.

Terrib3Towel said:

No love for Dazz?

Dazz was alright but I don't know, they never really impressed me that much. I did like "Push, Push" though.

Timmy84 said:

Terrib3Towel said:

No love for Dazz?

Dazz was alright but I don't know, they never really impressed me that much. I did like "Push, Push" though.

That was Brick bro. I was jammin that this evening on my MP3 while joggin.

Timmy84 said:

^ I may get punched by some for saying this but I never considered EW&F funk at all.

That's because they're not and I agree with you.

"Funk.People keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means"-Inigo Montoya/The Princess Bride

.

[Edited 6/5/12 20:32pm]

Solid, solid, solid choices.

I'm not claiming them as "the best", but since someone could basically build a funk collection off the artists listed in this thread I wanted to include...

Brass Construction - for the mostly instrumental, longform dance joints. Funky as all get out.

I was going to say Brothers Johnson, too, but Greycap took care of that one.

Anybody say WAR yet? Average White Band?

Edit: Say, damn it. Lawd I hate misspelling three letter words.

[Edited 6/5/12 21:11pm]