This has always intrigued me.

I've heard people say that Uptown Funk is "faking the funk" (I can see what they're getting at). I've also heard people say that the RHCP "fake the funk" (listen to "Sir Physcho Sexy" and tell me that ain't funky!).

Sometimes I wonder, if its a slightly racist term used by black people to suggest that white folks can't play funk? I mean, tell that to Tower of Power, Average White Band or fDeluxe.

To me, an example of "faking the funk" would be a band like Maroon 5. Many of their biggest hit songs are chock full of sixteenth-note rhythm guitar licks, but that alone don't make you fonky!

Thoughts/opinions?

[Edited 7/1/16 13:00pm]

pastiche

Whatever "faking the funk" is....it ain't the Peppers!

Flea funks the F*** outta that Bass

Connected said:

Whatever "faking the funk" is....it ain't the Peppers!

Flea funks the F*** outta that Bass

The original base player in Jamiroquai is a white dude and he was nasty. I think he is
nastier than Palladino.

Stuart Zender, that's his name.

Argh.

This is not so much an issue with the records that are out there and that people recognize. It's more of an issue with shitloads of unsigned bands, especially with the type that have members that have been to music schools. For some reason, people with music degrees have that type of bands. Probably because it allows the guys that play horns to be a part of them too.

They don't sell any records and their audiences mostly consist of friends that have been invited to the gigs. The bands just so sterile sounding that they become the opposite of what funk is about. The songwriting is usually pretty damn bad too, even if the arrangements are usually pretty good.

The biggest problem with that type of bands is that it's so obvious most of the members don't even listen to funk. It's usually just, you know, the bassist.

[Edited 7/1/16 23:03pm]

If you know your JB, Sly, Clinton, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Prince, Stevie, Curtis, MJ, Quincy Jones, Marvin.. ect..

You aren't faking the Funk.

MD431Madcat said:

If you know your JB, Sly, Clinton, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Prince, Stevie, Curtis, MJ, Quincy Jones, Marvin.. ect..

You aren't faking the Funk.

Word.

If you are very familiar with all the original funksters from the late 60's, early 70's, your ears will be hip to the heavy jazz and blues components that funk is not just knee deep in.

When it lacks the jazz and/or blues, it's faking the funk IMO.

nd33 said:

If you're just randomly adding som wah guitar, half assed superstition like keyboard playing and a slap and a pop on the bass just for flavor, then it's to me faking the funk. And if it doesn't groove, it just is there because it's a trend right now. You can hear if the band doesn't know that funk is all about, and has just heard Prince with Kiss a couple of times, and maybe tried to copy some of those guitar wamps, with no feel or groove. And no variation. You know when it sounds like they've sampled one guitar chord, and played it over and over.

I hear it.. in the Synth horn Riffs, The Funk Guitar breakdowns, the Snare drum pattern, The vocal harmonies.. ect.

MattyJam said:

nd33 said:

Word.

If you are very familiar with all the original funksters from the late 60's, early 70's, your ears will be hip to the heavy jazz and blues components that funk is not just knee deep in.

When it lacks the jazz and/or blues, it's faking the funk IMO.

I dont hear any jazz or blues compenants in Lady Cab Driver but it sure sounds Funky to me!!

I can dig what you're sayin'-

Starring: Flea as today's "Bootzilla"!!!

Replica said:

If you're just randomly adding som wah guitar, half assed superstition like keyboard playing and a slap and a pop on the bass just for flavor, then it's to me faking the funk. And if it doesn't groove, it just is there because it's a trend right now. You can hear if the band doesn't know that funk is all about, and has just heard Prince with Kiss a couple of times, and maybe tried to copy some of those guitar wamps, with no feel or groove. And no variation. You know when it sounds like they've sampled one guitar chord, and played it over and over.

When Justin Timberlake says he going to "play his funky guitar".... that's some fake funk right there.

We gotta seperate faking the funk from fusion and funky music that isn't pure funk. The pure uncut funk of Parliament, the James Brown prototype funk, or the new orleans type of The Meters funk. You're not neccessarily faking the funk, if you're not playing funk music. You can be funky in other genres as well, without faking it. Faking it, is when you're trying to use some cliches that we often think of in funk music, but it just doesn't FUNK. It doesn't groove, it has no intricate syncopated elements, it is not at all on the one... it's just some watered out SHIT. That's faking it, even if you're trying really hard. Prince has ALOT of songs that are NOT funk songs, but are really funky, and mos def not faking it. It's just not pure funk. The pure and uncut type of funk.

MattyJam said:

Many of their biggest hit songs are chock full of sixteenth-note rhythm guitar licks, but that alone don't make you fonky!

Anyone who does this AND brands it as funk.

Knock it off wannabe's!

Cinny said:

Okay, well so far we have Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake as examples of artists who "fake the funk"? Anyone care to defend these faux-funkateers?

Anyone else guilty? I nominate Bruno Mars. He doesn't have enough of a personality to create something truly funky. Funk has to have a nastiness to it and Bruno has the personality of a wet mop.

[Edited 7/4/16 9:43am]

MattyJam said:

It has to do with when artists use funk stereotypes like chicken scratch guitar like you'd hear in a James Brown song or they try to copy JB's howl. Uptown Funk is definitely tongue-in-cheek fakin' the funk. It's got all the trademark funk stereotypes. Funky guitar, horns, Bruno trying to sing like a funky singer. Then the video is just embarrassing but it's a hit because white people love it. Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is similar and uses horns and a funky guitar line but not as condescending in it's portrayal of funk so it gets a pass. Plus Gabriel doesn't try to sound like a soul or funk singer. Same with Talking Heads. They had a serious funk phase but David Byrne never tried to sound black. He took an artful approach as he was trying to use funk in an experimental way rather than just copy it for fame.

17dayz said:

It has to do with when artists use funk stereotypes like chicken scratch guitar like you'd hear in a James Brown song or they try to copy JB's howl. Uptown Funk is definitely tongue-in-cheek fakin' the funk. It's got all the trademark funk stereotypes. Funky guitar, horns, Bruno trying to sing like a funky singer. Then the video is just embarrassing but it's a hit because white people love it. Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is similar and uses horns and a funky guitar line but not as condescending in it's portrayal of funk so it gets a pass. Plus Gabriel doesn't try to sound like a soul or funk singer. Same with Talking Heads. They had a serious funk phase but David Byrne never tried to sound black. He took an artful approach as he was trying to use funk in an experimental way rather than just copy it for fame.

very good

George stated, in a interview, back in the day, that Talking Head, were white people's Parliament

HuMpThAnG said:

alphastreet said:

MattyJam said:

Okay, well so far we have Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake as examples of artists who "fake the funk"? Anyone care to defend these faux-funkateers?

Anyone else guilty? I nominate Bruno Mars. He doesn't have enough of a personality to create something truly funky. Funk has to have a nastiness to it and Bruno has the personality of a wet mop.

His album tracks suggest otherwise. Hedley fits well into the pseudo-pseudo funk genre same with dnce

I totally thought of Hedley:

Replica said:

Cinny said: