James Brown
The Meters
Earth, Wind & Fire
Funkadelic
Sly & the Family Stone
Tower of Power
Funk Fingerprints
Influences
R&B
Gospel
Soul (Philadelphia soul)
Disco
Latin
Instrumentation
Similar to disco!
Vocals and BVs
drums
percussion
bass
electric guitar
piano or clavinet
electric piano
organ
horn section (trumpet, sax and trombone)
string section.
Performance and Arrangement
- Crazy live mad stage shows
- 120 bpm – for DANCING
- ‘Ahem’ break beat drums (like a slow version of drum and bass)
- Latino, syncopated percussion
- Bass lines VERY melodic and syncopated often playing octaves.
- Keyboards and guitar playing very rhythmic short choppy
- Horns doing soul-like stabs
- Vocal melodies just like soul
- Improvisation and stabs
Technology and Production
- Similar to Disco
- Multi-track tape machines (4 or 8 track recorders).
- Rich sound with lots of reverb
- Use of the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and Hohner Clavinet
- Use of Wah Wah padal for guitar
Main Artists
Chic
Sly and the Family Stone
Funkadelic (also know as Parliament)
Tower of Power
Earth Wind and Fire
James Brown
Stevie Wonder
Associated Cultural Phenomena
- Essentially, a natural development of Soul
