Can anyone recommend me some funk music?

?uesto

Silver Member
I'm a bit new to the genre, but for the past 4-5 months I've fallen in love with funk music. I listen to Galactic, (and constituents), Dumpstaphunk, Lettuce, Soulive, and then some older stuff, (Tower of Power, James Brown, P-Funk, & The Meters), and even some Fusion/Funk, like Rudder, Phish, and Weather Report. I know it's all very different, but any music recommendations would be awesome.
 
Sly and the Family Stone (the originators of funk)
Curtis Mayfield (did the Superfly soundtrack, need not say anymore)
Fela Kuti (has a very gritty, 70's New York, grainy film, hustlin' blue magic on 116th St. sound)
Barry White
Bobby Womack
Syl(vester) Johnson (he went by Syl from what I've read)
The Commodores
 
Sly and the Family Stone (the originators of funk)
Curtis Mayfield (did the Superfly soundtrack, need not say anymore)
Fela Kuti (has a very gritty, 70's New York, grainy film, hustlin' blue magic on 116th St. sound)
Barry White
Bobby Womack
Syl(vester) Johnson (he went by Syl from what I've read)
The Commodores

Barry White before he turned disco, right? Or am I confused with someone else?
 
Barry White before he turned disco, right? Or am I confused with someone else?

Oh yeah. *smacks my head* I blame disco on cocaine. Oddly enough I've heard some really early disco (or what could be classified as disco) from about 73' - 75' and it was actually respectable, and then it started making money. And like everything that has money thrown at it, it becomes very watered down and formulaic.
 
You reminded me that I've been meaning to try and get into funk more... I really enjoyed that chapter in groove essentials, and I've always had a passing interest in it... So I just went to Pandora and got started... I added The Meters to one of my channels and I'm digging it so far ("Opeth+Tool+The Meters" ... that's not too weird is it?)
 
You reminded me that I've been meaning to try and get into funk more... I really enjoyed that chapter in groove essentials, and I've always had a passing interest in it... So I just went to Pandora and got started... I added The Meters to one of my channels and I'm digging it so far ("Opeth+Tool+The Meters" ... that's not too weird is it?)

Not as far as I'm concerned. Haha.
 
Funk is the primary musical context that I perform in. James Brown is the foundation of funk - the stuff I've studied the most. Check out Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks. The other greats like Mike Clark, Zigaboo Modeliste, David Garibaldi, and Steve Gadd are also great to study. The list goes on.

I also really dig the contemporary funk guys - I love Stanton Moore, Steve Jordan, and ?uestlove. Listen to all that stuff.
Oh! Trombone Shorty is some great modern funk too.
 
James Brown's greatest band (IMO) were the J.B.'s - pretty much an all star band as far as I'm concerned led by Fred Wesley, with Maceo Parker, Clyde, Jabo, the Collins bros (Bootsy & Catfish)... When these guys left James Brown, most of them started a little known band called Parliament. There's an anthology called Funky Good Times which is well worth the money spent.

Another GREAT band that's important to check out is Rufus, which featured a young John Robinson and the amazing Chaka Kahn. Masterjam is my favorite album that they did.
 
The Greats:

James Brown
Sly and the Family Stone
Parliament
Funkadelic
The Meters


Lesser known, but still awesome:

Graham Central Station
The Brothers Johnson
Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers
Black Nasty
Mutiny (Jerome Brailey)
Cymande
 
Get the Parlament Funkadelic "LIve P-funk Earth Tour" cd and listen to it once all the way through in one sitting. You'll never be the same.
 
Anything with Stanton Moores name on it to include his band Garage a Trois.
 
questlove is one amazing drummer.
Trombone shorty is really, nawlins. They are jazzy, yet groove, a very "live" band, so to speak.
Steve gadd, if you DON'T know who he is, go find out. Grooves for days, and varied and solid.

Clyde stubblefield, bernard purdie(the purdie shuffle) all amazing.
david garibaldi is very excelelnt as well.

As drummers we should be funky drummers at times. That was irresistable.
 
I can't believe the mothership!
P funk!

Man talk about funky! Sly and family stone is very good as well. But, p funk is the interplanetary kings of funk!

I love p funk.
 
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