funkiness

M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
ashes to ashes...

Yeah, I cringe at contemporary stuff being described as "funky" too. I reckon there's a strong parallel with "jazzy" and "jazz". Both jazz and funk encompass a wide range of things, some shit, some good, according to taste, but both "jazzy" and "funky" seem to be used to describe only music that is faintly derived from the worst aspects of those genres. Normally way too polite?
 
O

Omaar

Guest
michael said:
Yeah, I cringe at contemporary stuff being described as "funky" too. I reckon there's a strong parallel with "jazzy" and "jazz". Both jazz and funk encompass a wide range of things, some shit, some good, according to taste, but both "jazzy" and "funky" seem to be used to describe only music that is faintly derived from the worst aspects of those genres. Normally way too polite?
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Same with 'laidback'. Or even worse, a combination of the above, as in 'laidback funky groove'.

Having said that, i'm a big fan of a lot stuff that was in the r&b charts in the 70s, 80s. Not a big fan off stuf on the fusion-acid jazz-trip hop-broken beat continuum though, basically for reasons other people have already given here.
 
N

Ness Rowlah

Norwegian Wood
would anyone buy anything that proclaimed itself to be 'funky'?
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DEFUNKT (which is early 80s and very funky).

I had no idea Joe Bowie (and Kim Clarke on bass) was still going (so thanks for mentioning the word)
- but here they are http://www.defunktmusic.com/defunkt.htm

Funk like this is possibly the next 80s treasurechest to be dug into (not heard anything post-1992, that
"new sound" might not neccesarily be good, but the early stuff is (how many times have you heard that one - "but the early stuff is good" ...)).
 
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B

Backjob

Well-known member
Fashion versus function

I hear what everybody says about the word "funky" and to a certain extent, self-consciously funky music. It's at a low ebb right now fashion-wise, and all the associations are deeply embarrassing.

BUT MASSIVE CAVEAT

Music that is actually funky, that has a bit of looseness and sex to it is fucking great, and is an essential part of the clubbing experience. To me, the fact that "funk" as a descriptor is so taboo now in most trendy club music scenes is exactly why people flock to hip hop nights and not to minimal house ones. We all like to get a bit lagered up and pretend to fuck on the dancefloor at some level.

And quietly, labels like Sonar Kollektiv and GAMM are putting out great stuff that is funky without having that bland tastefulness that characterises the worst side of broken beat, funky house, nu-soul etc.

I reckon, precisely because the good side of funk has been gone for so long (cf crunk, grime replacing gfunk, 2step style sounds) it's bound to come back with a vengeance pretty soon.
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
blissblogger said:
funki porcini has got to be one of the most stomach turning names ever -- the two 'i''s!
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talking of funki porcini, i read in the paper the other day that the producer behind it was married to jenny tonge mp's daughter - that woman who got fatally electrocuted by faulty wiring on her dishwasher. apparently he was off to the airport on his way to some gig when it happened. very sad. nothing to do with what we are talking about here, but there you go.

blissblogger said:
trip hop turned so quick from something so great to something so awful
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back in the days when i used to rave every weekend (by this i mean getting nutted on regular basis instead of the mortgaged-up responsible existence that i currently lead), every bloody chillout after a party there was the obligatory ninja tune cd getting rinsed out. i always wanted to listen to something banging but my friends wouldn't have it. as a result every time i hear some trip hop it reminds me of coming down off ecstasy and generally feeling shit. quite appropriate, really.
 
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bassnation

the abyss
dominic said:
yeah, that's my sense of it as well

they were "there" when it happened -- they made it happen -- and now they've moved on
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but they haven't moved on, they've moved backwards and are clumisly emulating some hipster checklist of jazz funk artists from the past.

its a total lack of imagination, almost like they want to disown their rave stuff. if broken beat was the only music in existence i'd rather lose my hearing altogether than suffer it.

having said that, sejji loose lips rocks - but theres not much else i've heard from that scene that doesn't make me cringe and think of acid jazz, goatees and black roll-necks. fuck all that.
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
i cant help thinking this anti-broken beat attitude stems from people disliking black music that's remotely 'smooth'. its like an inverted snobbery. some good things DID emerge from the rare groove scene - omar, mica paris (their duet is a street soul classic), young disciples, jamiroquai (oh yes!), and so on. they werent fuzak-like to me, but then again, neither is all broken beat. the sun by new sector movements is great. the bugz and original mix of 4hero's hold it down (despite the clunky lyrics) is excellent too. kaidi tatham's feed the cat album is fantastic. i could go on.
 
X

xero

was minusone
yeah funky is a pretty debased term but so are many words that date back so long - I mean I pretty much cringe every time someone tells me that something rocks
 
hint

hint

party record with a siren
bassnation said:
but they haven't moved on, they've moved backwards and are clumisly emulating some hipster checklist of jazz funk artists from the past.
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have you heard the cousin cockroach stuff?
the nutmeg stuff?
future rage (the single) by DKD?

dego, at least, is still doing his thing.

the stuff you're referring to is his more accessible output and therefore gets more coverage. no change there, then - people are still playing catchup to a certain extent. I don't think broken beat will ever catch on in the same way d'n'b did, but I for one hear things in the best tracks that no-one else has done / is doing in music.
 
P

Pearsall

Prodigal Son
I have no idea about broken beat...what is worth listening to?

I sort of tuned out on 4 Hero after '2 Pages'...what are they up to today?
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
i blame the mainstream rock press who know nothing about soul or funk for the 'oasis of funk/soul' reputation jamiroquai have gotten. their first two-three albums were really well received by soul/R&B' fans at the time they arrived.
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
i blame the mainstream rock press who know nothing about soul or funk for the 'oasis of funk/soul' reputation jamiroquai have gotten. their first two-three albums were really well received by soul/R&B' fans at the time they arrived.
 
hint

hint

party record with a siren
4hero-related projects:

DKD
nutmeg
cousin cockroach
pavel koustik
tek 9
da one away
nature's plan
tom and jerry
nu era (spot on about jamal moss too!)

visioneers
silhouette brown

those last two certainly fall into the category that everyone's venting about above... but the others...?
 
L

ladyboygrimsby

Active member
gumdrops said:
i blame the mainstream rock press who know nothing about soul or funk for the 'oasis of funk/soul' reputation jamiroquai have gotten. their first two-three albums were really well received by soul/R&B' fans at the time they arrived.
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It's nice to hear such opinions being voiced on this forum. I agree with you. Sure, plenty of broken beat is fusion-y twaddle, but some of it is amazing, like Seiji's Loose Lips, which is as good a record as anyone's made in the past five years.

I sense a very middle class inverted snobbery about a certain types of black music being expressed here.I like smooth black-produced music. I don't see a problem with liking a bit of crunk AND liking the Chi-Lites or Stylistics.

;)
 
R

robin

Well-known member
while i'll agree that a lot of music which describes itself as funky is pretty dodgy,at least in recent times,i think early nineties dre produced g-funk is a notable exception
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
ladyboygrimsby said:
I sense a very middle class inverted snobbery about a certain types of black music being expressed here.I like smooth black-produced music. I don't see a problem with liking a bit of crunk AND liking the Chi-Lites or Stylistics. ;)
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lol, why is there this assumption that everyone on this forum is middle class? i grew up on a council estate and still don't like jazz funk fusion, so where does that leave your theory, eh? ;)

besides, no-one is having a go at chi-lites, just the smug wine-bar fusion side of things.

just as a point of interest, when was the last tek9 or tom & jerry project? i've got some t&j from 1994, but thats abotu it.
 
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