In light of Thumbs' last post I've decided to link this album. That and my own good fortune for stumbling upon the free download (after a number of google searches).
A little background:
Bernard Wright joined his first group at the tender age of 8, a local jazz ensemble by the name of The Junior Firebolts. Seeing as he was quite a gifted little keyboardist, he was invited to tour with Lenny White at 13, and by age 16 was playing with Tom Browne. A couple of short years later he was signed to GRP and released his debut album 'Nard. The album didn't enjoy too much success commercially, which is a damn shame because it's f*ckin wonderful. Jazzy, funky, really slick. It didn't go entirely unnoticed though, as you will undoubtedly recognize...
Ahh yes, I'm excited about our next Installment of Instant Funk at AC Lounge! We feel very blessed to do another event and to be able to play the stuff we love/like!
For this post, i'd like to talk about samples. Mainly, funk samples that were used on the more familiar hiphop/r&b songs that we hear on the radio (or your playlist). It is true that most hiphop/r&b songs use jazz samples, but I would like to focus more on the 70's funk. Here's a taste of 70's funk songs that were sampled.
Funkadelic - Nappy Dugout Sampling Artist - A Tribe Called Quest - Ham and Eggs
*I am digging Funkadelic on this one, ATCQ used alot of funk samples on their albums so this is a prime example.
Parliament - Mothership Connection Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride
*Dre loves his funk samples, Let Me Ride seems like an updated version of the Parliament track, but I'm sticking with Mothership Connection
Chi-Lites - Are You My Woman Beyonce ft. Jay - Crazy In Love
*This is a very catchy loop for the Beyonce track, people go nuts when they hear this and think its the live band version of Crazy In Love. Nope, this is the original
Steely Dan - Black Cow Peter Gunz n Lord Tariq - Deja Vu Tatyana Ali - "Daydreamin'"
*Steely Dan filed a major lawsuit against Peter Gunz for this one, but then Deja Vu made Steely Dan rich in my mind. Black Cow is on that slow funk groovy tip. I would also rock Daydreamin any day, good job Ashley!
Chaka Khan and Rufus - Do you love what you feel Camron - Rockin and Rollin
*I posted this just to say that 'J Dupri how could you?!' haha. This track should not even be sampled at all. Just leave it the way it is
Slowed up Funk
The Whispers - You are Number one Visionaries - Blessings
*Big fan of both Whispers and Blessings by Visionaries. Can't go wrong with both.
The Whispers - And The Beat Goes on Will Smith - Miami
*Ending this segment with this track. This is on my PQ Nights mix that I did back in 05 (cop it accesshiphop.com or freshcrate.com!) I love me some funk disco steez. I cant get mad when people hear this and they go 'Welcome to Miami'.
Happy August everyone. Damn it's hot out. I'm seriously breaking a sweat daily. But you know what? I don't blame it on the sunshine. I don't blame it on the moonlight. I don't blame it on the good times. I blame it on the boogie. And now you can too. INSTANT FUNK MIX VOL 2
This one is kicked off by Thumbs, and finished up by yours truly. One hour of little funk goodies for our good little funkers.
"A second Instant Funk Mix?" you say, "I know what that means..."
Two things I’ve noticed as the years have peeled by. First, nothing is ever new. And second, no one does it all on their own. We learn from one another, and if we were raised right, we not only build upon the advances of one another, we advance alongside one another.
In this vein I’m kicking off a multi-part series entitled “Pay It Backward.” Basically, I’ll begin with a brief bio of one funky artist, at which point we will collectively turn and “pay it backward” by putting a little shine on another funky individual (or group) that either directly or indirectly influenced said artist. Here we go.
The Whispers
The Whispers got their start in 1963 singing on street corners in Watts and occasionally performing in nightclubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The group originally consisted of twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott, and friends Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon, who was later replaced by Leavell Degree. During the late 60s to early 70s, the group released a number of hit records and several gold albums. It was in 1980, however, that the group released their first platinum album, The Whispers, containing their most famous single, "And The Beat Goes On." Here the group discusses the intricate process of making this song in the days before drum machines. Apparently the beat truly did go on, and on, and on...
Originally hailing from Cleveland, but eventually going on to embody the Philladelphia soul sound, the O'jays are widely regarded as one of the most important soul groups of the past 40 years. Attending the same high school, the 5 original members started out as The Triumphs in 1958, then later changed their name to The Mascots. Their first single enjoyed some airplay by a local Cleveland DJ, Eddie O'jay, who decided to take them under his wing, inspiring the group to rename itself yet again.
In 1968, the group teamed up with songwriter-producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, signing to their label, Philadelphia International. By this time the group had trimmed down to three members: Eddie Levert, William Powell, and Walter Williams. Their first album released on the label was Back Stabbers, which was both a critical and popular success. The title jam, composed by McFadden & Whitehead, was a massive hit, sampled years later by Angie Stone.
The O'jays went on to release countless hits and continued recording through the 90s, though not with the same three members, as Powell passed away in 1977. At this time, Sammy Strain joined the group. In 2005, Williams, Powell, Levert, and Strain were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hello, Thumbs here. I did a mini post blurb about what went down on our first installment of Instant Funk from my personal blog (i don't really know why I made one. ha). So check it out! =)
On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving. The Watts Rebellion ensued. Six days later, 34 people had been killed, 1, 032 injured, and 3,952 arrested. Seven years later, there was Wattstax.
Produced by the legendary Stax label, it was hailed as the "Afro-American answer to Woodstock." Held at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the concert served to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts Rebellion. To ensure that everyone could have the opportunity to partake, tickets were sold for only $1. The Kings and Queens of funkdom were all in attendance: Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Bar-kays, The Staples Singers, the list (and the beat) goes on. A dashiki-cloaked Jesse Jackson opened the event with the poem, "I Am - Somebody," performing a massive call and response with the crowd. The next 7 1/2 hours were surely something to behold. I, for one, regret not being there. I was, however, -11 at time. So I suppose these clips will have to suffice.
The Bar-Kays, who at the time had only two hit singles, had initially planned to enter the stadium on chariots, a plan which was promptly thrown out by stadium management, whom I will lovingly call the Buzz Killingtons of the event world. Fortunately, they were unable to foil the groups plans of bringing the FONK. And looking damn fly while doing it.
Happy 4th of July Weekend! Let's kick off your weekend with some songs that must've been inspired by funk. These are R&B songs (though funk originally has that hint of r&b appeal to it) that will set the mood right. I embed three videos here with downloads that will keep that funk feeling 'oh so good' in your system. 'Get up!...it's party time!...'
