VA - I Got Funk - Time To Get Down (2017)

I Got Funk’ is a Funk playlist from the 70s. The selection starts with ‘The Payback’ from James Brown. It’s a hypnotic, minimalist, heavy funk piece with a slow tempo and a staggering bass, drum and guitar trio. The James Brown influence concludes with 3 solo songs from some of his sidemen (Maceo, Fred Wesley & Bobby Byrd) where the horns are omnipresent and enhance this ultra-funky groove. In a more Jazz-Funk oriented feeling we find the classic ‘Do it fluid’ from the Blackbyrds and the Black Heat, with an Afro-Funk influenced track from their first album. The beatmakers will surely appreciate ‘It’s a new day’ from the Skull Snaps for their drum break sampled over 400 times! The track ‘Jungle boogie’ from Kool & the gang relates to the Quentin Tarantino movie ‘Pulp fiction’, but the band is also playing ‘Sport’ by Lightnin’ Rod. Who are, according to legend, the incognito backing band featuring one of the Last Poets leaders. The well named ‘Too hot to stop’ by the Bar Kays sets the dancefloor on fire with the horns and its killer groove. While the Scottish group AWB team up with Ben E King to deliver a heavy funk track loaded with horns and a funky guitar. With a more sophisticated production, the track ‘Funk funk’ by Cameo shows the evolution in sound and the transition from the 70s to the 80s. The Netflix tv serie’s ‘The Get Down’ featured the funky disco track ‘Bus stop’ by Fatback, where a remix was played in a dance battle in the first episode.

Track List:

1. James Brown - The Payback
2. The Blackbyrds - Do It Fluid
3. Black Heat - The Jungle
4. Maceo & The Macks - Cross The Tracks
5. Skull Snaps - It's A New Day
6. Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie
7. Lightnin Rod - Sport
8. Ohio Players - Skin Tight
9. AWB & Ben E King - The Message
10. Cameo - Funk Funk
11. The Fatback Band - (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop