Sunday 7 August 2016

The Story Of Funk: 3. From P-Funk To G-Funk

BBC Radio 6 Music broadcast: 15th July 2016

From the 1960s through to the present day funk music reverberates all through popular culture. Whether it's in fashion, street language, TV, the movies or pop music the far reaching influence of funk is everywhere. Pam Grier concludes her funk odyssey. She's been a fan of the music since she starred in the so-called Blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. Back then, funk was not only the soundtrack to her films but also to a vital time in American history. It was a time of self-discovery, struggle and social change. Funk music reflected all of that.

In this final part, Pam reveals how the scene started its inevitable decline. While funk bands such as Earth Wind and Fire could lay claim to being one of the largest acts in the world, by the end of the 1970s the beat changed. Disco music took over as the dance-floor music of choice and funk bands either joined the party or disappeared. It wasn't until the emergence of hip-hop that the music was introduced to a younger generation via record producers who sampled the old funk classics. The advance of music technology also helped a new electro-funk scene develop with a certain Prince Rodgers Nelson leading the way.

Pam also examines the often overlooked female funkateers including one of the genre's hidden gems, Betty Davis.

The series features contributions from Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, Sly & the Family Stone, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, P-Funk musicians, Average White Band, Cameo, Clyde "Funky Drummer" Stubblefield, Charles Wright, The Last Poets, Beverley Knight, Matt Fink, Acid Jazz's Eddie Piller and rapper Shock G.

First broadcast in 2011.

2 comments:

  1. Here's a tracklist:

    lyn collins - think about it
    marva whitney - it's my thing
    betty davis - ooh yeah
    betty davis - if i'm in luck i might get pickd up
    betty davis - anti love song
    betty davis - your man my man
    rufus - tell me something good
    rufus - you got the love
    earth wind and fire - getaway
    earth wind and fire - zanzibar
    earth wind and fire - evil
    earth wind and fire - that's the way of the world
    earth wind and fire - shining star
    earth wind and fire - got to get you into my life
    earth wind and fire - boogie wonderland
    cameo - shake your pants
    cameo - rigor mortis
    cameo - i just want to be
    kool and the gang - ladies night
    kool and the gang - celebration
    kc and the sunshine band - shake shake shake
    bee gees - night fever
    zapp - more bounce to the ounce
    rick james - super freak
    george clinton - atomic dog
    prince - uptown
    prince - soft and wet
    prince - i wanna be your lover
    prince - head
    prince - controversy
    prince - 1999
    prince - little red corvette
    prince - lady cab driver
    prince - dirty mind
    prince - purple rain
    prince - le grind
    kurtis blow - the beaks
    afrika bambaataa - renegades of funk
    grandmaster flash and the furious five - the message
    public enemy - don't believe the hype
    public enemy - bring the noise
    nwa - express yourself
    de la soul - me, myself and i
    dr. dre - let me ride
    corduroy - high havoc
    galliano - frederick lies still
    the brand new heavies - dream come true
    the brand new heavies - the brand new heavies
    mother earth - jesse
    jamiroquai - blow your mind
    jamiroquai - too young to die
    jamiroquai - space cowboy
    red hot chili peppers - suck my kiss
    outkast - happy valentine's day
    dizzee rascal - dance with me
    Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) [Epic]

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