Posted on by Kwabena Nut-Akan Nkwatia

SYNKRONISED-PLAGIARISM-There’s not one thing weve taken on that album-Jay Kay

 

SIMPHONISED “UNRELEASED” ALBUM

Before we go onto SYNKRONISED lets take a quick look at Simphonised. Apparently this is an unreleased album. I very much doubt it. They don’t have the abiltity to create enough content to leave some of it unreleased, plagiarised as their songs had been up to this point , and beyond it as you will see later. They released tiny snippets of these songs on youtube lasting only a few seconds each so they are not enough for me to make a proper judgment on the tracks and tell you where I think they lifted them from. Anyhow this is what I can hear after a few listens and I have given reccomendations where possible. There were five snippets…..

Track 1

Track one sounds like Michael MC Donald’s (keep forgetting) slightly re-arranged. This groove appears on the Automaton album which I have also reviewed so they decided to go back to it. There is something of Level 42 maybe in the keyboard sound. Early Level 42 that is back when they were an underground Brit Funk band known only to us Soulheads.The Ketboards sound like a Roy Ayers track I can’t remember. They are a bit similar to Total Contrast on Takes a Little Time.

Total Contrast: Takes a Little time.

Track 2

On this track the guitar sounds a bit like Prince. It sounds like theres a tiny snippet of Frantique’s (Strut Your Funky Stuff). Pretty indescript, not enough to make a comment on. There maybe some elements of Jam & Lewis /Janet Jackson in the 80’s.

Imagination; Shoobedoohahdabba doobee

Track 3

The Vocalisations sound a bit like Earth Wind and Fire at the start of (Getaway) or perhaps more like Wood Brass and Steel’s version of (Always There). This immediately transports me back to 1980/82. It’s vaguely familiar but I can’t place it. If it’s based on a particular track then I don’t remember it. Its the kind of thing Brit Funk bands like Atmosfear, Direct Drive, Shakatak or early Incognito would have done. It’s the the dark moody sound those of us who were there remember at the end of the disco period, late 70’s into the early 80’s. Roy Ayers (Don’t Stop the Feeling) and the earlier 70’s sound like (Coffee is the colour) spring to mind.. So does Patti Labelle’s on (music is my way of life). The electro sound of Imagination again (This means War) or (In a state of Love) might be of interest. Mr moon recommendations apply to this track as it belongs in the same time frame.

Vocalisations

Earth Wind and Fire (Getaway)

Wood Brass and Steel (Always There).

Carrie Lucas: Dance With you

Shakatak; Down on the street

Imagination; (In a state of Love & This means War)

Patti Labelle’s; (music is my way of life)

The Brothers Johnson; I came here to party

Mr Moon reccomendations apply CLICK BELOW

The Return Of The Space Cowboy

 Track 4

Recommendations

Patti Labelle: Music Is my way of life

Nile Rogers/ Sheila B Devotion; Spacer

Norma Jean (From CHIC); Saturday

Roy Ayres; Golden Rod & I wanna feel it

Rick James; 69 Times

Delegation; In the Night

Track 5

A South America (So called “Latin”) track. Herbie Hancock from his days with the Head Hunters and God Make me Funky. Go back to the early 1970’s, back to the World sound I spoke about on my Emergency on Planet Earth review.

Roy Ayres; Rhythms of your mind

Azymuth; Partido alto

Loose Ends; A little Spice

So theres nothing really here to write home about with these snippets. More of the same, clips of other peoles music and styles. They claim this is an unreleased album but it sounds like cast offs from Synkronised as they have the same post Disco era sound. So lets go onto SYKRONISED.

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SYNKRONISED

(ACCORDING TO JAMIROQUAI ON WIKIPEDIA)

Lets see what they have written on Wikipedia and as you would expect they don’t know enough about Black Msic of the 20th Century to correctly classify this Album. Again they (The Synagouge of Satan) claim they are a Funk and an Acid Jazz band. “Acid Jazz” being the non existent music genre that Eddie Pillar, Gilles Peterson and the Synagogue of Satan claim came out of London in the mid 1980’s. That’s because they think that serpent smoke and mirrors work in music and that they have the ability fto fool peole on the different sounds of Black Music! There is no such genre as Acid jazz which is why they cannot name a single so called “acid jazz” track. They can’t show you an “acid jazz” track anywhere because there isn’t one.

TELL A LIE AND KEEP REPEATING THS SAME THING UNTIL PEOPLE BELIEVE IT

When you want to steal something the first thing you do is give it a new name. Acid Jazz and Club Jazz are both names dreamed up by The Synagouge of Satan to try and culturallally appopriate 20th Century Jazz, Funk and Soul. There is No such thing as a music genre called acid Jazz or Club Jazz in Black Music. At no time and at no stage was there a Black music genre, subgenre or style of FUNK called Acid jazz or Club Jazz created here in 1980’s ln London regardless of what Infiltrators of Black Music Gilles Peterson, Eddie Pillar and their SATANIC Global disinformation cabal have written on wikipedia and all across the net.

That this so called Genre, they claim came out of London in the 1980’s doesn’t exist is also why there is no record of this fake genre being created in any Black music publication of the 1980’s such a Blues and Soul, Black Echoes, Jet, Ebony etc and there is no mention of any so called “acid jazz” genre in any club report, album or single review or on any Black music T. V show such as American or British Soul train Acid Jazz is a serpent myth.

As ever you can debunk this Serpent Lie in Ten Easy Ways To Debunk The Acid Jazz Lie. And future historians always remember this, that the only people who claim that Acid Jazz and Club Jazz are Black Music genres are Eddie Pillar, Gilles Peterson and their International cabal of Disinfo agents.

Ten Easy Ways To Debunk The Acid Jazz Cultural Appropriation Lie

Fancy a laugh. Right, lets move onto Synkronised and their attempts to describe the FUNK on this album.

So they (Gilles Peterson/Eddie Pillar and co, claim that Synkronised contains..

“FUNK, Rock and Acid Jazz”…….REALLY?

No it does not. There is no “acid jazz” on this album as there is no such thing as a Black music genre called acid jazz. And FTI there is no Rock on this album either. The Isley Brothers guitar-synth solo on (Deeper Underground) does not constitute a Rock track! They obviously don’t know what FUNK is so how would you expect them to know what Rock sounds like? It is a straight FUNK track based off of Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and the Isley Brothers. FUNK tracks had guitar solos on them all through the 1970’s and the 1980’s. It was part of the groove. Off the top pf my head (Takes a little time) by Total Contrast has a guitar solo, so does (17) by Rick James, so does (Plaything) by Linx, so does (Love Struck) by Jesse Johnson. Those are all FUNK tracks. They are not ROCK tracks because they have a guitar solo in them. I mean these are the people who think they can fool us on Music! The fact that a track has a guitar solo in it does not mean that it is a Rock Track.

Shalamars (My Girl Loves Me) fuses Rock with FUNK. Earth Wind and Fire’s (Changing Times) can be considered to contain an element of Rock though it’s still basically a Funk track. Now (Beat It) by Micheal Jackson is essentially a Rock track and was aimed at the masses. That is what a track led by a Rock guitar sounded like. However if Van Halen’s guitar solo on that track had appeard on a FUNK track then the track would still be a FUNK track. (Back and Forth) by CAMEO for example is a Funk track even though it has a guitar solo in the 12 inch version. That is because as I said FUNK tracks had guitar, as well as synth, trumpet and saxophone solos on them. In order to know which is which or what is what you have to know the difference between Rock and Funk to begin with. And as you can tell this cultural appropriation team don’t really know anything about The FUNK, ROCK or any style of Black music. If you don;t know the diffence between two difference between to completely different genres then how are you going to Fool peple on the various styles and sounds of THE FUNK as these peole think they are able to do! Anyhow the writing credits for this album are as follows.

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So Jay Kay and Toby Smith claim credit for all the sounds on Synkronised. They have kindly let Derrick McKenzie take co-credit for an Instrumental which sounds like MAZE. So as we know the dimunative consummate plagiarist Jay Kay claims that he didn’t use any outside influences on this album. Well Synkronised is the easiest album for me to pick apart. So below is my response.

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There is not one thing we have taken on that Album (SYNKRONISED) we don’t do that

Jay Kay

A Response by Quotes (Lies) To Jay Kay……

Really? So um, how many seconds do you think it took me to hear the sounds of CHIC!, George Duke, and Imagination In the Intro of (Canned Heat)?…..How many seconds do you think it took me to hear The Barkays and Rick James on (Planet Home)?….,How long do you think it took me to hear Donald Black Byrd on (Black Capricorn Day)?…..How many seconds do you think it took me to hear Roy Ayers on (Supersonic)?,……How long do you think it took me to hear Tom Browne, New York Skyy and The Isley Brothers on (Where do we go from here)? How long do you think it took me to hear Isaac Hayes and Ned Doheny on (Soul Education)?,How many seconds to you think it took me to hear Stevie Wonder on (King for a day)? How long do you think it took me to hear the Rah Band on (Butterfly)?How long do you think it took me to hear The Isley Brothers and the Jackson Five on (Deeper underground)?

I was there . You own nothing on that Album other than your voice. Withdraw your lies serpent.

KWABENA NKWATIA -Authorof the Soulhead Tales and Ten Easy Ways To Debunk The Acid Jazz Cultural Appropriation Lie.

Synkronised released 1999 is the sound of 1980/81 about twenty years later.

When I first heard this album I it sounded lke the greatest hits of the golden era.1975-1981. Black Capricorn day and King for the Day belonging to the old mid 70’s style of Funk and the rest pushing into the post Disco era. Its another album of musical snapshots regardless of what Jay Kay claims because he thought no one would recognise all these sounds. This is proof that he’s really knows nothing about Black Music and was parachuted in to perform a task. If he thinks that we don’t know who Rick James and Skyy are or George Duke is or if he thinks that nobody knows Earth Wind and Fire albums then he should really have kept quiet. He is not an authentic Soulhead.

So anyhow SYNKRONISED released 1999 is a post disco era Album (1980-83). As I keep saying this was a brilliant time for music. There was so much music around we literally didn’t know what to do or where to turn. There were new bands appearing everywhere. The music of this era was stunning. 1979 into 1980 was the best year we ever experienced but as we progressed into 1980/81 the sound got even more exiting with the electrophonic sound added into the mix. These are the last days of the Orchestral Disco era sound. The post Disco era is the perfect balance between what we call “Live music” (Music with traditional instruments) and the synthesized keyboard sound.

An album like Light up the Night by The Brothers Johnson which was in this era is a good example of what I’m talking about. Where you had a disco era track like (Stomp) and an electrified tracks like (This Had to be)and (You make me wanna wiggle). Another example is the (lets get serious) album by Jermaine Jackson and Stevie where you had traditional Disco era type tracks like (Feeling free) and synthesized track like (Burning Hot). There was a whole load of trial and error going on, some bands were hitting and some were missing. These are the last days of the Disco sound and of Jazz funk. I was there on the dance floor, I recognise all the sounds on this album and I offer you tons of recommendations so feel the FUNK.

(Released 1999)

 

acid jazz

 

SOUL /R&B

CANNED HEAT

acid jazz

There is no such thing as a Black Music genre called acid jazz or club jazz

(Late 1970’s early 1980’s Disco/Post Disco era FUNK)

The intro

Canned Heat is the classic Post Disco sound, a track which you would have heard between late 1979 and say 1982. Its a pastiche and contains a lot of elements that I remember so lets go through it second by second bit by bit……

The intro sounds like it’s copied from the Intro of (Living Without you) by Pleasure. Or Roy Ayres /Ethel Beattys (I know you care) which came years later.  The intro of Johnny “Hammond” Smith’s (Ghetto Samba.) has a similar warm feel to it…..the synth keyboard tails off. That sound is familiar from somewhere in the Quincy Jones discography at the time he was working with Patti Austin, James Ingram, Bros Johnson, Temperton/MJ and the crowd who created (Off The Wall) and (Light up the night)………..

….We’re off into a gallop which sounds like Earth Wind and Fires’s (Rock that)…… The strings of CHIC’s (Open up) begin……..“You know this boogie is for real”, which recalls George Duke’s (I’m for real)…………Then all of a sudden were in the U.K, a strike of the Violins which macthes Lee Johns pitch with Imagination’s signature Rhythm guitar/Keyboard riff from (Flashback) slightly altered……The groove now jumps all over the place like CHIC’s (Open up) or (Contact Funk) by Hammond Smith from earlier on in the 70’s…..There is an element of Evelyn “Champagne” King’s (Shame) the basis for (Little L), in the groove somewhere.“…..Then it’s….. “Down Down Down Down Dance!” (George Duke or Rose Royce).

A familiar Bassline starts up, at the back of that I can hear the guitar plucks from (We got the Funk) by Positive Force. Originally Rose Royce on (Car Wash) from earlier on in the 1970’s. It all sounds a bit like the intro to (Starlight) by Starpoint in the way the groove cuts back across itself. That probably doesn’t make sense, but listen to the two intro’s back to back. The way the first word on each track are sung “Starlight” and “Dance”. I suppose you could say the groove goes where you don’t expect it to rather like the intro to Tom Brownes (Come for a ride) or the Chorus of Stevies (For once in my life) I speak about on Emergency on Planet Earth…….We settle into the track go into a familiar Disco post/ Disco groove and Bassline.

The song has the Ambience of (Shine on) by George Duke but also follows the pattern of earlier grooves like LTD’s (Holding on) and Positive Force (We got the Funk). It has the feel of The Brothers Jonson’s (The Real thing) as well. I actually felt Canned Heat was a soft version of a Brothers Johnson track on the first few plays but without Louis Johnson thundering all over the groove obviously. In the background I can hear the Keyboard of (Big Fun) by Kool and The Gang. Another massive Post Disco era track in the charts at the same time. The Bass sounds like it’s played in the style of Imagination and sounds like Ashley’s fret-less bass. The fret-less bass was much underused in Funk in my opinion. it was kind of niche and used mostly in Jazz, it would have fitted in nicely during the slowed down Two step period of the mid 80’s. Jaco Pastorius was probably the most well known fret less Bass player back in the 70’s and I remember there was a synth pop track called (Tear your Playhouse down) by Paul Young back in the 80’s….. 

…..back to canned heat and overlaying the bass the CHIC! style violins come in a one point @ “I don’t know what to do” which sound like those towards the end of (You can get by) CHIC!…. Its a bit similar to the violin intro of STOMP! by The Brothers Johnson…..The ultimate track in this style of Funk…. Then we hear a bit more of E.W.F’s “Galloping groove” from (Rock that) again…. There is an element of Patrice Rushen’s (Look up) when the chords raise, complete with the brakes. (She got there before Kool and the Gang on that style I think) Think (Get Down on it) K &TG. Jamiroquai also copied it on Emergency on Planet Earth….The “Ahhhh” sounds like George Duke again on (Brazilian Love affair) or the Brothers Johnson remix of (The Real Thing) I think…. at the ending……“Hey DJ let the music play” is from the Dazz Band’s (let the music play) I would say but there are other tracks with those lyrics. There is a slight hint of the Whispers & Kano as I hear it. At the end the chords raise into Barry White’s famous intro and probably the first Disco Track (Loves Theme).

So to recap, this is a familiar groove, the sound of 1980/1981/1982. The last days of Disco era Funk. Another pastiche. George Duke, Imagination, The Brothers Johnson, CHIC etc. The very end of the disco era. All that’s missing is Michael Jackson on vocals and Louis “Thunderthumbs” Johnson on bass. So canned heat mimics a particular violin sound of the post Disco era when CHIC! reigned supremeElectrofunk is just around the corner. D Trains (Your the one for me), Dancefloor by Zapp, The Message by Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five would soon be entering the charts at this time.

As promised here are tons of recommendations below.

Canned Heat

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s early 1980’s Disco/ Post Disco era FUNK)

-‘-

(George Duke/ CHIC/ Imagination/ Positive Force/ Delegation/ The Whispers/ Barry White)

Credited to

 

Jay Kay

 

George Duke featuring Louis “Thunder thumbs” Johnson;
Shine on (Live)

(Shibuya Public Hall Tokyo 1983)
-‘-

[Intro]

Pleasure; Living without you-[Intro only]

Johnny “Hammond” Smith; Ghetto Samba-[Intro only]

Ethel Beatty; I know you care-[Intro only]

Johnny “Hammond” Smith; Contact Funk-[The unpredictable intro]

-‘-

CHIC; Open up-[The Violins]

[Brit Funk]-Imagination; Flashback & Just an illusion-[Lead Guitar/Keyboard]

[Brit Funk]–Imagination; State of love

George Duke; Funkin’ for the thrill (I’m for real)-[Come on and boogie-Down down Yeah.!]

-‘-

[“Dance!”]

George Duke; Reach for It & Son of Reach for it

Earth Wind and Fire (featuring The Emotions); Boogie Wonderland

[Brit Funk]-Hot Chocolate; Mindless Boogie

B.T. Express; Give up the funk (Let’s dance)

Kool and the Gang; Love Festival
-‘-

[The Groove]

Positive Force; We got the Funk

LTD; Holding on (When love is gone)

[Brit Funk]-Delegation; Heartache No 9 (Special Remix Version 1980)-(Extra violins!)

The Brothers Johnson; The Real Thing & Dancin’ Free

Jermaine Jackson; Feeling Free

-‘-

Earth Wind and fire; Rock it

Rose Royce; Car wash [Guitar Plucks]

CHIC; You can get by-[Strings @ “..baby that’s nothing new”]
-‘-

Kool and the Gang; Big Fun [Underlying keyboard’s]

Patrice Rushen; Haven’t you heard

Patrice Rushen; Look up [The raise in chords in the 2nd verse @ “You Know this boogie…”]

-‘-

[@ Hey dj let the music play]

Con Funk Shun; Sun Touch

T-Connection; Saturday night (Long version)-[Bassline towards the end]

The Dazz Band; Let the music play-[Lyrics“Hey dj let the music play”]

Gayle Adams; Love Fever-[The rhythm guitar]

-‘-

George Duke; Brazilian love affair-[Elements of the groove @ “live this party life”]

Kano; I’m ready-[Elements of the bassline @ “live this party life”]

The Whispers; And the beat goes on -[Elements of the groove @ 2.39.. “The beat goes on..”]

-‘-

[The Ending]

[The raise in chords of the violins]

Barry White: Loves Theme [Intro only]

*CHIC; M.M.F.T.C.F. [Ending violins only]

*Get the right version of M.M.F.T.C.F. One version I heard doesn’t have the violin ending.

[That sound at the end Disco era ]

. Never let anyone tell you that these sounds have anything to do with Acid Jazz record Lable and the Synagouge of Satan. They are responsible for nothing and have no claim on any Black sound at any stage if of the era.

Come the late 1970’s CHIC polish the Barry White/Gamble and Huff sound into some of the most stunning strings we had ever heard. The sound was and still is magical…

CHIC; Good Times, Freak out! & Chip off the old block

(The CHIC Organisation) Diana Ross; Upside Down, Give up your love & Tenderness

(The CHIC Organisation) Sister Sledge; We are family, How To Love & You fooled around

Carly Simon; Why

(Narada (Pronounced “Narda”) Michael Walden)

Narada worked with Sister Sledge after they left THE CHIC Organisation.

Stacy Lattisaw: Jump to the beat

Sister Sledge: All American girls

Narada Michael Walden; Tonite I’m Alright

George Duke; Funkin’ for the thrill, (I am for real) lyrics “You know this boogie is for real”

Deodato; Night Cruiser (The 70’s London Soulhead Anthem at the Goldmine Club)

Reccomendations

The Commodores; Lady you bring me up when I’m down

Rapheal Cameron; All that’s good to me

Starpoint: Starlight your night

The Invisible Mans Band; All night thing

Kool and the Gang; Take it to the top

Deodato; Whistle Bump

Atlantis; Keep on movin’ and groovin’

Dynasty; Adventures in the land of music

-‘-

Herbie Hancock: Getting to the good part (Wait till the chorus)

Herbie Hancock: Motormouth

Recommended Albums

[Michael Jackson; Off The Wall Album]

[Earth Wind and Fire; I AM & Faces Albums]

[The Brothers Johnson; Light Up The Night Album]

[The Jacksons; Victory Album]

And of course George Duke!

Brazilian Love Affair, Follow the Rainbow Albums you name them.

-‘-

INTERLUDE

THE “CHIC” Effect in the late Disco era and what came next.

I have seen so much absolute rubbish written by people who weren’t even alive in the Disco era (As eveidenced by Gilles Petersons mob on wikipedia) that I thought I would write this little piece on FUNK music in the late 70’s early 1980’s. Barry White, The Salsoul Orchestra, Gambel and Huff etc begin the Violin sound of the 1970’s and the sound that people referred to as Disco.  Regardless of what outsiders and history revisionists in the mainstream so called music press will claim or on discredited places like Wikipedia, Everipedia and anywhere else.

What people refer to as The Disco era sound is the next stage in Black music after the old skool James Brown/Parliament style FUNK and JAZZ-FUNK of the early 1970’s which followed on from the MOTOWN sound. You could call the early 1970’s The Post Motown era as although the MOTOWN acts were still around the sound was changing. Jazz and Funk and Soul was beginning to fuse together, The World sound incorporating all styles of music into the FUNK was beginning, People were fusing James Brown with Rock, Latin, The Afrobeat and so on. The post MOTOWN era of the early 1970’s was also very exiting. You never knew what you would hear next.

The post Disco era 10 years later was equally exiting. As I said before.This time you were waiting to hear how your favourite band would incorporate the new Electroponic Phunk synth sound into their groove.  The Disco sound itself goes back to Gambel and Huff and the post MOTOWN sound of the very late 1960’s. It should be noted that Barry White composed Loves theme in 1964, years before it was released in the esarly 1970’s. Disco was not invented by the mainstream Pop bands who jumped on the Soul bandwagon in the late 70’s nor by the Gay Community who adopted the sound as their own. Disco was mostly Pop music that mimicked the Black sound of the era.  And the Orchestra of Barry White was Key in the development of the Disco sound which came towards the end of the decade. So the likes of Gambel and Huff  Barry White,  T.S.O.P (The Philly sound) are responsible for what people term the Disco sound. Regardless of what outsiders or people who weren’t even there write in the mainstream media.  Why is it called Disco? Well A discotheque was just another name for a night club. So you went to the Disco to Dance and Feel the FUNK. In the 80’s people went back to calling nightspots clubs but to this day if you see a “Disco Night” advertised then you know your going to hear the sound of the 1970’s.

It’s FUNK not Disco

During the era and even today the mainstream media call/called late 70’s Funk/R&B from bands like Earth Wind and Fire, CHIC or Kool and the Gang Disco-music. IT IS NOT. And we never called it that. We continued to call it FUNK. Disco to us was Pop music. Disco was stuff like Boney M. The disco era as we now call it goes from about 1975/76 up to 1980. So Disco-era Funk is what Soul/R&B sounded like in that particular time period. Disco is the pop music of the era which mimicked the sound. And it should be remembered that the mainstream hated the sophistication of this sound. That was the reason for the Jealous ‘Disco sucks’ campaign in the STATES. The beautiful orchestral sound, the sweet harmonies and the transcendental Jazz Funk grooves which epitomized the Disco era “sucked” according to them. Yet the badly produced , screeching rock guitar with so called singers screaming at the top of their voices somehow didn’t. Compare the 1960’s/70’s SOUL singers to their Rock equivelent’s.

Jealousy.You suck, Not Disco

Sometimes they would try to denigrate the sound as just “Dance Music”. The sophistication of bands like Earth Wind and Fire, or Musical geniuses like Quincy and the Brothers Johnson or the Jacksons appeared lost on them. Plus they hated seeing Black, White and Brown people all dancing together. This was a threat to the establishment.  Their goal has always been to divide people. I recall Flavour Flave of Public Enemy years later in the late 1980’s commenting at how the establishment hated the fact that Black and White kids were jamming together to Rap. Anything that brings the Human race together in harmony is frowned upon by the Establishment. That is the opposite of what they want. Do you think that the multitude of  1970’s Disco era FUNK bands in the recommendations I have given you from the era suck? Or do you think they are works of genius and the sweetest grooves you have ever heard in your life.  Compare it to the music that these people were listening to. Tellingly by the mid 1980’s despite desperate efforts to prevent it, SOUL/R&B had become the most popular style of music. So much so that some people think it’s called Pop.

No Disco sucks did NOT kill Disco

I wasn’t really going to delve much into it as these people who had their 15 minuets of fame are irrelevant. However let me set the facts straight on a few things. The Disco sucks campaign took place in the States during the era. Apparently an American Rock DJ was kicked out of a radio station from his job. And so decided to burn SOUL records in a stadium. I understand that The Bee Gees claimed the Disco sucks campaign ruined their career as it lead to the death of Disco. Well It did not.And the percon behind the Disco sucks campaign is not relevant and didn’t change anything.

Now when you actually know and understand the progression of Black music the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and even 1990’s you will know that the sound changed every Five/Six years. At the turn of each the Decades, 60’s/70’s/80’s the sound changed. Then midway through the decade the sound changed again.  The sound at the beginning of the decade was never the same as that at the end of the decade! You had to had been there paying attention and as you can tell I was.

The Post Disco era and beyond

Disco era FUNK had run it’s course and the sound was already changing as we neared the end of the 1970’s. More and more synth was beginning to appear on Soul tracks. (Do what you wanna do) T- Connection, Heatwave’s (The Groove Line), (Can you feel the force) by The Real Thing are some stand out tracks from the time period 1977/78 The electrified FUNK sound was already starting to creep in. Tracks like this had big impacts on the Dancefloor. They sounded so different and futuristic. Lets not forget the film Star Wars was the talk of the Planet at the time. And all during the 1970’s when the space walks were taking place, whenever you heard the synth you always associated it with the future or with space flight. Bakc then the future was bright.

Its important to remember that at the time no one thought, oh we’re going into the Electro funk era. It was a slow progression. We just noticed that the sound was changing. Things were starting to sound slicker and tighter. So at the hight of the Disco era 1979 you will find a whole load of different sounds. Old school Funk, Jazz Funk, Electro-Disco, Euro Disco (French and Italian),GoGo,You name it. There was literally an avelanche of music. What made it even more special was that despite the emergence of so may new bands we recognised many of the names of these acts who had been around since we were small kid. The Isley Brothers, Diana Ross, Aretha Franlin and so on were superstars of our parents generation of the 50’s/60’s. Yet here we were dancing in the Disco to their updated sounds of the Disco era. It seemed strange, yet kind of cool to be dancing to the same people who entertained your parents in some cases befor we were even born. Many didn’t know Jazz Funkateers Like George Benson, Roy Ayers, George Duke or Patrice Rushen until the Disco era where their talent and years of hard work in the underground Jazz funk communitypaid off malking them superstars.1980 going into 1981 was a fantastic year for the FUNK. And as I say elsewhere the Post Disco era contains some of the finest sounds you will ever hear. It was trial and error time again just like it was back in the early 1970’s. Those type of musical environments seem to produce the best music as people become more and more innovative trying to find what will work.

The Funk takes a breather around 1983 going into 1984 when people like start to slow down the Groove and we had a whole lot of Two Step (Slower Funk). Not to say there wasn’t any faster stuff around but generally the sound was slower on average and people were releasing calmer mid tempo (Two Step) tracks as singles. Grooves like (Weekend Girl) and (No ones gonna Love you) are famous tracks from that time period.Contrast this groove to the hell for leather early 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk sounds. The S.O.S Band had a bit to do with it at least in London. Their sound was everywhere and as you can tell it inspired Loose Ends to their major hit Hanging on a string. That Drumbeat changed the sound and many copired it. Around the same time CAMEO, hard funking Bass slapping CAMEO of all people released a slow track called She strange. Hardly what one used to expect from these viscious Harcore Bass freaks. But it worked. It worked big. So for a short period the Funk slowed down 84/85. It felt like being in the mid 1970’s again, ten years previous when the Funk was generally slower until it started to speed up as we approached the Disco era around late 1976 into1977. There is some pretty nice stuff around this period if you like the slower Groove. The sound is not really the same as the 1970’s as much of it is hidden under the 1980’s drum machine. You don’t really get the Phcyadelic feel as you did in the 70’s but Roy Ayers does a pretty good job of preserving his sound then again he was an old hat when it came to the synth. I give many reccomendations in my Space Cowboy Review.

So in the 1980’s there were THREE distinctive sounds. The post Disco era (80-83) with the remenants of the Disco era Orchestra was gradually replaced by the synth.The slowed down Two Step period from around late 83 into 84/85 by which time the Funk was almost entirely electrified, then it’s all change again as around 1987/88 The New Jack Swing crowd (The younger Brothers and Sisters of us 70’s Disco kids) changed the groove. From here on in the sound starts to get more and more watered down. There is a whole load of sampling and we older funksters recognise much of what we hear from our youth. The Sampler had a major impact. People seemed to get more and more lazy if you like. They were not writing their own stuff but sampling bassline, drumbeats and so on, then adding lyrics to them or rapping over them. For me this is the end of FUNK as we knew it in the 70’s/80’s. Not to say there was not some fantastic music aroound. But the old days had most definately gone. There was nothing new or innovative created in the FUNK after this time period. Other than the digital genres like Jungle/D&B and later Dubstep. Jazz funk of course came back in the early 1990’s but we had heard it all before as you can tell by THE SOULHEAD TALES. So anyone who claims there was anything new or unique in the 1990’s in terms of FUNK was not around in the 1970’s and the 1980’s. Now as to why the sound changed every 5/6 years?, Well I suppose School takes around 7 years to complete, so every group of School leavers changes the sound to their liking. Or at least demands a sound change. And of course many of the older kids generally hate it. The older 1960’s kids didn’t like our late 1970’s Disco era Funk, some of us didn’t like Electro and or New Jack Swing of the 1980’s and some of them probably hated Jungle Drum and Bass! The thing was however you always found something to listen to. At least up until the end of the 1990’s.

 The Post Disco era and the 1980’s

EDIT; Let me add a bit more information for future historians in addition as I looked Wikipedia and they describe the post disco era as stretching from 1980 to 1987. As you would expect from Wikipedia it’s total nonsense written by people who either weren’t there or weren’t paying attention. Whilst ultimately everything that comes after disco is by definition post disco, the period between 1980 and 1987 had two distinct and separate sounds as you have already seen. The Period between 1980 and 1983 is different from the sound that followed from 1983/84 onward during the Two Step period. See the post disco era (1980 to 1983) as the Handover/Transition between Disco era Funk of the late 70’s early 80’s and the Electrophonic phunk sound of the 1980’s . Some call it the carry over period. The perfect balance between live music (Real Instruments) and the Synthesizer. The Whispers (In the Raw) or the Dazz Band’s (Shake what you got) are two examples I always give as the archetypal post Disco era sound. Funkadelic’s (One Nation Under a Groove) the anthem of Funk with Bernie Worrels incredible Synth work is the track we all remember as the start of this new slick sound. It’s a very important track in FUNK history. It was called THE ANTHEM OF THE FUNK. Its one of those tracks that everyone remembers when they first heard it. Often back then the first time you would hear a track was in the Disco as Black music was often hard to come by especially in the U.K unless you listened to pirate radio in the big Cities Like London or Manchester. There was no Internet or social media so you wouldn’t have a clue what was happening. That’s why Magazines like Blues and Soul were so Important to us. In the Disco you would see befuddled looks in peoples eyes when certain new tracks were played. Who’s this? Wow, That sounds like so and so. Have they released a new album?

Parliament Funkadelic, changed the sound with tracks like Aquaboogie and Knee deep. The groove was changing as I said previously, the synth was taking over. The MOTOWN sound was electrified by Mandre in the 1970’s, With The likes of Cerrone, Morroder and others holding up the end in Europe. So electro was part of the late 1970’s and the Disco era, but it didn’t engulf Black music until the end of 1982 going into 1983. From then on most of the sound of FUNK was electrified. The sound from 1983 onward is different. Yes it’s still Electrified but by this time Kashif, Zapp, Leon Sylvers, Gap Band, and others had evolved the sound D-train. (She’s Strange) By Cameo and (Magic Touch) by Rose Royce are two stand out tracks that made us realize the sound was slowing down. The S.O.S Band as I have already mentioned and CHANGE as well who were also part of the Jam and Lewis Stable gave us stunning atmospheric Two Step grooves.

They would never have been released as first singles in the late 70’s. They would have bombed when tracks like (Stomp) by the Brothers Johnson or (One Nation under a groov0e by Funkadelic were setting the Disco dancefloors on fire 4 to 5 years previous. It was as if FUNK was taking a break from the hell for leather Funk and Electro Phunk of the post Disco period. Now in the early to mid 1980’s we were mostly back to the slow groove.

(1983 to 1987) Is also where Rick James, Cameo, The Gap Band, The Bar-kays and Slave amongst others assert their dominance of what counted for Hardcore Funk in this period.This is really Is where Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis begin their empire which lasts into the 1990’s.  It’s where Rap separates from the mainstream Funk and becomes Hip Hop, a genre in it’s own right. ( I’m talking about modern hip-hop, I know the hip hop culture goes back to the 70’s).

It’s also where Britfunk bands Like Loose Ends adopt the American sound and add that raw British flavour Funksters across the Pond loved. Its where U.K bands building on the legacy of  70’s giants like Osibisa, Cymande, The Real Thing, Delegation, and others begin the British Invasion currently being written out of history by Eddie Pillar and Acid jazz records. Junior Giscombe who scored our first Number 1 in the States, Imagination, Central Line, Light of the World, Linx and other Brit Funk bands started the ball rolling in 80/81.  Then as the decade progressed the likes of  5 Star, Old school British Soulboy Billy Ocean, Soul To Soul, Sade, 52nd Street, Sahara and many others put British Soul on the map.

Prince VRS Rick James.

In the 1980’s Rick James updated his sound, brought back all his old Motown buddies like Smokey and the Temptations, became a dominating force and kept Funk alive with bands like The Mary Jane Girls and the Stone City Band whilst Prince was doing his best to water it down with the “unwanted” rock/pop sound. You will still see arguments raging about Prince Vrs Rick James. Even though I was firmly on the Rick James side of the the fence I concede that Prince is still one of the greatest musical geniuses to have ever lived, and without doubt the most talented artists of the 1980’s. And Rick always said that he was more of a showman than a singer. Prince is The nearest our generation got to producing anyone close to Stevie. His music brought all the races together which is a good thing and he could fill out any Rock Concert as well as any Funk concert. No one else I can think of could do that in the way that he could.

I remembered Prince from the Disco days and (Sign of the Times) but by now his sound had changed. I remember DJ Greg Edwards when referring to his new sound saying “Take the money and run son!” By the mid 1980’s many felt the Funk was dying. Some people just couldn’t accept this new Electrified sound preferring instead the old Jazz Funk sound of the early 1970’s.  I was fine with it but some were not. Blues and Soul writers were tearing their hair out decrying the fact that no one was playing instruments any more.  It was all Synthesizers and Electrofunk. “Robot music” as some people called it.  Many of us felt that adding rock into the bargain was making it even worse. Lots of Funksters stopped buying Prince albums and I was one of them. It was around this time that the Rare Groove (70’s Funk) became popular among some Funksters. As there was not much of what people called real Funk being played they went back to the 70’s looking for stuff they hadn’t heard and there was plenty of it. Rare Groove is what Eddie Pillar and his cohorts claim on Wikipedia is called acid jazz. Apparently invented by Gilles Peterson. The co founder of Acid Jazz records. There is no such genre.

At this period in time Thriller had turned Michael Jackson into the biggest Superstar on the Planet and it helped make Soul/R&B the mainstream sound that it is today. That was a Soul album which sounded well out of date for the time period, but the marketing and the famous horror video made it an all time best seller. Electrophonic Phunk was liked by most of us but we wanted it Funky, we didn’t want Rock. One Way spoke for many with a track called (Mr Groove) begging for James Brown to return. Our wish came true when he released (I am Real) with Full Force.  Anyhow when you come across Rick James and Prince fans still arguing now you know why. The Love sexy album brought many of us back into the prince fold.

That’s all history now and we miss them. They were both an important part of our Youth and an Important part of the Funk. So there were two separate periods in the post Disco era and before the start of New Jack Swing and not just one as stated on Wikipedia. The post disco era does not end in 1987. The Post Disco era ends in 1983 when the sound settles down into the two step period from late 83 into 84. It speeds up again in 1986/1987 when the James Brown sound returns to mainstream Funk as the sound begins to water down New Jack Swing then changes into what people call Neo Soul in the early 1990’s when the new generation take over. I was there and your research with AUTHENTIC 1970’s/1980’s Funksters will bear out what I have written. Now lest continue with Synkronised and another sound i esaily recognise on an album which supposedly doesn’t use outside influence. An album on which not one thing was taken ….according to Jay Kay….

-‘-  

Planet Home

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s early 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk )

Incorporating “Punk Funk” The sound of “Slick” Rick James

All Aboard The Soul Funky– James Brown

80’s Punk Funk and 70’s Elements in the 1990s

British PUNK FUNK? Never thought I would live to see the day. Another pastiche of a particular groove. We go from the Soft core FUNK violins of the Post Disco era on Canned heat to the Hardcore Moog synth of the same time period. Parliament, Cameo, The Gap band, Rick James, The Barkays etc. This sounds like Rick James meets Earth Wind and Fire (The Elements). Though It’s based on the template of Parliament’s (Knee Deep) with the choir and the Moog synth, The beginning is straight Punk Funk recognizable to anyone who knows Rick James and that was every Funkster in then 70’s and 80’s. The bassline reworks (Night Cruising) by The Barkays, The punk funk style track that everyone thought was Rick James. It hangs on the first beat like (Superfreak) Rick James. You can hear that cheeky Deep Moog synth and the Telephone ring of the Stone City Band with Tommy’s guitar stuttering away in the background. You can hear half of Planet Home in just the Intro toThe Stone City Bands Freaky .Aspects of the groove come to think of it probably has it’s origins in Michael Jackson’s (Working Day and night). You can hear similar right at the end of that particular track

The Bassline- Planet home is Buffalo not the Queens but the bassline has the two nods at the end a bit like Tom Browne’s (Thighs High-grip your hips and move). or (Do it to me) Vernon Burch. A groove that goes all the way back to James Brown (All aboard the Funky Soul Train) . Its basically the same as The Synth/bassline of (I’m in Love) by Evelyn King also came to mind. I wasn’t sure where that bassline was going the first heard it either.

The Chorus

In the chorus at “There’s no place like” we get that bassline again, this time it sounds like Shalamar’s (In the socket). Or (Celebrate) by EWF though there are many versions of that bassline as you have seen from my reccomendations for You give me something. The singing styles sounds like Maurice White on (Saturday night) so it’s EWF. At the break before “This blue Sphere…” . I recognise that exact same break where they come in singing straight away from a Stone city band track. It might have been a remix version of (freaky) by Stone City or maybe the US version of the Boys are Back Album. I distinctly remember a Stone City track with that break repeating itself over and over again.

…@ Can’t you see that….When the chorus comes around for the second time Earth Wind and Fire begin to take over @ AAHHaa but you can still hear Rick James’s (Give it to me baby) in the background disguised as a synth or vocoder. The haunting keyboard style (Like the sunrise) sounds like Funk god Greg Phillinganes and the stuff he did with Quincy, Patti Austin and co. Like on (Bet wouldn’t hurt me) for example. You can hear it on Quincy’s (Secret Garden) later on in the1980’s. The Winans use this style on (Heaven) I remember, so its nothing new.

The Latin bridge

“Temptations sing!” …..Planet Home is Blue and Green”

The salsa could be anyone probably George Duke, E.W.F or Pleasure. There is a bit of similar piano work at the beginning of (Big Time) by Rick James but the groove is more similar to (Positive Energy) by George Duke. There is also a similar groove by Tito Puente but I don’t know what it’s called. I heard it once on the radio but that’s all I can tell you.  Delegation who used to dabble in Latin/Calypso quite a bit also come to mind with their track (Singing).. There are many instances of that Groove in the Funk/Latin sound of the era….“Planet Home is Blue and green”……is straight copied from (Shining Star) one of EWF’s most famous tracks… “Shining star for you to see what your life can truly be”…they have just changed the lyrics.

Planet Home is Blue and Green!…All that’s missing at this point is “YOOoohOh HO! ” from Rick James’s (Give it to me baby). Or perhaps they should have said “Temptations sing!” …. @ “Blue and Greeeen e e e e e e” …. We then launch into Shalamar’s (In the socket) but ‘Synthed up’ Stone City Band Style. So they kept the Stone City Moog but the “Eee- Eee- Eee -Eee- Eee- Eee”!  stutter is the same as the Shalamar track…… Underlying this groove we now have the Parliamentarian drum clatter from (One Nation under a groove) or the Cameo’s answer on (Cameosis). Its classic hardcore FUNK. Moog synth, high hand claps Parliament/Rick James/Stone City style.

Towards the end

The bassline moves on and begins to sound more like EWF’s (Celebrate). There is the feel of (Monkey chop) by U.K Reggae man DAN I, or (Night to remember) Shalamar which leads us to an ending that anyone who knows the old Earth Wind and Fire albums in the 1970’s will remember. So as I said Planet Home is basically a pastiche of the Hardcore FUNK sound, Parliament, Cameo , Rick James, The Barkays softened by the Elements (E.W.F). The overall template belongs to Knee Deep which fused the Moog with the choir. They have just switched it to that of EWF. Listen for yourself and If you grew up in the early 2000’s with a track like Planet Home then see what the original sounds do to your mind. To your SOUL...

Planet Home

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s early 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk)

Incorporating ”Punk Funk”The sound of Slick Rick James

-‘-

[Rick James and the Stone City Band/ Shalamar/ CHIC/ Earth Wine and Fire]

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5; The message–[Intro cymbals only]

The Barkays; Night Cruising-[Bassline and the bridge]

Rick James / The Stone City Band; Freaky-[The groove]

The Stone City Band; Feel Good about yourself

Steve Drayton; Stop playing with my love

[Bernie Worrel’s Cosmic FUNK Synth]

Parliament Funkadelic; (Not Just) knee deep & One Nation under a Groove (12”Version)

Rick James;

Give it to me baby- [Elements of the underlying groove]

Rick James: New York Town & You and I (long version)

Recommendations.

James Brown; All aboard the Soul Funky Train

Vernon Burch; Do it to me

Evelyn King; I’am in Love & Get Loose

-‘-

[The “Punk Funk” Ringing sound]

Rick James; Call me up, The Stone City Band; Telephone Love

Process and the Doorags; Telephone Love

-‘-
[The “Punk Funk” groove]

Rick James/ The Stone City Band;

Ladies choice (featuring Roy Ayres),

Love hassles & Dance so fine.

Rick James; Big Time (12”version),

-‘-

[The Latin Bridge]

George Duke; Positive Energy

Weldon Irvin; Deja vu

Pleasure; 2 for1

Earth Wind and Fire; Faces

Earth Wind and Fire; Shining Star..
[Lyrics; “Shining star for you to see” becomes “Planet home is blue and green” ] 

 

Recommendations.

As a side note you can feel the influence of E.W.F in Aquarian dream

Aquarian Dream; Play It For Me & Do You Realize

-‘-

Planet Home @ “Blue and Greeeen e e e e e e”….

[Bassline and the tinkering drum clatter/Cowbell]

Shalamar; In the socket

Cameo; Cameosis

Recommendations

Rick James; Hard to Get/Give it to me Baby (Instrumental mix)

Rick James; Superfreak (12 inch Version)- Feel that synth and the guitar licks!

Kleeer; Ride it & De Kleer Ting

The Strikers; Body Music

The Gap Band; Party Train

-‘-

Planet Home @ “I wanna go there”…

Shalamar; Night to remember-[Bassline]

[Brit-Funk]-Dan I; Monkey chop

CHIC/Sister Sledge; Lost in music-[Underlying guitar style towards end]

CHIC!; I want your love-[Bassline]

-‘-

[Underling Keyboard style in parts]

Pleasure; Theme for Moonchild-[Ending only]

BeBe and CC Winans; Heaven

-‘-

[Planet Home..The Ending]

George Duke; Yeah we going

The Classic Earth, Wind and Fire endings

Take it to the sky-[Ending only]

Sunshine-[Ending only]

Can’t hide Love-[Ending only]

Imagination-[Ending only]

All about Love

Aquarian Dream; Yesterday Was So Nice Today

Kool and the Gang; Whisper Softly

Minnie Ripperton; Les Fleur

Nods and Salutes to “Slick Rick” James (Punk Funk)

Evelyn “Champagne” King; I can’t stand it- (A tribute to Rick James)

Sekou Bunch; I Can’t stop lovin’ you-[Bass slap legend]

Cameo; Soul Army- (“Party over here, party over there”)-Ref (Big Time)

The Barkays: Freaky Behavior

Grandmaster Flash /Furious 5; Its Nasty- (Slick Rick!.. Yooohoo!)-Ref (Give it to me Baby)

LA Voyage; All night affair (“Party over there”)-Ref (Big Time)

Nu Shooze; I can’t wait

Other 1970’s/1980’s FUNK (Planet Home) Recommendations

[The Deep bass Moog Synth]

The Gap Band

You dropped a Bomb on me

Automatic Brain

If you love the Moog Synth sound then  1980’s Gap Band albums will be right up your street.

Cameo; Please You

(Cameo) Mantra; Action

Mantra part of the Larry Blackmon Crowd and you can feel the Cameo influence on their tracks. Sadly they only recorded one album. It would have been great to have had then around in the 80’s.

Ray Parker Junior; For those who like to groove & Still in the Groove

These instrumentals were big dance floor hits back in the day and you can hear the influence of the Funkadelics synth. During this time period, Ray Parker and Raydio were mostly only know to Funksters. However Ray but went on to become world famous and a Household name later on into the 1980’s thanks to his commercial hit Ghost Busters. A major film of the 80’s.

The Brothers Johnson;

You Keep Me Coming Back

*Save me

*(Don’t miss the guitar solo and the thundering bass slap towards the end)

Rene and Angela; I’ll Be Good

Earth Wind and Fire: Saturday Night-[Singing style]

The singing style on Planet Home is no doubt E.W.F

Buster Williams; Dreams come true

Earth Wind and Fire; Magic Mind

Earlier on in the 70’s —Imo

Stevie Wonder; (Have a talk with God)

*Inspired the Moog synth sound of Parliament/The Gap Band/The Stone City Band

-‘-

Barry White (Sweetness is my weakness)

*Inspired some of the Punk Funk sound of the late 1970’s early 1980’s.

-‘-

Mandrill; (Universal Rhythms); [The Ending]

*Inspired some of the Earth Wind and Fire of the 1970’s.

-‘-

Any other transcendental endings you remember?

Change; On Top

Wood Brass and steel; Funkanova

Mizellstory; NR time

Brass Construction; Love (Is what we need)

The Jacksons; Time waits for no one

Earth and Fire; I’ve had enough

Brass Construction; Love (Whistle of the Universe)

.

Planet Home Recommended albums

[The Stone City Band; Out of the Shadows Album]

[The Barkay; Night Cruising Album]

[Earth Wind and Fire; Spirit Album]

[Cameo; Cameosis Album]

And don’t forget The Larry Blackmon Stable

Mantra, LA Connection and Cashflow worked with Larry & Cameo. (Party Freak) and (Mine oh mine) a take on Fatback were massive hits by Cashflow in the 80’s.

Black Capricorn Day

acid jazz

(Late 1960’s early to mid 1980’s FUNK)

Black Capricorn is the Devil in Tarot so thats what the serpent is telling you. This track is not really a post disco track but belongs in the mid 1970’s. So the 1970’s Blackbyrd flies again in the 1990’s. The admission is in the title.This sounds like it came straight off a Donald Byrd album. Another pastiche of a particular 70’s Funk sound. This time it’s the first half of the 70’s. Lyrics “Hey Hey Hey?”… Idris Muhammad or Kool and the Gang or Earth Wind and Fire. Roy Ayres and Herbie Hancock. All familiar stuff to any 1970’s Funkster. Straight forward Funk. In other words it’s James Brown.

Black Capricorn Day

acid jazz

(Late 1960’s early to mid 1970’s FUNK)

-‘-

[Donald “Black” Byrd/ Kool and the Gang/ Idris Muhammad/ Roy Ayres]

Credited to

Jay Kay

James Brown; Take some leave some

Donald “Black” Byrd and the Blackbyrds

Do it fluid

Funky Junky

Black Byrd

Slop Jar Blues

Idris Muhammad; Hey pock a way-[“Hey hey hey”!]

-‘-

[Similar 1970’s FUNK]

This sound of course wasn’t limited to the great Donald Byrd. It’s another style of Funk from the 60’s and early 1970’s. Another sound reclassified as so called 1990’s “acid jazz” by Eddie Pillar and Gilles Peterson. It is not. James Brown, Mandrill, Osibisa, Kool and the Gang etc, were not invented in England in the 1990’s by Jamiroquai nor by an infiltrator record label called Acid Jazz records. There is plenty of this sttyle of FUNK in the 1970’s see below….

Recomendations

Roy Ayres; King George, Henceforth & A wee bit,

Herbie Hancock; Spider

Weldon Irvine; Walk that walk, talk that talk

The Counts; What’s up front that counts

Earth Wind and Fire; But so uncool-[“Hey hey hey”!]

Chocolate Milk; My mind is hazy

The Brothers Johnson; The devil

Cameo; Funk Funk

Roy Porter sound machine; Party Time

Steve Gadds; Funk Groove

Bobby Lyle; Night Breeze-[Keyboard sound]

Joe Farrel; Canned Funk

The old (Pre-disco) Kool and the Gang;

Funky Stuff (Can’t get enough)

N.T. (Parts 1 & 2)

Hollywood swinging-[“Hey hey hey”!]

 

Destitute Illusions

acid jazz

(1970’s/1980’s Jazz FUNK)

Credited to

Jay Kay, Toby Smith & Derrick McKenzie

 So Jay Kay and Toby Smith let Derrick McKenzie take credit for an Instrumental. How kind of them! Kay and Smith were clearly not London Soulheads of the Disco /Post Disco era. The sound of MAZE was/ is well known in the London Soul underground.Every London Soulhead knows Frankie Beverly. Twilight was a massive hit in the U.K Soulclubs. All they have done is remove the repeating synth riff.

MAZE; Twilight

Johnny Harris; Odyssey
-‘-

I don’s have the MAZE discography but I know they did a couple of other iinstrumenatals like this so explore their Albums and you will find them. I seem to remember they had a bit of Bass Plucking in them.

Supersonic

acid jazz

(1970’s FUNK)

Straight out of the Pocket of Roy Ayers this sounds like a remake of (Hey uh what you say come on). They have just shifted the groove so the bassline is “on the one”. The bridge sounds a bit like the intro to Mantronix (Got to have your love), but I think it’s from the early 70’s. Possibly Herbie or Roy Ayres. Anyhow this is pretty straight forward though. Its Roy Ayers. A principle sound beeing claimes by the Synagouge of Satan as Acid Jazz invented here in London in 1988 by a DJ called Gilles Peterson.There is no such genre.

Roy Ayers

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

Roy Ayers; Hey uh what you say come on & He’s a superstar

Stevie Wonder; Higher ground,

Booker T and the Mgs; Green onions

Mantronix; Got to have your love-[Bassline in the bridge]

Roy Ayres; Stranded in the Jungle

Cherrelle; You Look Good To Me

-‘-

Where do we go from here

acid jazz

(1970’s/1980’s Jazz-Funk)

1980/81 The last years of Jazzfunk

Starvue, Tom Browne -NY Skyy -Isley Brothers -Confunkshun

How are we doing so far on Synkronised students of FUNK History? Have you heard anything new on this 1990’s replay of 70’s/80’s FUNK so far? No you haven’t. Now lets pick apart (Where do we go from here). And as you read my breakdown of the track again remind yourself that Kay claims he used no outside influences on this album and indeed all the others. That taking ither peoples Music is plagiarism. Have you seen him give credit for any of the music he has stolen so far? No. What have you heard that’s new, innovative or original on any of these so called “Jamiroquai albums?” Zero. Now when you look at Wikipedia do you see Have you found anything called “acid jazz” on any of these tracks so far? A non existent music genre supposedly invented by a London pub DJ and “acid jazz” front man Gilles Peterson. No you haven’t. That’s because there is no such thing as a Black music genre called acid jazz. It does not exist.

So lets go….Where do we go from here is a track that would not be out of place at Greg Edwards “The Best disco in town” (The Lyceum at the strand) or the Robbie Vincent Show. It’s 1981 all over again. Tom Browne, Starvue, New York Skyy, Confunkshun etc.Its another Pastiche of Post Disco era Funk claimed as a mythical genre called “Acid Jazz” by Eddie Pillar, Gilles Peterson and the Synagouge of Satan. This is Jazz funk

We start with the bassline of Bill Brandon’s (We fell in love while dancing). The shrill trumpet at the intro sounds like Tom Browne. The track touches on the atmosphere of Starvue’s (You and Me) which has the same feel. I know those exact piano keyboards from somewhere but can’t remember them. We go straight into the familiar sound of (Call Me) by New York Skyy a major smash in the London Soul underground played often by Greg Edwards at the lyceum. All they have done is remove the chopping guitar riff and copied the style towards the end of the track as if to avoid detection. All London Soul-heads remember Skyy’s (Call me) and (Let’s Celebrate). Lyrics “I waited for your Phone call” tells us where the song was copied from, but you don’t need it. You can hear it…

Chorus

……The Chorus sounds like The Isley Brothers and Ernie Isley’s guitar work on (Who love’s you better or Young girls). The horns sound like Confunkshun on (Got to be enough) or on Raphael Cameron’s (Boogies gonna get ya)……The groove then turns into The Whispers (Headlights & Up on Soultrain), with those familiar Commodores style bass plucks…..Confunkshun then become more prominent. The groove behind the second Shrill trumpet call sounds like Gwen Mcrae (All this love that I’m giving) or Brit Funk track (Pete’s crusade) by LOTW. There is what feels like an element of The Brothers Johnson’s (Do it for Love) half way through that particular track when the horns start up. Listen to the Bassline driving the groove in the background. (Jam Beneath the Groove) by Skool Boyz also has similar aspects in the chorus before the bridge brakes down into what sounds like the groove of One Way’s (Pop It).

At the end of Where do we Go from here, we go back to the intro bassline of Bill Brandon. Then we finish in the piano ‘Moody keys’ similar to the end of (Come for a ride) by Tom Browne or Brit Funk heroes Freeeze on (Flying High). The Brothers Johnson’s Jazz Funk track (Smiling on ya) goes Moody in spectacular fashion when the horns light up. So ending a Jazz Funk track with that sound is nothing new and was done 20 years before as was everything else on Where do we go from here.So Its basically a pastiche of 1980/81. Any Funkster will remember this sound. It is the sound of 1970’s/1980’s Black American JAZZ FUNK and nothing called “acid” jazz from here in 1990’s England. We of course had plenty of BritFunk bands of our own in this era, but we didn’t invent it. You have to go back to the early 70’s to rhe likes of Donald Byrd. Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Kohnny Hammond the Mizel Bros and Black Ameroica for the origins of thia sound. And no one except Jay Kay and acid jazz records will ever claim that any of these sounds were invented here in the U.K in the 1990’s. There is nothing here called “acid jazz” as there is no such genre. Below is my breajdown of the track and as ever I offer you recommendations.

Where do we go from here

acid jazz

(1970’s/1980’s Jazz-Funk)

-‘-

[Bill Brandon/ Skyy/ Confunkshun/ The Whispers/Gwen Mc Crae/ Tom Browne ]

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

[The intro]
Bill Brandon; We fell in love while dancing-[Bassline at the intro]
Starvue; You and me

George Clinton; Do fries go with that shake–[Atmospherics and the Trumpet in the Intro]

Tom Browne; Come for a ride-–[The Trumpet in the Outro]
-‘-

[The Groove]

Skyy; Call me-[Rhythm guitar]-(Most relevant part copied from towards the end of the track)

Skyy; Movin Violation (from their next album. I have no idea why this got no airplay in London instead we got was “let love shine”.This track was brilliant. I remember the same with the Dazz Band and let it whip. Keep it Live should have been the major release.

-‘-

[The Chorus @ “you know baby”]

The Isley Brothers; Who love’s you better & Young girls

Con-funk-shun; Got to be enough-[The horns]

Bloodstone; Funkin’ around

Skool Boys: Can we do it again & Jam Beneath The Groove
-‘-

[The Crescendo]

Raphael Cameron; Boogies gonna get ya-[The horns]

The Whispers; Headlights & Up on Soultrain-[Bassline & Bassplucks]

Gwen Mcrae; All this love that I’m giving

The Brothers Johnson; Do it for Love

Mass Production; Forever

Steve Arrington (Formerly of Slave); Way Out

-‘-

[Brit Funk]-Light of the world; Pete’s Crusade

The Impressions; Fan the Fire

Rick James; p.i.m.p the simp….
(Elements of the Punk Funk horns toward the end before Melle Mel’s rap)
-‘-

[The Ending]

Another familiar groove

[Brit Funk]-Freeeze; Flying high-[Ending only]

Shalamar; You’re the one for me

Candy Bowman; I wanna feel your Love [Ending]

Slave; Slide

Roy Ayres; Everybody & We live in Brooklyn

Mystic Merlin; Mr Magician

The S.O.S Band; You shake me up

The SOS Band; Dit dit dit dash, dash dash

-‘-

Tom Browne; Come for a ride-[Ending ]

The Brothers Johnson; Streetwave & Smilin on ya‘-[Endings only]

Deodato; Space Dust

See also Little L recommendations for the two ‘moody keys’ at the ending

Other reccomendations

Tom Browne; Throw Down

Mass Production I got to have your love

Bliss; Grovin’ on a love song

Captain Sky; Bubble gum (I chewz you)

Bloodstone; My love grows stronger

The Impressions; Fan the fire

Cheryl Lynn; Got To Be Real

Klique Love Dance

 

Soul Education

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s/Early 1980’s JAZZ FUNK)

Mid 70’s-The birth of Sophista-funk- I’LL tell you why you’re in the Sky

You’re in the Sky because you plagiarized Flying High! It rips in part the commodores sound on that album and the Album cover is taken from the Sky looking down.

Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta !boom!…Mid 70’s Commodores ,….”Doo do do….Do do do”, A familiar Bassline to any 1970’s Kid, Isaac Hayes & (Shaft)… The intro tells us which period of the FUNK we’re in ….Ting-a ling- aling, a signature groove of Hardcore FUNK acts from CAMEO!, BT Express, To Rick James and Pleasure which came down the SOUL timeline from James Brown…. We launch into a vaguely familiar 70’s FUNK Groove similar to Pleasures (No matter what), In come the 70’s violins ala Rose Royce, The Brothers Johnson, Silver Convention and many others….I can Feel the Bassline of Aurra’s (Are you single).

We hit the chorus and descend into the organic mulch of the 70’s Clavinet….We repeat the Same in the second verse though higher in chords leading to the peak of the track and the peak of so called Jamiroquai albums, the two Transcendental keys which come straight from (To prove my love) Ned Doheny who has been there in the background all the time.

Soul Education

Soul Education…...   The drums in the intro takes me back to the late 70’s and reminds me of The Commodores (Flying high) but replaces the bassline with the similar (Shaft) Bassline from Isaac Hayes from earlier on in the 1970s. Flying High was like the Commodores walked into the Brothers Johnson/Pleasure arena and said hey we can do the Jazz Funk-Sophistafunk sound too!…. Then comes the James Brown style “ting a ling a ling ting a ling a ling”…. Rhythm guitar played in the ‘lumpier’ fashion UK Funksters remember from Delegation or Alicia Myers in this case I believe. That “James Brown alarm” or the “dinner bell” is well known to all 70’s Funksters. Hardcore Funk bands used it a lot Rick James and The Stone City band for example, alluded to on Planet Home via Freaky and The Barkays (Night Cruising) bridge. BT Express (Stretch), Cameo on (Cameosis) at the end of (I just Want to be) or (Emotional Violence) the list goes on….

From the intro we launch into mid 70’s “Sophista-Funk”. I recognize that groove with the lead guitar or something very similar, I think it was slightly slower. I could have sworn it was The Brothers Johnson.Might be Lonni Liston Smith but i honestly can’t remember. Ask Jay Kay. Anyhow it’s similar to Pleasure as it follows the groove on (No matter what) switched to a lead guitar. It also sounds like the lead guitar on Stevie and Jermaine Jackson’s (Burning Hot). Leading a FUNK track with the guitar isn’t unique. Go back to (Get on the Good Foot) by James Brown or Patrice Rushens Jazz Funk smash called (No1).

The Chorus

At the chorus, @ “I’ve got my Soul Education” Billy Preston steps in with the Clavinet (Keyboard). The production values feel a bit like Ronnie Laws on (Nuthin’ bout nuthin). ALL 70’s Funksters will remember the famous (Machine Gun) Clav from The Commodores. The underlying bassline also sounds like The Commodores (Superman) or (Get up and boogie) by Silver Convention. Their strings match this song as well. The CLAV is well known to kids of the era and of Course Stevie had a big hand in that with (Keep on running)

Second Verse– After the chorus, the groove “climbs” upward in tone and I feel like we’ve moved into the atmosphere of The Brothers Johnson on their last Disco era album (Winners). Confunkshun play a part in (Where do we go from here) and they also play a part on this track. On Confunkshun’s (Got to be enough) as the second verse begins you can hear the groove climb upwards @ “places that you wanna go”. The groove becomes darker, more ominous, mysterious. On The Brothers Johnson (Celebrations) the chords change at the second verse as well, except this time in to a brighter more optimistic sound.So again notice how they are mimicking all the perculiarites of the FUNK traditions. Coying the styles and the identities of these bands, claiming ownership of them whilst Eddie Pillar and his crowd continue to try and fool peole into thinking re-classify them as acid jazz.

You’re in the Sky because you plagiarized Flying High!

The Funk progresses….“@ Don’t ask me why I’m in the Sky” recalls the strings of The Brothers Johnson & Confunkshun. Silver Convention as well. “@ do do do do do do” I can hear Ned Doheny’s (To prove my Love) which is one of the templates for this track. Aurra’s (Are you single) bassline starts up in the background. I know those lyrics “pocket full of rainbows” it’s possibly MTUME but I can’t remember… then as the second chorus ends…

….at the bridge the (Shaft) Bassline returns along with the violins, The Alicia Myers Rhythm guitar returns and sets up transcendental violin rift which is copied from right at the end of Ned Doheny’s (To prove my Love)._-_ Then it’s back to the Commodores or Silver Conventions (Get up and boogie).

You would have heard these sounds in the mid to late 1970’s on Stevie’s (Songs in the Key of Life) when (Contusion) was blasting out of everyone’s old fashion stereo, The Commodores (Flying High) album. It comes as I said from the start of the Sophistafunk sound. The Brothers Johnson, Pleasure, T-Connection and others and comes to us all the way from Johnny Hammond, Herbie and others in the early 1970’s. By niw technology has improved somewhat and the sounds is on average slightly faster. I know there is another track in there from the 70’s that I’m missing. Probably the correct groove of the Lead guitar which as I sadi was a bit slower thab it’s played on this track..The very ending sounds like Jermaine Jackson/ Stevie Wonder on the (feeling free) album. Which will leads us onto the next track (falling) which sounds like it came from the same album. That of course is after you have felt THE FUNK in my reccomendations below.

Soul Education

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s & early 1980’s Jazz Funk)

-‘-

[Isaac Hayes/ Pleasure/Stevie Wonder/ The Commodores/ Ned Doheny]

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

[Intro]

Isaac Hayes; Shaft [Bassline and violins]

The Commodores: Keep on dancing [Intro Only]

BT Express; Stretch [Intro only]

Alicia Myers (Formerly of Al Hudson/One Way) ; I wanna thank you [Intro only]

Pleasure; (Nothin To It) [Ending only]

-‘-

[The groove]

The Commodores; Flying High & Fire Girl

Pleasure; No matter what

(Stevie Wonder) Jermaine Jackson Burning Hot (Lead Guitar)

-‘-

[The Chorus]

[Underlying bassline and strings]

The Commodores; Machine Gun & Rapid Fire-[The Clavinet (keyboard) sound]

The Commodores; Superman-[Underlying bassline in the chorus]

-‘-

[The Clavinet (Keyboard) Sound]

Stevie Wonder; Keep on running

Billy Preston; Outa’ Space

Ronnie Laws; Nuthin’ bout nuthin’

The Isley Brothers; The Pride

Herbie Hancock; Hang up your hang ups (Don’t miss the ending)

[More 1970’s Clavinet]

Southern Energy Assemble; See Funk

Ohio Players; Streak Cheek to cheek

Sly Stone; Poet

Faze-O; Toe Jam

*The Clav is really a 70’s sound but you can still find the odd bit of Clav in the early days of Electrophonic Phunk 80’s. Like Dayton (Living for today) or Midnight Star (Make it last).

*There is a live version of Soul Education that features a rock like intro different from the Shaft Bassline by Isaac Hayes. I absolutely recognize it from the 1970’s. It might be by Ronnie Laws or Lonnie Liston Smith  but I can’t remember. Ask Jamiroquai.

-‘-

[The Ending]

Ned Doheny; To prove my Love-[do do do dooo]

Silver Convention; Fly Robin Fly (Up Up to the sky!)

Silver Convention; No no Joe & You son of a gun-[Violin sound]

Aurra; Are you single @ Brother I don’t mind

The Brothers Johnson; Caught up

Passage:(Louis Johnson, Valerie Johnson). Have you heard the word

-‘-

Gladys Knight-Licence to Kill

Cherelle & Alexander; O’neal Saturday Love

Mizellstory (N R Time)-[Ending only]

-‘-

Passage (Louis Johnson, Valerie Johnson). This Passage album can almost be considered as The Brothers Johnson Winners album part two. It has that same marvelous lighter feel to it. I only heard it years later

The Brothers Johnson; The Great Awakening

Passage; I see the Light

Heatwave;

Start Letting it Loose

Jitterbugging

Straight from the heart

Herbie Hancock; Motormouth & Getting to the good part.

The Bee Gees; Staying Alive & Tragedy

-‘-

Jaws (Movie Theme)-Forget the Shark, just listen to the orchestra as the song progresses.

Gustav Holst: Saturn, The bringer of old age (The Planet suite)-Just before the Bells of old age toll

Luciano Pavarotti; Nessun Dorma (None shall Sleep)

Feel those Harmonies. Pavarotti was a famous Opera singer of our era. He actuall sang once with Barry White.

 

The last days of Jazz Funk (Early 80’s)

[Brit Funk]-Light of the World; Soho!

The Brothers Johnson; Streetwave

The Whispers; Imagination

Faze O; Funky Lady

Earth Wind and Fire; Lady Sun

Tom Browne; Come for a ride & Thighs high grip your hips and move

[Brit Funk]-Cache; Jazzin’ and cruising

[Brit Funk] Hi Tension Power and Lightening

The Dazz band; Shake what you got

The era is over. From 1983 onward we are in Electro-land and Jazz Funk as well as Disco era Funk goes out of fashion. There is a mini Disco era revival during the mid 1980’s but Jazz Funk will not become popular again until a decade or so later in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. This will be when youngsters of that time period who turn their backs on House/Techno or Jungle Drum and Bass start to demand this old school 1970’s/1980’s sound. A sound they were too young to have properly experienced. The Passadenas, Soul To Soul and others will start the old sound again, Then in the early 1990’s people like Jamiroquai will come along, replay these sounds and claim as their own. And Eddie Pillar and his mates in the Synagouge of Satan will credit a DJ called Gilles Peterson with creating these sounds here in London in 1988 reclassifying them as so called “acid jazz”. There is no such genre. Jazz Funk comes from 1970’s America. Not from 1990’s London.

Falling

acid jazz

(1970’s/1980’s SOUL)

This has the sound and atmosphere of the Lets Get Serious album mentioned above.

[Stevie Wonder & Jermaine Jackson]
(Credited to)

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

Jermaine Jackson (Formerly of the Jackson 5)

We can put it back together & Where are you now

-‘-
Pleasure; Joyous

The Impressions; Fan the fire

Jermaine Jackson; You’ve got to hurry

Con Funk Shun; Chase me

-‘-

King for a Day

acid jazz

(1970’s Soul/Classical church organ style/Clav)

More classic Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life) Album. That being said, the “Ecclesiastical” Organ/Clav/Synth was pretty popular in the 60’s and 70’s. It was in just about every horror film you care to mention. I remember the melody of “King for a daaay, happy that waaay” from another 1970’s Track (Around 76 to 79 I think). I thought it was Quincy and the Brothers Johnson. It might be on one of Chaka Khan’s albums as it sounds like her for the way she sings “staaaay”. The “Woh, woh, woh” is definitely from Chaka Khan’s (I’m Every Woman). It might be Slave or The Blackbyrds or Could be one of Larry’s (Graham) songs. I’m not really sure can’t remember.- I heard it in 1979 when Just a touch by Slave was being played endelessly is all I can tell you. Ask Jay Kay.

Stevie Wonder

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

Stevie Wonder; Village ghetto land, Ecclesiastes & Pastime Paradise
-‘-

Larry and Sly (Graham Central Station); Today

Jimmy Cliff; Many rivers to cross

Chaka Khan; I’m every Woman-[Woh, woh woh!]
-‘-

Deeper Underground

acid jazz

(1970’s FUNK and early 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk aka Electrified FUNK)
[Stevie Wonder/ The Jackson Five/ The Isley Brothers/ Prince/ Don Blackman]

The ominous intro and it’s…. Stevie Wonder yet again! Back when he was messing with plants. The start comes over more like Kathy Mathis (Late night hour) from a few years later. “OOOW!” (From James Brown to Guitar Watson to Stevie Wonder) Then we are in a familiar groove of the mid 70’s but synthesized up to make it sound more modern late 70’s early 80’s.

The synth line is along the lines of Johnny Guitar Watson’s. (Funk beyond the call of duty), The Jackson Five (I am Love) or The Isley Brothers (Climbing up the ladder). T-Connection’s (Do what you wanna do) recalls that mad 70’s Funk synth alluded to on Deeper underground. It reminds me a bit of The Osmonds (Crazy Horses).

The Synth rift in the chorus sounds improvised as It doesn’t feel like it fits the track. I don’t recognize it. It’s possibly from Robert Plant. I remember asking a Mate if he had heard that synth riff before and Roberts name was mentioned. I don’t know any of his music so I cannot confirm it. However I do recognise the groove of Deeper Underground and it’s 70’s Funk even though the synth makes it sound like it was made in the 1980’s. So it’s nothing new. It isn’t Rock or anything called acid jazz or E.D.M either. Both names invented by the same crowd of infiltrators. This is Electrophonic Phunk. No if, no buts, no maybe’s. 1980’s Brit Funk Track (Aint no rockin in a Police State) by Black Britain is similar as well. So once again it’s a pastiche of other peoples sounds.

Deeper Underground

acid jazz

(1970’s FUNK and early 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk aka Electrified FUNK)

[Stevie Wonder/ The Jackson Five/ The Isley Brothers/ Prince/ Don Blackman]

Credited to

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

[The Intro]

Kathy Mathis; Late night hour-[Intro only]

Stevie Wonder; A seeds a star & Earth’s Creation
-‘-

[The Groove]

Johnny Guitar Watson; Funk beyond the call of duty

The Jackson Five; I am Love (Part 2)

The Isley Brothers; Climbing up the ladder (Parts 1&2)

-‘-

The Isley Brothers; Living’ the life go for your guns (Parts 1&2)

Don Blackman; Deaf hook-up Connection [“Dododododo” & the guitar solo]

-‘-

[Drumbeat and Synth]

Prince; lady Cab Driver

[Brit Funk]–Black Britain; Ain’t no rocking in a police state

Steve Arrington; Homeboy

-‘-

[Other 1970’s/1980’s FUNK Suggestions]

T-connection; Do what you wanna do

Airplay : Drive me insane-[Synth]

(Jam and Lewis) Cherelle; The Opening-You look good to me

The Brothers Johnson; This had to be (co-written by Michael Jackson)

One Way; Can I

The Osmonds; Crazy horses (Rock)
-‘-

Classical

Uranus the Magician; Gustav Holst (The Planets Suite)

Butterfly

acid jazz

(1970’s and 1980’s Soul/Electrophonic Phunk)

A long time ago in the 40’s, Dizzy and Bird gave us this sound” NOT ACID JAZZ RECORDS

Sounds like the The Rah Band who came from this site of the Atlantic.They were a pretty decent Jazz Funk band in the London Soul underground. (Perfume garden) was one of their more famous tracks (Famous to Soulheads)  much played on Robbie Vincents Soul show. It brought back memories of Minnie Ripperton in the 1970’s. I think Robbie called it ridiculously seductive If I remember correctly. . Buttrfly from 1985 obviously harked back to the 1970’s. The drum intro sounds like classic Barry White or Teddy Pendergrass.“I wanna, I wanna” I remember that from 1970’s Soul somewhere. I think it might be from a Jackson five track when they were younger but I can’t recall. Someone will definitely be able to pinpoint it’s origins easily. Anyways as I said this sounds like it’s based on The Rah Bands (Clouds across the Moon) The vocals sound like Roy Ayres “Butterflyyyyaieiii” so it’s posibly from a Roy Ayers track. Kay sings in the style of the people he copies from. The “warmth” of the track and the atmospherics for me though, are that of Michael Jackson. We go back to a (I can’t help it) or (Remember the Time) for this type of Funk frequency. So overall  I would say this is a fusion of Roy Ayres, Stevie and Michael Jackson.Sherrick’s (Just Call) comes over in a similar groove

Obviously the production values of Butterfly are more 1990’s than 1970’s. Fortunately Michael Jackson survived into the 1990’s so you can hear what he sounded like on The Butterfly and the History album. You can also listen to the Neo Soul sound of Omar Lye fook. Just encase they try and claim that U.K Psychedelic Phunk is the invention of Gilles Peterson and Jamiroquai. As if Herbie Hancock, Liston Smith, Roy Ayers and all the others never existed. So whilst yes ultimately Butterfly is Roy Ayres territory, this particular sound came down the generations from the early Jazz greats at the time of WW2. Most of us know the track (A Night in Tunisia), paid tribute to in a stunning update by Chaka Khan the 1980’s.

That is the moody sound that pervades the Jazz of the 1950’s/1960’s, The Jazz Funk of the 1970’s, the Disco era and the Electro-Funk period and the late 80s’. This is another one of the major sounds Acid Jazz records are claiming credit for. It comes from America in the 1940’s. So never ever let anyone tell you that it was invented by acid jazz records here in London during the 1990’s. We the Authentic U.K Soulheads acknowledge no such genre. Pillar Peterson and Acid Jazz records do not speak for Black Music. Anyways I know this Funk frequency very well so there are Plenty of reccomendations below for you

Butterfly

acid jazz

(1970 and 1980’s Soul/Electrophonic Phunk)

-‘-

[The Rah Band/ Roy Ayres/ The Isley Brothers]

(Credited to)

Jay Kay & Toby Smith

[Brit Funk]–The Rah Band; Clouds across the Moon

Sherrick; Just Call (The collect call mix is good)

Michael Jackson 

(Stevie Wonder) Michael Jackson; I Can’t help it

Remeber The Time

Heaven Can Wait

Break of Dawn

Butterflies

Jamet Jackson Go Deep

-‘-

Roy Ayres; The Memory-[Elements of the groove]

Roy Ayres; Everybody loves the sunshine

-‘-

Chaka Khan; A night in Tunisia

(“ A long time ago in the 40’s, Dizzy and Bird gave us this sound”)

Alexander O’Neal & Cherelle; Saturday Love

-‘-

[British Funk]-Omar Lye Fook; This is not a love song & Winner

Don Blackman; Holding you, Loving you

Roy Ayres; Don’t stop the feeling

Donald Byrd; Think twice–[The fading synth]

The Isley Brothers; Between the sheets- (Let the second half of the track hit you)

-‘-

A Tribe called quest; Find my way

The Rappin Reverend; I ain’t into that

-‘-

[1970’s/ 1980’s. Similar FUNK atmospherics]

The Jones Girls; Nights over Egypt

Mtume/Tawatha; Thigh ride & C.O.D (I’ll deliver)

Roy Ayers; Liquid Love & Holiday

Roy Ayers; Don’t Stop The Feeling & Chicago

Patrice Rushen; Shout it out, High In Me, Didn’t you know & Settle for my Love

Bobby Nunn; Do you look that good in the morning

Switch; Keeping Secrets

Heatwave; Straight from the heart & Start letting it loose

kleeer; Tonight

(Roy Ayers) The Eighties Ladies; Tell him

Fatback; Please Stay

[Brit Funk]-Beggar and Co; Rising Sun & Mule Chant no2

Ray Parker Junior; I don’t think that man should sleep alone

Evelyn “Champagne” King; Kisses don’t lie & Give me one reason

[Brit Funk]-Princess; Say I’m your number one-[Extended Version]

The SOS band; Two time lover, The Finest & Nothing but the best

Quincy Jones (feat. Bobby MC Ferrin); Wee b.doin It

Diana Ross; Muscles

Donna Summer; Could it be magic

Michael Jackson; Lady of my Life

Minnie Ripperton; Back down memory lane

Tchaikowsky “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”

There are many versions of this magical composition.

 

Getting Funky

acid jazz

(Late 1970’s and early 1980’s Electro)

George Clinton

Credited to

Jay Kay & Wallace Buchanan

George Clinton; Atomic Dog

Zapp; More bounce & Dance floor

ELECTRO

Whats the difference between Electro and Electrophonic Phunk? Well not that much. Both styles were Synthesized Funk. ELECTRO was more Robotic to coin a phrase and was more geared towards the Breakdancers and the battles they used to have. It was the stuff they used to “Dance off” against each other to. It was basically Hardcore Electrophonic Punk stripped to the bone. They didn’t care about lyrics or the harmonies. All they needed was a hardcore Rhythm to jam to. The S.O.S Band, CHANGE and even the Hardcore 1980’s Electrophonic Phunk bands like Cameo or the Barkays were way too soft for these guys! Watch the two Breakdancing movies of the era Beat Street and Breakin‘ to get an idea of what we called ELECTRO. A lot of ELECTRO was based off of Planet Rock by the Soul sonic force in that it used the Kraftwerk drum pattern. However Kraftwerk did not start HIP HOP. It had been around for years. That groove quickly disapeared and was followed by many other drum patterns.

Some more mainstream FUNK bands did the odd ELECTRO track like The S.O.S Band’s (body break) and people used to body pop to One Way tracks like (Pull fancy dancer), but the dedicated breakdancing crowd had their own specialist hardcore ELECTRO bands that they were into. The Breakdancing era was short and mostly in the first half of the 80’s over here at least but it was ecxiting. Kids who were into breakdancing used to spray Graffiti all over the place mimicking what they were doing over in New York at the time. I remember going up to the West End and seeing kids in tralgar square bodypopping and breakdancing. Freeeze’s A.E.I.O.U video shows what London was like in that period and is a bit of a Time capsule when I look at it now.

Afrika Bammbaata and the Soul Sonic Force; Planet Rock

The S.O.S Band; Body break

[Brit Funk] Paul Hardcastle; 19

[Brit Funk] Freeeze; A.E.I.O.U

Newcleus; Jam on Revenge (The wiki song)

Tyrone Brunson; The Smurf

Cybertron; Pac Jam

Herbie Hancock; Rockit

P Funk all stars; Pumpin it up

Zapp; I can make you dance

Royal Cash; Radio Activity

The Barkays; Do it let me see you shake

WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING!!!

acid jazz

(1980’s Electrophonic Phunk)

Jay Kay of Jamiroquai tells you exactly what he is. Something required of satanic serpents. They think by stating their true character that they can escape Karmic Kickback. Hear the mocking tones of the wolf that didn’t think it would ever be exposed. This sounds like Donald Byrd’s (Dominoes). The synth sounds like a sample of the engine start-up on the Gap bands (Burning rubber).

[The Gap Band/ Rick James/ Donald Byrd/ BT Express]

(Credited to)

Jay Kay & Wallace Buchanan
-‘-
Rick James/Teena Marie; Fix It

Donald Byrd; Dominoes

Stanley Clarke; Spacerunner

Rick James; Seventeen,

Aurra; Such a feeling, Fantasy; You’re too late-[Elements of the synth]

BT Express; Starchild-[keyboard rift]

Starpoint: I just wanna dance with you

Level 42; The Chinese way

Jesse Johnson; Love Struck (extended guitar solo)

THERE’S NOT ONE THING WE’VE TAKEN ON THAT ALBUM WE DON’T DO THAT-JAY KAY

So who do you think is telling the truth? That concludes a review of Synkronised from an AUTHENTIC 1970’s/1980’s Funkster who lived the era. Now feel free to compare this review to any other review of Synkronised by so called music journalists, and music writers.

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So did you find any Rock or socalled Acid jazz invented by a DJ called Gilles Peterson ? No you didn’t. Thats because there is no Rock on the album and no such genre originated in the club scene of London. As you can tell I was there. I am Authentic and no one in acid jazz records speaks for any style of Black Music.

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So that was Synkronised. I hope you enjoyed the ride. The next album a Funk Odyssey belongs in the same era and has a slightly later sound than Synkronised say late 82 into 83. Its where the Disco era Funks sounds starts to die out and Electrophonic Phunk starts to take over the groove. This is the sound that Daft Punk, the other half of this cultural appopriation crowd are trying to claim ownership of. Jamiroquai was the vehicle they wanted to use to steal all the sounds of 70’s and early 80’s Jazz funk and Soul with Daft Punk hoovering up all the sounds of Electrified Phunk and claiming ownership of it. So lets go onto 2001 A Funk Odyssey.The will be plenty of reccomendations as you would expect.

 

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PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW

Plagiarism on 2001 A Funk Odyssey

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