Record Lection #60-Funkadelic “Funkadelic”

Most peoples idea of what “funky” is probably involves someone with an afro singing or talking loudly over brightly syncopated RnB rhythms. Rarely does funk rest itself in the darker recesses of the psyche and draw energy from the soul like a spinal tap while invigorating the mind at the same time, this is sort of like an aural quaalude. Way before they invaded the world with their 70’s hypercolor multi-tracked fantasyscapes, George Clinton and Co. were working on a whole different type of jam, one that bespoke the paranoia and outrage of ghetto folks that were not only being shipped off to die in foreign countries but were also being poisoned and tortured in their own back yards. Thus, like “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” by Sly Stone a year later (1971), this druggy defiance materialized in an LP that is about as club friendly as a bucket of molasses but generously sprinkled with the twisted sense of humour that the P-Funk camp would be come famous for. Psychedelic in its execution yet not too experimental that you can’t see James Brown’s militaristic influence (this project tended to be the more experimental arm of the Parliament-Funkadelic cloud), this underrated masterpiece is the perfect soundtrack for your next screwed and chopped revolution. I should also mention that guitarist Eddie Hazel is a maniac, and anyone who is a fan of grimy swamp sounds with a smattering of Jimi and Iommi should definitely check his licks. You might need to flip it on 45 if you still don’t understand!

Record Lection #12-Sly & The Family Stone “Fresh”

Saying this might be a little cavalier, but this might be the funkiest album EVER made! (that I’ve heard anyways) I’ve spent a lot of time diggin’ on the Fam. They were a mixed race band throughout the 60s, bridging R n B, soul, and rock styles together into a seamless hippy party. Albums like Stand and There’s A Riot Goin’ provided me with endless inspiration as a young pup trying to figure out my musical voice. Sly is one of my gods. Before I heard “In Time”, the lead off track to this album, I had immersed myself head to toe in pioneers like Brown, Clinton, The Isleys, The Turners etc. I thought I knew funk. I wasn’t prepared for “Fresh”. This album is the funk mountaintop, so full of syncopated goodness that this writer has to wonder if the Godfather himself had heard this record and was either thoroughly  impressed or completely beside himself with jade green envy. Sly took James Browns iron clad syncopation and fused it George Clinton’s boundless imagination. The cover is basically him jumping straight up and shoving his funky boot into your smiling face. I was deeply changed by this record and I have yet to find a record that defines deep funk joy so precisely. By the way there is a drum roll that happens in the last part of track one that truly gives me chills. I bow to a master… (Taken with Instagram)

Record Lection #8-Dyke & The Blazers “So Sharp!”

 I bought this incredible collection in Japan while I was on tour. The cover looked very exciting and I had read before about this cat named Dyke who supposedly had a funkier band than James Brown. My listening station session did not disappoint. The song that did me in was the funkiest version of “You are my Sunshine” you will ever hear and the whole record totally jumped off of the needle! Arlester “Dyke” Christian was a Buffalo, NY bandleader who formed a heavy R’N’B band that was eventually recruited by the O’Jay’s to Phoenix, AZ to back up them up. While down in the desert, he wrote and recorded a song called “Funky Broadway” which became a minor hit and is often referred to as the first song to use the word “funky”, a most glorious legacy if there ever was one (There is apparently a very lively Broadway in both Buffalo and Phoenix) His later records notably feature the musicians that went on to form The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band (“Express Yourself”), and this very groovy career is totally devoid of filler (Dyke is a member of the ’27’ club of famously dead musicians).  I’m not gonna say The Blazers music tops the JBS but…….I’m just sayin you should check it out. My copy is a reissue and I do not care! This shit rules! It’s so live and energetic. Definitely fuel for many a private headphone sanitarium or upbeat dance party. I’ve since been able to find some 45s that have further solidified the myth of Dyke, and he has never let me down, but the best stuff is on here. Thanks Kent Records!!

Record Lection #3-ESG “Come Away”

ESG “Come Away”-I received this record as a gift from a friend of mine who knew I would love it. I had already heard the self titled record EP and was already transformed by its optimistic minimalism. This however hit me hard as a fully realized album with a (slightly) matured sound. These songs were a little more refined, possibly a little sassier. Olivia and I would obsess over every nuance from the nasty bass, to the popcornish bongos, and the dont-fxxking-touch-me vocal delivery. In fact we absorbed the vibe do much that we formed the band C.O.C.O. in an attempt to emulate their grooves. I think what drew us in was the stark honesty and playfulness, much like The Shaggs with a healthy dose of James Brown. As a searcher for the perfect beat, I constantly look for what I would call sheer honesty in music. While quality music production is not necessarily reliant on the truth, you can sense that this talented family is performing what truly lies inside of them, they BELIEVE that they are funky and they don’t really fucking care what anyone thinks about that. The ham fisted cut and pasted and gaudy orange sleeve belies their punk rock influence and intention while the carefully placed boom box taking center stage of the composition tell you that these are strong black women from the streets of NYC. Their blackness ever present in the countless samples their simple songs have spawned.  Since Olivia and I’s fateful little discovery and subsequent appropriation, ESG has enjoyed a much deserved renaissance and started playing shows again to much admiration and acclaim and you can hear their pilfered styles in any band wanting to bridge the gap between slam and gogo dancing. I even heard they are playing their last show this summer. Unfortunately I won’t ever get a chance to see them but their effect on my philosophy of music and the world are incalculable. I will always be in debt to the Scroggins sisters and their brother Tito.