Funk music genre. Music style FUNK

Funk- one of the fundamental styles in the music of the second half of the twentieth century. Is integral part styles like jazz-rock , fusion , hip hop , acid jazz , jungle , disco , drum bass and many others.
style music funk is a direct continuation of soul music. Sometimes even a specialist is not easy to draw a clear line between them.
Term soul(soul) denoted the movement of American blacks in the struggle for their rights back in the days of slavery in the United States. Believing American slave owners then tried to legalize the killing of blacks, arguing that they, like animals, do not have souls and therefore the First Commandment of Christ is not violated. Black ideologues have made the fact that blacks have a soul the main point in the struggle for survival. As a result, soul fraternities arose, and American blacks began to call each other soul brothers or simply the word soul.
How the new kind music soul appeared in the mid-1950s. Born in the late 30s rhythm blues(rhythm and blues) black urban electrified blues got a name rock roll(rock and roll) for the convenience of its distribution to a white audience. Some representatives of rhythm and blues, combining this music with the ideas of spiritual Negro chants spirituals(spirituals) and gospels(gospelz), gave it a new sound.
This is how soul came into existence. Its founder is the singer Ray Charles (Ray Charles), and the first, most prominent representatives of James Brown ( James Brown and Sam Cooke. But, if Ray Charles gave soul music a lyrical, everyday character, then James Brown began to put more serious problems into his music. In 1962, he openly declared himself Soul Brother Number One. Thus, from the very beginning, soul music began to develop in two directions as socially filled, addressed to blacks, and as light-entertaining, beautiful and lyrical.
The commercial boom of soul music spawned numerous companies, two of which became the founders of entire trends in black pop music. These are Motown in Detroit and Stax in Memphis. Characteristically, the first, created by the Negro Berry Gordy, headed for the creation of entertaining soul music for whites, and therefore subsequently gained worldwide fame. Direction Motown is represented by such outstanding artists as Diana Ross (Diana Ross), Marvin Gay (Marvin Gaye), Stevie Wander (Stevie Wander), Michael Jackson (Michael Jackson) and many others. Firm Stax, created by white entrepreneurs, on the contrary, tried to preserve the true black spirit of soul music. Its representatives were such bright figures as Wilson Pickett (Wilson Pickett), Rufus Thomas (Rufus Thomas), Otis Redding (Otis Redding).
By 1968, the political situation in the United States was heating up. After the assassination of the black leader Martin Luther King, riots began in the black neighborhoods of many cities, and in the large cities of Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Washington, blacks staged mass demonstrations that were dispersed with a large number of casualties. The struggle for the rights of blacks in America has become more active, and in some places aggressive. Organizations such as Black Panther (Black Panthers) and Black Muslims (Black Muslims) launched their activities. Some blacks, disillusioned with Christianity, converted to the Muslim faith in protest, changing their names.
Some of the popular soul musicians have realized that it is no longer possible to stay away from these problems, remaining a mere entertainer. Lady Soul - singer Aretha Franklin (Aretha Franklin), responding to the demands of the mature black self-consciousness, released in 1968 a number of songs where the theme of protest was openly sounded and the word freedom was uttered. At the same time, James Brown recorded the hit song Say It Loud, I "m Black and I" m Proud! (Say it out loud - I'm black, and I'm proud of it!). It is from this time that the word funk, as a symbol of a new, harder direction in black music. Yes, and this music itself becomes much harder and sharper than soul .
Word funk has long been used as part of everyday jargon by the inhabitants of the Negro ghettos. According to some sources, it refers to the smell of the human body at the time of sexual arousal. This word appeared in musical use with the light hand of jazz composer and pianist Horace Silver, who released his play in 1952 under the name Funky Hotel. The term was later used by Dyke the Blazers on their Funky Broadway hit. Well, James Brown gave this term worldwide popularity, giving it a social meaning.
The first performers of what would later be attributed to music funk, there were jazzmen who played in the late 50s and early 60s a more energetic, specific type of jazz, close to music soul. First of all, these are Horace Silver, Adderley Brothers Quintet, Art Blakey and Jazz Messengers, Stanley Turrentine, Donald Byrd, Grant Green with CD His Majesty King Funk, as well as Hammond organ stars Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.
Speaking of the difference between FUNK and SOUL from a purely musical point of view, it should first of all be noted that in music FUNK completely different rhythmic structures are used. Soul, like rhythm and blues, is a triplet music, when every quarter of the measure is mentally divided into three eighths. Funk this is music for eight-eighths, when a quarter is divided exactly in half, or with a slight shift (such a rhythm is called shuffle - Shuffle). In addition, there are sharper syncopations and more varied texture created by the accompanying instruments. Harmonic constructions in music funk are extremely simple, usually everything rests on one chord, but the rhythmic fabric is quite complex. It is, as it were, woven from several independent lines superimposed on each other and filling the entire rhythmic space.
The peak of James Brown's popularity funk-stars came in the late 60s, early 70s. James Brown is the most powerful and influential figure in funk, but to understand what it is funk James Brown's must-listen albums from the 70's in particular "Sex Machine Today" and "Body Heat".
The successors of his work were his own partners, who later separated from him. This is guitarist George Clinton (George Clinton), who created such bands as The Parliament and Funkadelic, which are still popular, as well as bassist Bootsy Collins (Bootsy Collins) and his Bootsy's Rubber Band. George Clinton on the covers of his records depicted the sign of black freedom fighters (a goat - a fist with a raised little finger and index finger, an image of the letter U from the word Unity unity, in response to the hippie sign V Victory victory), and also popularized the slogan One Nation united under the Groove (One nation united by a sense of rhythm).

The rigidity of true funk in the face of Larry Graham, Kool and the Gang, Ohio Players, The Brothers Johnson on the one hand, and the aggressiveness of the black atonal jazz avant-garde in the face of Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler ( Albert Ailer) or Pharoah Sanders became consonant with the movement of black nationalist movements.
At the same time, rock culture was also in its prime, which united mainly white youth.
Among rock artists, varieties of white blues (British Blues) and soul music arose, which was called Blueyed Soul(Blue-eyed Soul). Its brightest representatives were Joe Cocker (Joe Cocker) and Jennis Joplin (Jennis Joplin), as well as groups Righteous Brithers, Young Rascals, Delaney and Bonnie, Averige White Band and many others.
But gradually funk moved away from the political struggle, developing as its own direction, as well as influencing other genres. As a result, pop ensembles of a new type have emerged, using rather complex rhythmic and harmonic structures (for example, Earth, Wind Fire or Tower of Power). Key places in the arena of world popularity for a long time were occupied by such artists as Michael Jackson (Michael Jackson), Prince (Prince) or Stevie Wonder (Stevie Wonder), whose music is permeated with the concept of funk.
On the other hand it is funk with its sophisticated syncopations spawned disco, its opposite, music extremely simplified in terms of rhythm. And in this case, the music of one of the outstanding representatives of funky fusion music, Herbie Hancock, played an important role.
Almost simultaneously, in the early 1980s, funk took its firm place in the culture of hip-hop, which emerged from the bowels of the black ghetto. Currently funk underlies such trends as Acid Jazz , Jungle , Drum Bass , and is also interspersed even in some varieties of new age music.
Biggest Influence funk influenced such a multifaceted musical phenomenon as jazz-rock/fusion.
The work of saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. from the early 70s was a prime example of the alliance between the traditions of funk and soul jazz. Well, the late music of M. Davis of the 80s, starting with the Man with a Horn CD, is an example of conceptual funk that has absorbed many layers of musical culture. It is also important to note the fact that in the face of jazz stars who came to funk, this music received a purely instrumental incarnation.
One of the first to openly apply rhythm pop-funk in jazz, combined with modern electronic instruments, was Herbie Hancock. His disc Headhunters (1973) became fundamental in the process of further development of the style. funky fusion , and also significantly influenced what is now called the word cool jazz or Smooth Jazz(David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Kenny G., Bob James). In the future, Hancock more than once turned to funk in combination with hip-hop trends such as brakedance(break dance) Future Shock (1983), Sound System (1984), and rap Dis Is Da Drum (1994). His famous video clip, based on the play Rock It, became a worldwide hit and received a Grammy award.
Time gradually blurred the boundaries between white rock music and black funk. New generations of youth in the early 80s, especially in European countries, where there are no racial problems, began to accept white funk per modern rock. A striking example of this is the wonderful examples of contemporary pop-funk recordings by Thomas Dolby, Level 42, or at least Peter Gabriel's Slangehammer.
Funk, in its most striking manifestations, has become music that requires both the performers and the listeners a huge nervous tension, a great return of energy. When the first wave of passion for this style slept a little, it turned out that very few can consider themselves true funkmen. In time, this coincided with a similar decline among a significant part of young people of interest in the true forms of rock music: art rock, hard rock, folk rock, blues rock, psychedelic and other manifestations of it. The mass consumer wanted something simpler, and most importantly, quieter.
Funk with a simpler rhythm became the basis of the rhythmic structure of the style DISCO .
Late 70s" funk"turned into a kind of derogatory term among professional musicians - the epithet "funky", that is, mediocre, unpretentious, is now often used by English and American critics when reviewing records.
Only in the early 80s, when mechanistic disco music finally became boring, funk, as a no less "dance", but much more lively and creative form, has become truly popular, including in Europe.
Funk, undoubtedly became the dominant dance rhythm of the 80s and successfully competed with Hi Energy .
FROM light hand Herbie Hancock (Herbie Hancock), who introduced into the arsenal of musicians playing funk, the whole range of modern electronic instruments, funk The 80s began to sound in full accordance with the requirements of the time. The musicians embraced the new possibilities with enthusiasm and, unlike many disco stars, funk artists survived the disco crash and continue to work today.
Funk from the early 70s to the present day - these are musicians of different generations, such as James Brown (James Brown), Aretha Franklin (Aretha Franklin), Paul Abdul (Paula Abdul), The Imagination, Freak Power, Brand New Heavies, EarthWind&Fire, Tower Of Power, Jamiroquai, Maceo Parker, Incognito, Count Basic, Michael Jackson, and many other great artists creating original music that is often hard to discern roots - funk 60-70s.
In its original meaning, the term Funk"has practically disappeared from everyday life, although the use of elements of this style in compositions recent years suggests that funk's musical longevity is guaranteed.

Making funk in Russia is, after all, a Don Quixote (or Randle McMurphy, if you will) thing to do. Too much we love sing-song, melodic and lingering music, but all these grooves and syncopations of yours are not very respected. Nevertheless, funk in Russia has existed with varying success for 20-25 years (experts will say that it's been 50 years, but I'm talking about a stage with a corresponding culture).

As our musicians absorbed the original style more and more, the desire to play funk in the original language grew. The ubiquitous penetration of the Internet has made this aspiration practical, because today you can reach listeners from different parts of the world, and it is logical that it is better to sing in a common language in order to be understood.

Nonetheless, Russian funk nevertheless exists, even though it is not an easy task to put our sing-song syllable into a broken rhythm. Today I want to tell you about some Russian bands that manage to perform the musical legacy of James Brown and George Clinton in their native language.

MD&S Pavlov

Who is it: The ex-drummer of the famous Moscow rock band "Sounds of Mu" Alexey Pavlov in the early 90s decided to radically change direction and turned to modern hip-hop and urban jazz. As a result, he almost single-handedly "imported" this unfamiliar music into Russia, and at the same time established contact with such monsters of black music as Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers.

Until about the mid-90s, MD&S (Minister of Affairs and Master of Ceremonies) Pavlov was a significant force on the capital's club scene. Proclaiming myself godfather funk and hip-hop in Russia, he relied on a freakish-bright image and eccentric musical humor. Now Alexey can be seen more often behind the drum kit, including as part of various incarnations of the Sounds of Mu.

Listen first: MD&S Pavlov "I'm back" (2001)

Felix Lahuti

Who is it: Moscow virtuoso violinist playing a five-string electric variation of the instrument. He has countless concerts and recordings to his credit in a variety of genres, from funk and hip-hop to jazz, pop and electronica. In addition to his musical activities, he is also the organizer of festivals, concerts and other cultural projects.

In funk, Felix is ​​positioned as a follower of George Clinton - at one time he even participated in P-Funk Allstars concerts. It is in the style of P-funk that the albums of the Lahuti Funky Land project were recorded. Currently, the violinist is promoting the UniverSoul project, which unites representatives of the domestic soul scene.

Listen first: Felix Lahuti & Funky Land "FREAKosmos" (2005)

Positive

Who is it: A metropolitan group led by vocalist Sergei Golovanov, declaring itself to be the "Hurricane Funk Orchestra". In general, from today's list, one can make a completely logical conclusion that it is in Moscow that the tradition of singing funk in Russian is alive. Most likely, this is due to the desire to speak the same language with the multi-million population of the city, while the province is more aimed at the global network public.

Over the past two or three years, the guys from Pozitiva have done a lot of work on the sound and now they really sound hurricane and tight. In fact, now this is the most stable Russian-speaking composition among domestic funkers.

Listen first: Pozitiva "Surprise" (2015)

South Band

Who is it: Yalta funk group, which, due to geopolitical changes, is now among the Russian ones. It was formed in 2013 on the basis of South Cafe - hence the name. The band is led by a very well-known person - this is DJ Scream, one of the most active funk popularizers in the post-Soviet space.

The repertoire of the South Band consists of both their own Russian-language songs and cover versions of the classic and modern funk. AT recent times Crimeans are hinting at the imminent release of the first studio album, but for now their music can be heard, for example, on the official video of the international breakdance championship Battle of the Year.

Listen first: VK-playlist South Band

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Such a musical direction as funk appeared relatively recently in musical culture. Like any cultural phenomenon, it did not arise from scratch. Funk music became a continuation of the soul style. Let's talk about it briefly. Appeared in America in the mid-50s of the last century. The term "soul" (in translation - the soul) was used to refer to the social liberation movement of African Americans, new music became the personification of this struggle. It combined such directions as (or rhythm-blues) and Negro choral chants, and naturally was the music of "blacks", "white" youth did not recognize it. The "father" of funk is considered to be the black pianist Ray Charles. Also the first performers were James Brown and Sam Cooke. Main characteristics of Soul:

• tenacious vocals with pull-ups ("howling");
• there are elements of jazz;
• performed on brass instruments.

Now it is already very difficult to clearly distinguish between the direction of funk and soul, even for a specialist.

Funky music became a continuation of soul. The need for the emergence of this direction was justified by social and political events - after the assassination of Martin Luther King, riots began in the "black" neighborhoods, the struggle of African Americans for their freedom and independence became more violent. Soul performers, feeling this trend in society, could not stand aside and offered the public more harsh, aggressive music. It is impossible to name the exact dates of birth of this style - it began to appear already in the late 50s of the 20th century, but its heyday falls on the middle and end of the 60s.

Distinctive features of the direction

Funk style is more aggressive music than soul, emphasizing the inner state of the performer. The lyrical heroes of the songs are rebels who oppose themselves to the world. Funk is performed on the piano (in the classical version), as well as on brass instruments (saxophone, trombone), a guitar was sometimes used, but this was only to “catch” the rhythm. The vocals are sometimes hysterical and even furious, sometimes turning into a scream, then descending to a recitative, usually male. Funk music contains more emotion and rebelliousness, it is very well suited for dancing.

funk dancers

It is difficult to say unequivocally how to correctly interpret the name of this direction. Funk is also translated as “strong smell”, originally used in relation to tobacco smoke, but later a different shade of meaning appeared - the smell of the body during the dance, the smell of sweat. There is also an opinion that funk has another meaning - it is the smell of the body during sex. But there is another, more decent interpretation - in the language of performers jazz music it means "intricate, unusual way performance of a piece of music."

Performers of "old" funk

The founder of this music was James Brown and George Clinton. Of course, they weren't the only ones.

James Brown

Also known are such funk performers as Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, the Ederly brothers, Bety Davis, Horace Silver, Jack McDuff and others. For a long time, artists such as Michael Jackson and Prince, whose first works were imbued with the spirit of funk music, also took their place on the world music scene.