the.com/funk
the gravitational pull where the bassline drags everything down to the dancefloor
means A style of rhythmic, bass-driven dance music born from soul and R&B — or, more loosely, a strong musty smell or a sullen low mood.
from From the older noun 'funk,' meaning a foul or musty smell, likely from French dialect 'funkier' (to give off smoke) and ultimately Latin 'fumus,' smoke. American jazz musicians repurposed this earthy, sweaty word for music that was raw, gritty, and unpretentious — the smell of effort made into groove. The 'depressed mood' sense ('in a funk') is a separate, possibly Scottish or Flemish thread meaning panic or cowering fear, though the two strands have long since tangled.
- the one
- James Brown's 'the one' put emphasis on beat one
- word origin
- originally meant strong smell, often unpleasant body odor
- space anthem
- Parliament's Mothership Connection mythologized funk as alien gospel
- sampled forever
- hip-hop was built on chopped funk breaks
- low end
- the bass and drums lock; melody is optional
parliament-funkadelic — george clinton's collective that defined 1970s funk with albums like 'mothership connection' (1975)
james brown — the godfather of soul who created the funk sound with 'get up offa that thing' (1976)
minneapolis sound — prince and jimmy jam/terry lewis developed synth-funk in minnesota during the 1980s
tower of power — oakland brass funk band known for 'what is hip?' (1973) and 40+ year legacy