Essential Funk: 1965-1991

Playlist • 34 Track(s)

Funk music stands on the shoulders of two giants: James Brown and George Clinton. Brown can be credited for perfecting early funk, starting in the mid-’60s, and spreading it to the people like no other could. Clinton, backed by his posse of Parliament and Funkadelic (also called P-Funk), extracted funk''s essence and synthesized it into a hard drug for the '70s. With the funky foundations set in place, artists such as Sly & the Family Stone, Rufus & Chaka Khan and the Isley Brothers chipped in to build a funky palace. Though funk would never be lost, its concentrate would eventually become diluted. Disco unfairly tapped into funk's cool, while Fela Kuti mixed it with jazz and African traditions to create Afrobeat. Going into the '80s, funk in the traditional sense would be incorporated into hip hip, R&B and New Jack Swing. New artists kept bringing the funk on, but the legacy of Brown and Clinton ran downhill. Funk continues to this day, with energetic pockets thriving in the UK, Canada and the USA. But with it's heyday long behind us, let this list take you through funk's essential moments and eventual dissemination between 1965 and 1991. Funk might be "dead" but that's no reason for us to stop dancing!