Genre: Early Funk & P-Funk

Soul was very popular and melodic, but it wasn’t really daring or danceable. After a while, artists started looking at Rock and Jazz for new elements. They preferred the psychedelic, rebellious nature of Acid Rock alongside the deep, dynamic part of Soul Jazz as flavours of choice for the revolutionary fusion that was Funk. James Brown, nicknamed “the hardest working man in show business”, spearheaded the evolution from Soul to what became known as Funk Soul and eventually Funk. But Funk’s development was already tangible in the Swamp Funk of New Orleans from the forties, influenced by Louisiana creole.

Funk places strong emphasis on the first beat of each bar while the rest of the rhythm constantly changes, like an early form of breakbeat. This is known as “The Rhythm of the One” (the one beat, instead of four or two). All instruments work together to enhance this feeling. Percussion becomes accentuated by short, monotone riffs, slapping bass, brass instruments, and accents on synth/piano to create what is known as “the groove”: the pulsing force behind each Funk song. Some bands, starting with Parliament and Funkadelic, introduced a more spacey and less syncopated sound, known as P-Funk.