Hi,

What are your favourite funk bands/artists which use synths in their music?
The music could be all acoustic with the exception of a synth solo, or it could be all electronic, as long as there is a dominant synth (or synths) being used.
Anything from The Headhunters to some future space cadets playing on Contium Fingerboard.

I'm especially interested to find new, contemporary artists. What I'm not looking for is club/dance music where they use the word 'funk' in the title of a song or band, but where funk is non-existent. One such band, Planet Funk, great dance and downtempo music (got the CD, love every track), but none of it is Funk, so it's not what I'm looking for here.

There was somebody here at KVR who posted a link to a sublime contemporary funk track they produced and I had bookmarked it but can't find it now (rubbish bookmarking on my part, I'd say lol). The video was all dancing with split screen tricks, lots of analogue synths doing the boogie...anyone know which video I mean? I've been searching on You Tube but so far, no luck.

So yeah, list them Funketeers, as I feel my CD library needs to expand.
Last edited by himalaya on Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:03 pm; edited 2 times in total

Kickin' it old school...

P-Funk at its most partyliciuous. That signature synth bass is unmistakable. A great start with a classic tune.

It would also be great to hear minimal arrangements, like a drum kit, bass, a funk guitar and a synth. Stuff like that. Less glitter, if you will. Bare bones, dry bones, synth bones.
What I'd love to find more of is something like The Headhunter's Chameleon but produced recently.

Artificial Arm http://www.myspace.com/theartificialarm

Reeno http://spazzoid.com/

Mic Murphy & Melle Mel http://www.discogs.com/Mic-Murphy-Feat-Grandmaster-Mele-Mel- Electro-Soul-Satisfaction/master/285010

Vinyl Life http://vinyllife.com/ (Check out Hot Sauce )

Fatback4Way http://fatback4way.com/Home.html

These are the current Electro Funk artists/tracks I'm mostly listening too when in that mode...

Woohoo! Lotsa links. I'm checking them out now.

Yeah baby ! That's the one! Sounds contemporary and yet it has that P-Funk heritage sound all over ( and there is a vocoder! Yez!) Thanks for the link.

The Reeno albums on Spazzoid are cool as well. Bare bones indeed. The cover to 'Reeno-The Real Electro Funk' is great. TechniColourfestGodzilla.

Couldn't get the Fatback4Way to play somehow...will try later.

Love Mic Murphy & Melle Mel's Electro Soul Satisfaction. Kinda more Electro than Funk, but what a tune.

Keep 'em coming!

http://www.tokyodawn.net/the_boogie/

Quite a good listen, more leftfield/soulfull Electro Synth Funk/Dance...different!

http://www.streetsoundsmusic.co.uk/

The return of the 80's compilation ELECTRO,

Street Sounds Nu Electro 4 out soon!

Fatback4Way are like a modern Electro Funk Zapp featuring Roger....

A modern take on 80's boogie. Some very tight productions there. One to buy.

I enjoyed AD Bourke's - Aries, which does not rely on the 4/4 beat. Excellent track.
Spinnerty - one for the summer cruise down Malibu beach...
Portormat - yeah! Party in my space ship. Love it.
Addiquit - Take U Home = Boogie sex. I'm back in a minute...I mean ten minutes....

I still think that Prince hasn't been bested. His latest stuff isn't his best, but he's got a body of work that's hard to beat.

Some trully horizontal tracks. Like it. Could do with more instrumentals.

Perhaps Rap based P-Funk is not what I'm looking for ( nothing against Rap. I was in a Hip Hop/Rap outfit in the 90s, oh yes ).

Good call. Didn't think of him.

But I'm still after more stripped down, sweaty, live Funk, less pop/hip-hop, more phat live synths. I just hate searching on You Tube as I always get distracted, right now I got from Funk/Boogie to Electro, Breakdance, to Italo Disco, then Space Disco. Love that tune. If I end up listening to Death Metal, I'll shoot myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz3rrESMnzI&feature=fvsr
stevie wonder - all day sucker
It's hard to believe the same mind that came up with this, also
did 'I Just Called to Say I Love You'

and there's my own synth funk tune:
http://bluedad.com/plug.mp3