P-Funk
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P-Funk (also spelled P Funk or P. Funk) is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed. The P-Funk groups had their heyday in the 1970s and continue to attract new fans thanks both to the legacy of samples they bequeathed to hip hop and the live shows that the bands continue to perform.
Etymology
The etymology of the term P-Funk is subject to multiple interpretations. It has been identified alternately as an abbreviation of "Parliament-Funkadelic", "pure funk" or "Plainfield Funk", referring to Plainfield, New Jersey, the hometown of the band's original line-up. The liner notes of CD versions of the Motor Booty Affair album suggest that the "'P' stands for 'Pure.'" The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic elevated the status of P-Funk to describe what is now considered to be a genre of music in its own right.[citation needed]
Musical characteristics
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Musical elements that characterize the P-Funk style include:
- spacey synthesizer melodies and washes provided by keyboardist Bernie Worrell and others
- classically-trained and blues/jazz piano style of Bernie Worrell
- prominent, squelching electric bass lines provided by Bootsy Collins or performed in his style
- jazzy, insouciant horn section arrangements performed by The Horny Horns
- raucous group vocals on songs' choruses alternating with sung or spoken vocals on the verses
- a mixture of funk and rock guitar styles, the latter being more prominent on Funkadelic's recordings
- steady, relatively unobtrusive drumming with few or no drum solos
- lyrics devoted to exposition of the P-Funk mythology, sex and drug-related humor, and sociopolitical satire, often in the context of a concept album
- sophisticated use of multitrack recording technology and studio effects by producer George Clinton
- more "played" sound,[clarification needed] with little of the precision of disco and post-disco dance forms[1].
Key P-Funk bands and musicians
Key P-Funk bands and musicians include:
- Parliament
- Funkadelic
- Bootsy Collins / Bootsy's Rubber Band
- George Clinton
- Bernie Worrell
- Eddie Hazel
- Garry Shider
- Walter Morrison
- The Brides of Funkenstein
- Maceo Parker
- Parlet
- Fred Wesley
- Michael "Clip" Payne
- Zapp
Reference
- ^ Borthwick, Stuart & Moy, Ron (2004). Popular Music Genres: an Introduction: "P-Funk made far more use of the metronomic four-to-the-floor drum styles, thus linking their funk to disco and jazz funk. However, unlike disco, P-Funk always sounded 'played', with little of the production-line precision of disco and post-disco dance forms." Edinburgh University Press (2004), p. 34, ISBN 0748617450
