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Electro-Funk

 
 

Description of Electro-Funk

 
In the fading light after Funk's '70s heyday, a few artists in the early '80s flirted with marrying the burgeoning synthesizer craze to early rap. While keeping Funk's groove, Electro-Funk, otherwise known as Electro, expressed a new, electronic side of Funk previously unseen. Only a few hits materialized out of this mix, among them Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" and Cybotron's "Alleys of Your Mind." More than anything, the style gave certain artists a jumping-off point for future innovation -- Techno's first faint echoes and the methods of early innovators Roger Troutman and Zapp are still incorporated in modern Hip-hop. Troutman himself, and his trademark vocoder vocals, are featured on Dr. Dre and Tupac's smash hit "California Love."
 

Filed Under

 
Rap/Hip-Hop  >  Instrumental Rap/Hip-Hop  >  Electro-Funk
 

Electro-Funk Key Artists

 
Arthur Baker

A ground-breaking Electro
producer, Arthur Baker is
best known for his work on
"Planet Rock" and "Jazzy
Sensation."

Cybotron

Cybotron is Detroit Techno
pioneer Juan Atkins and Rik
Davis' (aka 3070) early '80s,
pre-Techno, Electro
project. A Detroit duo, Cy...

Freestyle

The alter-ego of Miami
producer Tony Butler,
Freestyle was one of
electronic music's biggest
innovators. Best known f...

George Clinton

Aside from James Brown,
George Clinton is the most
innovative, influential, and
sampled artist in the history
of funk. In Parliament, Fu...

Man Parrish

Though himself a flash in the
pan, Parrish's fusion of U.S.
hip-hop and U.K. Electro
inspired two decades of
dance music. Parrish con...

Newcleus

A short-lived electro outfit
from the late '70s/early '80s,
Newcleus scored big with
the hit single "Jam On It."

Rick James

Talented, controversial and
often legally entangled,
Rick James'
rock-influenced Funk
delighted super freaks ev...

Roger Troutman

The main man behind Ohio
funksters Zapp, Roger
Troutman single-handedly
popularized the vocoder's
use in dance music. Roge...

Soul Sonic Force

Afrika Bambaataa's
co-conspirators, the Soul
Sonic Force are best
known for their work on
the classic track "Planet R...

The Egyptian Lover

A pioneering Electro
producer, Egyptian Lover
debuted in 1983 with his
break-dance jam "Egypt,
Egypt." One of the Lover's...

The Jonzun Crew

An early '80s Electro squad
from Boston, the Jonzun
Crew included brothers
Spaceman and Soni Jonzun,
Gordo, and Stevo. Space...

Time Zone

A collaboration between
Afrika Bambaataa and
ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon,
Time Zone released one
12-inch single in 1984. Tim...

World Class Wreckin' Cru

Home to Dr. Dre in the
mid-1980s, the Wreckin'
Crew were known for their
epic Electro jams and
smooth love songs. During...

Zapp and Roger

Zapp and Roger is the
brainchild of Roger
Troutman, an Ohio funk
genius best known for his
use of the vocodor. Their...

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