Background on Funk Music and it’s Relation to Disco
Now we’re in the late 70’s and we’re introduced to a genre entitled Funk. Funk music is looked at as a sound of rebellion and a celebration of being Black. Funk Music was very influential to many other genres, especially Hip Hop. Once James Brown came out with “Cold Sweat” in 1967, he paved a way for Funk music and because of this song he is looked at as funk’s original pioneer. During the time of the civil rights movement and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., pressure was on James Brown in the 1960s. His response to this was “ Say it Loud, I’m black and I’m proud.” Truth is, Funk was the new hot music in the black community.
The Elements
Funk music has emphasis beat one and includes slap base. Some Funk bands are Parliament and Earth, Wind and Fire. On the other hand, Disco is filled with the bass drum. Anytime you hear, “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom”, you know it is disco. One of the main differences between the two is that Disco was becoming all races and all sexualities.
Another interesting aspect of funk is that the genre moved to movies. Movies began to depict African American culture from the 1970’s.
