Freestyle Roots: Eighties Funk

Ez's grab pack of eighties funky delights
	With so much attention being paid nowadays to seventies music, it's too easy to forget the hidden pearls of eighties music. While the seventies were so much about live jamming music of huge bands with focus on rythm, fun and exploration of new sounds, much of the eighties was influenced by a more intimate and well engineered sound. Many of the quality music of the early eighties came to life with the most advanced and expensive studio equipment of those days. Many artists had a drive for perfection of sound in the first place. The wild days of the seventies were over, and it was time for an ultimate slick, sophisticated almost yuppie-like sound. With this list, we'd like to present some of the more noteworthy music of the early eighties. This list is by no means a definite list, but more an open selection, to which we can always add tracks as we rediscover them. Let's kick off ...
1984 : Cameo : She's strange
	A really essential eighties funk track from the band of Larry Blackmon. The opening of a long stretched "Strange" whisper sound exploding into an awesome deep synth drum line immediately takes the attention of any music enthousiast causing goose bumps to appear instantly. She's strange then develops into a complex drum and deep bass driven melody with smoothly added moog sounds and on top of this the fine mixture of raps, the Larry Blackmon shouts and falsetto "Strange" chants. The full album version of She's Strange is over 7 minutes and is not boring for a second. Extremely highly recommended by EZ !

1983 : Tom Browne : Mr Business
	Having acquired a special place into the music scene by his talented trumpet play, Tom Browne is almost always referred to for his legendary Funkin' for jamaica. Admitted this is a masterpiece, we cannot let the more delicate Mr Business track go by. With Mr Business, we are presented with a superb dynamic and not straightforward drum line with extremely slick and synthetic organ, moog, piano and deep driving bass sounds. Tom Browne adds the moody trumpet sound mixed with cool female vocal interludes here and there. In Mr Business, the melody line is never constant but is continously varying, with a complete melody change in the middle. No wonder this is over 5 minutes of pure music joy!

1985 : Loose Ends : Hanging on a string
	Admitted, this track enjoyed some commercial success, Hanging on a string is perhaps the ultimate example of the perfectionist sound of Nick Martinelli. Nick Martinelli joined and produced for the British Loose Ends trio in the early eighties. Being a mostly an acoustic group in the early days, it was Nick Martinelli who gave Loose Ends the image of slick British synth funk sound. The intro of Hanging on a String is breathtaking, setting off with an immediate complex mixture of deep bass and unnatural echoing synth sounds and a little further echoing vocals as well. When listening closely, the variation of synth effects on the bass melody is immense, yet not overloaden but ultimately esthetic. The vocal interplay between superb talented vocalists Jane Eugene, Carl McIntosh and Steve Nichol is an extremely rewarding music listening experience. You can safely check out everything Nick Martinelli touched in the early eighties, but maybe Hanging on a string tops it all.

1984 : Kashif : Baby don't break your babys heart
	Funk, oh the funk. Hmmm, isn't it all about the intro ? Listen to another pearl "Baby don't break your babys heart", and you'll understand what I am talking about. When Baby don't break your babys heart is played on a decent sound system, its drum lines and smoothly introduced deep bass takes your stomach with instant pleasure and your skin with goose bumps. Kashif is perhaps one of the most underrated artists of the early eighties. As a producer, he had most succes with productions of Evelyn King, but everything he created with his mates Paul Laurence and Lillo Thomas under Beau Huggins is worth checking out. While the album Kashif, from Kashif is perhaps his most consistent album, the track Baby don't break your babys heart from the album Condition of the heart is maybe the most breathtaking and complex one. The smoothness and slickness of bass, drum and synth mixture and dramatic vocals on top, guarantees an intense listening experience. Much respect to Kashif!

1986 : Beau Williams : All because of you
	When some of my friends want to demonstrate me a new piece of audio equipment, I always say: "Ok, EZ will do the Beau Williams test" and then it's time for "All because of you"! Featuring an insanely perfect continously driving deep subbass and extremely dynamic stretched complex hihat, this will stress test all parts of your audio equipment. From turntable needle stability to speaker dynamics, everything gets into play here. In the first 15 seconds of this track, everything explodes into a warm overwhelming sound only true music enthousiasts and perfectionists can fully appreciate. Needless to add this is a masterpiece of eighties synth soulfunk!

1984 : Patrice Rushen : Feels so real
	Have you ever been taking by an angel who guided you to the land of musical orgasms ? Don't settle for less, but let Patrice Rushen and "Feels so real" do it for you. Relax, lay down, make sure loudness is turned on and the equalizer is in your favourite smooth U-turned shape and at least a Bose speaker will let the bass come to its right! The much sampled, but never improved original "Feels so real" is one of the masterpieces of multitalented artist Patrice Rushen. Having a classical education, been into the more acoustic jazzfunk scene first, she attacked in the late seventies the heavy synth sound. She's known for completely producing her own tracks, from beginning to the end, from melody to vocals with stunning results. For us, "Feels so real" will remain for ever her ultimate slick, smooth and minimalist funk experience.

1981 : Hot Cuisine : Who's been kissing you
	Sometimes, music doesn't have to be so complex to be fully appreciated but have that special magic touch that sets it apart from the rest. Well, for EZ, Hot Cuisine falls into this category. It is mostly the interplay of the smooth and sweet long stretched strings in the first phase of the melody line and the fresh and faster more agressive string at the end of the melody line that immediately catches ones attention. All this is woven on top of a easy paced beat with deep and nice bass and guitar play, for instance in the break, wow! The lyrics are, well, .. hmm, funky but sure put that smile on your face.

1981 : Mike and Brenda Sutton : We'll make it
	The reason for this record in EZ's grab pack is twofold. First of all it's is a nicely paced warm deep smooth groove sound. Secondly, the fine funky drive of the intro has been used for years to open the legendary funk radioshow "Young America" here in Belgium which was responsible for most of my funk education in the early eighties and to which we owe so much respect. As uncompromising this show was, it was the absolute reference for everything fresh, funky and cute in the newest and hottest releases of the USA. We'll never forget what you did Fredo and Martin! Much respect.

1982 : Kleeer : Taste the music
	Who could have said it better than Woody Cunningham and his Kleeer crew : "Taste the music" and wow, man, did we taste their music! It might be difficult to choose a really best Kleeer track, "Taste the music" will always be among the finalists. The opening "Oooggghhh whhhooaaaawwww" followed by a smooth bassline says it all : "breathtaking" and before you can recover some of your breath, synth lines sharp as a knife strike again to be followed soon by the deep male vocal "Taste the music, with your whole body". This is a simply stunning pure macho funk experience, for boys with balls and girls with guts. From then on, it's a pure built up to the break, perhaps the break of all breaks, the ultimate funk break! Here Kleeer throws a mind blowing phasing effect right in your face. Pure music pleasure this is ! Check it out.

1983 : Marcus Miller : Lovin' you
	Being one of the top bassists in funkyland, and having teamed up with many great artists like Luther Vandross, of the late seventies and early eighties to give their music that extra special bass, here Marcus Miller can go in full effect for his masterplay on his own creation "Lovin' you" Boy, can he play the bass. His bass will blow your mind, and if you don't pay attention, your speakers as well. "Lovin' you" features an extremely dynamic sound, from deep subbass to sharp guitar riffs and enthousiastic chants. This track moves, no time to waste here, a full 5 minutes of pure musical explosion. Wow, we played it over and over and for more than 15 years now, it stands the test of time and sounds still fresher than most of nowadays music. Simply great!

1981 : The Jones Girls : Nights over Egypt
	Hmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmm, aaghhhh, this sweet smooth lingering fresh sound takes your mind far away. Being a Dexter Wansel production, this classic also has been sampled numerous times, but the sheer delicateness of the original has never been beaten. The intro features some magic bells sound, immediately setting the mood right and rolling into smooth drum sounds and bass play and then adding the super silky vocals of the Jones Girls. No, we will never ever forget this pearl !

1983 : Change : Got to get up
	For those who know the music of Change, they will certainly raise their eyebrows when seeing EZ picks this track from the studio group Change, while they might have produced several better known music, like Paradise and Change of heart. But no, EZ picks "Got to get up" because it always had that extra special touch and feeling. "Got to get up" is based on a minimalist drum line, but maybe that extremely rrrrrrrooolllinggggg synth bass sound is what always attracts me. Added to this are somewhat dramatic minimal vocals and vocoder sound interplays that create an almost irrealistic and chilling atmosphere. Yes, "Got to get up" always get the goose bumps up!!

1983 : Con Funk Shun : Lovin' fever
	If something in your room is not securely standing or fixed, you have the risk that this record will move it out of place in no time. The subbass in Lovin' fever has the potential to let the paintings of the neighbours fall of the wall with no mercy at all. When listening to "Lovin' fever" you always wonder where these guys could get all that rumbling subbass sound from. It's stunning, we are speachless everytime we have this Con Funk Shun listening experience. On one side their is the extreme perfectionist warm bassline, on the other side chilling cold vocals of Michael Cooper and synth interludes. It is really embarrassing that the otherwise fairly good Funk Essentials compilation of Polygram, simply forgot this track on the best of Con Funk Shun. Dig it better next time dudes! If you happen to find Electric Lady of Con Funk Shun, don't hesitate and buy it before someone else does. It is illustrative in many ways for the blend between cold synth funk and cynical humour that influenced the mid eighties funk.

1984 : Mtume : You me and he
	Without doubt, the "You me and he" album has a special place in anyone's music collection. Mtume presents his intimate, minimal soulful synthfunk stuff in a highly consistent album. Superb vocalist Tawatha Agee has a shining extraordinary presence. Read more about Mtume in our essentials page.

1980 : One way : Do your thang
	The evolution of the One Way sound throughout the late seventies and early eighties is exemplary of what happened to the funk sound in a few years. Through all these changes, One Way was able to maintain an easy recognizable sound of which the superbly smooth and easy going grooves are most typical. For One Way, we have chosen "Do your thang" above the legendary Mr. Groove, if only for the consistency of the album "One Way" from One Way in 1980. This is jampacked with nice going groovers like Do your thang, Copy this, Let's go out tonite and Pop it. All of these feature real deep acoustic drums, wild guitars, nice gimmicks in a real funk experience. Yes, One Way is part of the eighties funk sound as well.

	(EZ Boy, July '99)

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