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New Wave Artists That Had Their Roots In Funk:

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:14 am
by newwavepopman
Can anyone name some New Wave artits that had their roots in Funk music? Right off the bat here are some that I can think of.

Gang Of Four-Their late Warner Bros albums.The very last two."Songs Of The Free" and "Hard" I'm not sure but I think that their album "Mall" from 1991 may have also had some Funk songs as well.
Shreikback-Definately, and all the albums that I have heard by them had their roots in New Wave Funk.

Wham! U.K.-Well at least their first album had their roots in both Funk and some Rap for sure.Songs such as "Young Guns Go For It" Bad Boys,and Wham Rap.

Prince-Almost all of his songs and hits were geared in the New Wave Funk style.
The Time-Offshoots of Prince,with Morris Day,who used to be with Prince at one time,I would also call New Wave Funk.

Ozone-Their one album that I have is most definately New Wave Funk,with songs like "Glasses",and Video King.

Adam Ant-Manners And Physique album-This was a totally different style and sound for Adam Ant.It was very funky.With the two hits especially,"Room At The Top" and Rough Stuff.No doubt because of Andre Cymone who was the producer of the album.

Vanity 6-Another offshoot from Prince's band.With songs like "Nasty Girl" and Drive Me Wild were no doubt New Wave Funk songs.

Shelia E-Another offshoot from Prince's band at one time.With her hit song "The Glamourous Life"

Andre Cymone-Again another offshoot from Prince's band.Boy,Prince seemed to have them all.

Robert Palmer-By the mid to late 80's Palmer decided I guess to change his style to more of a New Wave Funk style.
The Breakfast Club-As stated in another post,these guys had a New Wave Funk style all their own,along the same lines as late 80's,and early 90's, Level 42.

Level 42-With hits such as "Something About You" Lessons In Love,Children Say,Running In The Family,To Be With You Again,The Chant Has Begun,and The Sun Goes Down(Living It Up) these guys mixed not only New Wave with some Funk,but also with some jazz as well.

Rockwell-No doubt that Prince's influence rubbed off on Rockwell as well as it shows in his hits "Somebody's Watching Me" and Obscene Phone Caller.

Eddie Grant-Well all I can say is that his Electric Avenue mixed New Wave with Funk.It surely wasn't what I would call Reggae like some of his other songs were.

Grace Jones-She at times would mix New Wave songs with some Reggae and with some Funk as well.

Belouis Some-Well to me at least his hit "Imagination" sure sounded alot like New Wave Funk at the time.

Blondie-Mixing both Funk and some Rap with their hit "Rapture" I would consider that song by Blondie to be New Wave Funk.

Blancmange-Definately their very first hit "Living On The Ceiling" I would classify as New Wave Funk.

If anyone knows of some other New Wave Funk crossovers, please add to this thread and post.Tahnk you.Right now I can't think of any others.But I'm sure if I thought long and hard enough, that I could come up with some more names.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:45 am
by MikeP
Good list. I would add:

Fashion - These brits (with an ever-rotating roster of vocalists) really had the funk, especially on their 2nd album, [i]Fabrique[/i]. Check out "Love Shadow" or "Move On".

The Stranglers - occasionally explored a pub-rock/bo

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:21 am
by unguarded moment
Talking Heads
Medium Medium (all I know by them is "Hungry So Angry" but it sounds pretty funky to me)
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (just kidding!)
Pigbag
The Members
Tom Tom Club

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:26 am
by ekahob
Liquid Liquid
Dynamic Hepnobeats
Killing Joke - "Change"
The Fall
Pylon
Delta 5
Bush Tetras
Modettes
Au Pairs

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 2:53 pm
by newwavepopman
Another album,but not the band itself would be the album "Mesopotamia" by The B 52's which has a pretty big Funk sound compared to anything else they did.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 2:28 pm
by ziggyf
obscure little NYC band called "Defunkt"

also tom tom club, apb, pigpag, haircut 100 (when lead singer heyward left, they did a funk ep), liquid liquid, The Bus boys, Brian Brain, The Blackouts, Bunnydrums,....even "The Jam" did a couple of funky cuts

PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 6:41 pm
by Justj0hn
"pretty big Funk sound compared to anything else they did"

That's cuz David Byrne produced it.

A few not quite new wave examples:

Wolfgang Press
Barry Adamson
'Metal Box' era P.i.L. maybe?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 7:47 am
by bpdp3
Some of the songs on the Byrne/Eno album "My life in the Bush of Ghosts" have a funk sound to them...'The Jezebel Spirit' for example. That one's a funky bass with an actual exorcism over it!

PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 9:08 am
by Quite Life
Let's give A Certian Ratio thier props.

A little bit of The Offs music had some funk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 9:21 am
by Joslyn
"Memory Serves" by Material had Bill Laswell, Henry Kaiser and Henry Threadgill.
Also, Cabaret Voltaire.

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 4:34 am
by marcelle
ESG

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 9:47 am
by djvampira
I would say This Is What You Want.......by PiL has some very funk inspired bass lines throughout the whole album.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 3:35 am
by thefxc
Funk is the secret ingredient for a lot of 80s industrial:

Cabaret Voltaire (their Some Bizzare material; they even did a song called "James Brown" b/w "Bad Self pt. 1")

Hula

Chakk

Early KMFDM (check out the fat synth bass on "Don't Blow Your

PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 6:02 am
by left-handed beats
23 Skidoo, Rip Rig & Panic, the Pop Group, Konk, Maximum Joy, Magazine, Beggar & Co., the Higsons, James Black/James White, early Ministry ("Cold Life"), even some early Spandau Ballet.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2004 10:30 am
by LadyLazarus
Magazine boasted coloured bassist Barry Adamson, who proudly demonstrated his funky swaggering plucking technique on a cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again", inventively rechristened as "Thank you Falletin Me Be Mi