Funkcore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Funk
Stylistic origins:	Soul music with a more pronounced beat and influences from Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll and Psychedelic rock
Cultural origins:	mid to late 1960s US
Typical instruments:	Guitar - prominent Bass - Drums - Horns
Mainstream popularity:	High in the 1970s, later revival of funk beats in metal and hip hop <tr><th align="center" bgcolor="orange" colspan=2 valign="top">Subgenres</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">Go go - P-Funk</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="orange" colspan=2 valign="top">Fusion genres</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">Afrobeat - Funkcore - Funk metal - G-Funk</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="orange" colspan=2 valign="top">Other topics</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">Musicians</td></tr>

Funkcore is a musical genre, or perhaps movement, derived from a fusion of American-styled hardcore punk and funk. Most often, hard, loud, fast guitars are featured, but unlike in rock music, it does not overpower the bass, which is heavy and driving. Drums are often funk-influenced, but with intense metal-styled pounding. Synthesizers or trumpets sometimes make an appearance, although they are not integral.

[edit] Origins

Since the early days of punk, some bands had taken a funk and soul influence. Rock legends the Clash, famed for their musical experimentation, briefly adopted a funky sound for some tracks on their album Sandinista!. Later, groundbreaking post-punk group Gang of Four took a punk sound and attitude and coupled it with funky bass licks and groove-driven tunes. However, the first punk band to create a true funk fusion was the seminal Austin, Texas band, The Big Boys, who could be seen as the first truly "funkcore" band. The Big Boys, which lasted from 1978 to 1984, became known for explosive and funky live shows. They slowed down punk tempos to allow for syncopated rhythms and played with non-punk bands such as the Washington, D.C., go-go act Trouble Funk as well as seminal punk bands such as Minor Threat and Black Flag. The Big Boys can be seen as a direct precursor to funky rock acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. The Red Hot Chili Peppers would eventually epitomise funkcore, and they have inspired many modern funkcore bands.

Though they experimented with numerous genres (often in the course of a single song), the avant garde experimental band, Mr. Bungle, also created funkcore tracks very early on in their musical career. The Infectious Grooves, a side project of Mike Muir's Suicidal Tendencies, combined the hardcore punk of Suicidal Tendencies with heavy funk music. Eventually, Suicidal Tendencies would also incorporate funk into their main catalogue.

The genre may be in its infancy, but a number of bands have embraced this style. (Liberty Spike have dubbed themselves "the definitive funkcore band" in jest). The label funkcore can be somewhat ambiguous, with some funk metal, rapcore and nu metal bands (Korn have been labelled "emo-funk-core"^{[ 1 ]}) using the term. Again, many bands fit the loose definitions of funkcore, but also include elements of electronica, most often because of influence by industrial rock artists.

[edit] Funkcore bands

Many bands claim to be inspired largely by Faith No More's funk-metal sound. In the nineties, popular bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus comprised the funk-metal scene, another major influence for many bands. Some funkcore bands, often those influenced heavily by punk rock or Rage Against the Machine, are highly political like their inspiration, such as Australia's Liberty Spike or the UK's James Brown's Corpse. The most popular bands in America tend to be more commercial. Xashinto Fwong, The Quartermass Experiment and The New Imprint are good examples of American funkcore. Early Incubus tracks are considered to be funkcore, as the band stated that their original influences include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, and Mr. Bungle.

[edit] References

^ OnlineSeats.com describe Korn as "emo-funk-core".

Hardcore punk
Christian hardcore - Crust punk - D-beat - Melodic hardcore - Powerviolence - Queercore - Skate punk - Thrashcore - Youth crew Emo - Funkcore - Grindcore - Metalcore - Post-hardcore
Regional Scenes
Australia - Brazil - Canada - Italy - South Wales - Scandinavia: Umeå - Japan Boston - Chicago - Detroit - Los Angeles - Minneapolis - New Jersey - New York - North Carolina - Phoenix - San Francisco - DC
Other topics
DIY punk ethic - Hardcore bands - Hardcore dancing - Straight edge