Awesome Funk

Getting it Back tells the untold story of the greatest band you’ve probably never heard of. Formed in 1970s UK, Cymande brilliantly combined jazz, funk, soul, and Caribbean vibes — disbanding after being faced with prejudice and indifference. But, decades later, their music’s been rediscovered by DJs who’ve sampled Cymande’s pioneering sounds.

Get your day started right with this weird and wonderful mashup from remixer Bill McClintock. Combining Pantera’s Cowboys from Hell, Teena Marie’s disco-funk track Square Biz, and Iron Maiden’s Wrathchild makes absolutely zero sense, but as usual, Bill created a delicious musical melange from seemingly incompatible ingredients.

Borrowing a page from Drumeo’s book, the YouTube channel Pianote invites keyboardists to create their interpretations of popular songs they’ve never heard. In this video, Snarky Puppy’s Justin Stanton takes on Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Now, imparting the dance-pop hit with a smooth blend of jazz and funk after only hearing the drums and vocals.

Nile Rogers has written and produced some of the biggest songs and albums ever. Among his creations is the disco-funk group CHIC, who stopped by NPR Music with Rogers. The mini-concert’s six mega-hits: CHIC’s Le Freak and Good Times, Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, and David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.

Rick James was a true original. He defied expectations and blasted out some incredible funk and disco music. But his talents and showmanship were offset by a cycle of addiction and abusive behavior. Showtime goes inside the world of the real Super Freak through performance footage, interviews, and more. Premieres 9.3.2021.

The guys from Scary Pockets teamed up with singer Corey Frye of The Main Squeeze for an uplifting funk cover version of MGMT’s 2007 hit track Electric Feel. The smooth grooves and soulful vocals will brighten even the darkest day.

Scary Pockets presents a sublime new take on the Tears for Fears hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World. With Cory Henry kicking ass on keys and lead vocals, we can’t help but think this is how Stevie Wonder would have recorded this song.

French musician MEZERG kicks out some groovy sounds using one of the silliest musical instruments – a watermelon. He connected slices of the melon – along with cantaloupe and a kiwi – to a Playtron MIDI Controller to create an edible keyboard. His cover of The Doors’ Light My Fire is pretty awesome too, even if it has no fruit.

Icelandic musician Daði Freyr and his band Gagnamagnið made a silly music video filled with pixel art sweaters, strange-looking keytars, awkward dance moves, confetti, and most importantly, a funky and soulful electro-pop track which we’re adding to our heavy rotation list right now.

The members of the jazz collective Snarky Puppy turned in a downright funky mix of keyboards, horns, bass, guitar, violin, and percussion during their appearance at the NPR Music offices. They performed their instrumental tracks Tarova and Xavi, the latter’s complex rhythms with the assistance of the audience.

We can feel it all over. One of the funkiest songs ever written has got to be Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke. Recently, the members of the the artist collective known as Apartment Sessions turned in a rousing, appropriately brass-heavy performance of the track on NYC’s J Train, lead off by the soulful lead vocals of Aneesa Folds.

Musical mashup master Bill McLintock’s track will drive you mad. It’s another impossible combination that somehow just works, as Kool & The Gang’s Celebration meets Quiet Riot’s Metal Health. Crank it up to 11 as funk and metal make beautiful music together.

Scary Pockets turns in another wonderfully funky cover of a classic tune, this time taking on Derek and The Dominos’ 1970 track Layla. Though this time, they left the comfort of their studio and recorded the performance live at DC’s Union Stage. That’s Jacob Luttrell kicking out the soulful lead vocals and keys.

With the powerful vocal stylings of Rett Madison leading things off, Scary Pockets succeeded at breathing new life into Cat Stevens’ early ’70s classic Wild World with an ample dose of soul and a dash of funk.

Musician Louis Cole loves to do live recording sessions, and this one takes the cake. Listen, enjoy, and be wowed by this captivating performance shot at “some guy’s house.” It’s got synths, loops, and more funk than you can handle. This is one clip where patience definitely pays off.

Funkmasters Scary Pockets take The Police track Every Breath You Take and give it a fresh coat of paint with this wonderful rendition of the 1983 hit, led off by the soulful vocals of Sarah Dugas, and paying tribute to the syncopated reggae beats of the original.