Funk

funk

Funk is a musical genre that was born in the mid to late 1960s, when mainly African-American musicians fused soul, jazz, Latin American rhythms (e.g. mambo) and R&B to create a new rhythmic and danceable musical form. Funk reduces the prominence of melody and harmony and instead gives more weight to percussion and the electric bass line. Funk songs are often based on a vamp (a repeated figure, section or accompaniment) extended over a single chord, distinguishing it from R&B and soul, which are more centred around the chord progression.

Like much African-American music, funk is often built on a complex groove created from rhythm instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ and drums playing interlocking rhythms. Funk bands sometimes have a horn section consisting of several saxophones, trumpets and sometimes a trombone, which play rhythmic ‘hits’.

Many of the most famous bands of the genre also played disco and soul music. Funk was a decisive influence on the development of disco and Afrobeat. Moreover, funk samples have been widely used in genres such as hip hop, house and drum and bass. It has also had a major influence on go-go.