Mikael Wood talks with George Clinton, Flying Lotus and Thundercat — funk visionaries from different generations — ahead of their joint Sept. 17 concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Perhaps telling of my taste or opinion of the contemporary music landscape, but this meeting of minds is the thing I’m genuinely most excited about in 2017. Not only are FlyLo and Thundercat relative vanguards of trans-genre impressionistic creative output, but they are carrying on the legacy under the guidance of one of the people who laid the gauntlet down in the first place – which once again singles out GC as a visionary.
Props where props are due! Keeping it locked for the new album.
I really can’t believe it. I think I’m still fully in denial. It hasn’t registered.
I’m not gonna say much, as I haven’t had time to process this info yet, but as you probably know, Prince is probably my biggest influence and musical hero.
The only thing I thought I could do at the moment was share my favourite bootleg, as a testament to the man’s greatness – “Livesexy ’88 Uncut”, taken from the Japanese TV broadcast streamed live at the Westfallenhallen in Dortmund, West Germany 09/09/88.
I uploaded it in 5 parts off the DVD – these things are out there if you really want to look for them, no clues! – and it was watched thoudsands times over 8 months by many people (some heartbroken fam, some of the unconverted or the curious), until I got a takedown notice from NPG Music Publishing at the start of December. Now, normally if the artist in question is no longer with us, I don’t feel as much guilt about acquiring their music without compensating them for it. However, in Prince’s case I think he was so protective over how his music was received by the public, and against the distribution of unreleased material (it was unreleased for a reason I guess!) so I don’t feel so bad, and I took the vids off YouTube.
On deeper reflection on this issue, I’m actually kinda irritated by the NPG takedown notice. NPG Music Publishing was P’s own publishing company, and now he’s gone the trust in charge of his estate is cracking down on the explosion of bootlegged content that surfaced online after His Royal Badness’ untimely demise. Now, I know that one of the main bugbears P had about boots was that someone was cashing in on his unreleased work, but he was quoted as saying that if they don’t make any money and are sharing out of love, then it’s cool. So now the estate are trying to squeeze his ‘assets’ for every penny they can get out of it, I have mixed feelings about it. Unless they release the boots officially (or it’s to generate capital so they can better preserve the man’s legacy) then they should just let the stuff go I reckon.
Anyway, instead, here’s a link to a fantastic little profile made around the same time, directed by Albert Magnoli (Purple Rain). It features a whole heap of admiring luminaries (Miles, George Clinton, Clapton, Little Richard, Q… even Randy Newman!) giving their impression of why Prince is so awesome. Dig it.
Saw him 3 times, the best gigs I’ve ever seen. Never got to meet him, so maybe that’s best – he’ll be remembered the was he always intended, through his work.
My friend Kirk messaged me and reminded me of something. He said “HEY REMEMBER, the time you lost your (Prince symbol) necklace (that I got at the O2 gig in 2007, my first), and it really bugged you?
Stumbled across this piece by Auntie Beeb (or more accurately, BBC journo Greg Knot) celebrating the much maligned backline-beats laid out by drummers. And rightly so!
Despite the fact that this article fails to even mention the pure slice of uncut Funk that is session legend Bernard “Pretty” Purdie (the ‘Hitmaker’, or ‘The World’s Most Recorded Drummer’ – his groove is impeccable, as demonstrated in one of my favourite videos of all time), this article does go some way in helping the reader think with their feet and give the drummer some well-deserved props – as well as demonstrate some nice little rhythmic chops for your listening pleasure.
“When I brought it to the record company, it shocked a lot of people,” Prince told Rolling Stone of Dirty Mind. “But they didn’t ask me to go back and change anything, and I’m real grateful. Anyway, I wasn’t being deliberately provocative. I was being deliberately me.”
Even if you know the stories, have heard the album, know about His Royal Badness’ bitter history with the “King of Punk Funk” Rick James (bitch) and dig the context, this great Pitchfork article from their next ‘review’ issue is still a great and insightful read. A lot of people who don’t know much about Prince always peg him as a power-balladeering short guy – who might be gay. Which is hugely selling short the notion of a black artist coming out of (traditionally in the mainstream) white Minneapolis, blending R&B, Rock n’ Roll, New Wave and (Post?) Punk into a truly crossover music, with a mixed-race, mixed-gender band and a deliberately ambiguous omni-sexual image with religious overtones in the lyrics? In the early ’80s?!
Roy Ayers! What a legend. One of my biggest musical influences, widely known as “The Godfather of Neo-Soul” and purveyor of the Jazz-Funk – the man has many a mighty fine groove in his array.
Still going and with a sharp sense of humour at the grand old age of 75, the encyclopaedicly-minded crate-digger king that is Gilles Peterson has honoured this milestone with a mix of the lesser-known numbers from Roy’s back-catalogue (the banger that is Chigago isn’t in there, but Gilles knows his onions so I ain’t complaining 😀 ). Get yourself acquainted. You’ll find the full tracklist on Gilles’ page by clicking here.
If you’re digging on this, I did my own minimix for the Allstar Sonics Soundslikehoney music blog the last time Roy was in London. You can find the mix if you click here.