In 1967, James Brown released "Cold Sweat," a song most Black music historians recognize as the birth of funk. He revolutionized soul by basing his music on rhythm, and his groove on the first beat of the bar, the famous "one," ushering in a new, more danceable style.
Beyond soul, funk draws on all the dominant styles and will also influence those to come such as hip-hop and house. Many musicians have contributed to its rise – Sly Stone, Funkadelic, Kool & The Gang, Stevie Wonder –, to its ennoblement – Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock –, to its complexity – George Clinton, Cameo – and to its domination of the charts – Michael Jackson, Prince.
This anthology explores the protean universe of funk and draws a story that is still being written with Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Daft Punk.
