Punk funk (also hyphenated as punk-funk) is a music fusion genre that typically combine

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

influences. It gave way to and is closely associated with

dance-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984. Simon Reynolds.Faber an ...

avant-funk Avant-funk (also called mutant disco in the early 1980s) is a music style in which artists combine funk or disco rhythms with an avant-garde or art rock mentality. Its most prominent era occurred in the late 1970s and 1980s among post-punk and ...

, and

funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

, all of which are also alternatively described as punk funk. The term punk funk has been used to describe '' Cansei de Ser Sexy'' by CSS,

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

, whose nimble punk funk was compared to

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

by music critic

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his career at ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He subsequently worked as a freelancer and published a number of books on music and popular culture. Reynold ...

, and " Precious" by

the Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...

, described by Uncut as "hypnotically, itchy, punk funk".

History

Punk funk emerged in the late 1970s, however, it was eclipsed in the 1980s by

, and

later in the 1980s, all of which are also alternatively described as punk funk. Despite this, punk funk has been occasionally used in more recent years to describe

bands Bands may refer to: * Bands (song), song by American rapper Comethazine * Bands (neckwear), form of formal neckwear * Bands (Italian Army irregulars) Bands () was an Italian military term for Irregular military, irregular forces, composed of nati ...

such as CSS and their 2005 album '' Cansei de Ser Sexy''.

1970s

Ian Dury and the Blockheads, formed in 1977, have been described as punk funk. The earliest punk funk band is probably

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

, having formed in 1975. Their track "

Psycho Killer "Psycho Killer" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released on their debut studio album '' Talking Heads: 77'' (1977). The group first performed it as the Artistics in 1974. The band also recorded an acoustic version of the song fe ...

" opens with a

funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...

bassline, and following this, they brought in

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...

from

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...

into their live band.

1980s

Beginning in the 1980s, punk funk itself metamorphosised into dance-punk, avant-funk, and funk metal. Almost all punk funk bands were swept up into these new genres; Gang of Four has been described as dance-punk. The Jam split up in 1982, and its member

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

formed

the Style Council The Style Council were an English pop band formed in Woking in 1982 by Paul Weller, the former lead vocalist, principal songwriter and guitarist with the rock band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

a year later, which saw Weller take his music in a more soulful direction, which was only hinted at on later Jam releases. Following Minutemen's 1985 breakup, George Hurley and

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ca ...

would take their music into a more

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

vein with Firehose, although hints of Minutemen's blend of punk, funk, and

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

could be heard. However, one group associated with punk funk which emerged in the UK during this period was

the Higsons The Higsons were an English funk-punk band, who existed between 1980 and 1986. History Founded in 1980 at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, Norfolk, England, The Higsons' first recording was on the ''Norwich - A Fine City'' compilat ...

. In the 1980s,

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his tee ...

would break through with his biggest commercial success in " Super Freak". He has, over the years, branded himself as the "King of punk funk", and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

Bay State Banner ''The Bay State Banner'' is a weekly newspaper primarily geared toward the readership interests of the African-American community in Boston, Massachusetts. Distributed free of charge, it was founded in 1965 by Melvin B. Miller, who remained the ...

'' have noted his punk funk sound. uDiscover Music argues that the punk context was in his street attitude, and not in a musical one.

2000s

In 2005, CSS released '' Cansei de Ser Sexy'', which has been described as punk funk by Australian newspaper ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''.

2020s

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

'' by EOB has been described as punk funk by ''Pitchfork''.

References

{{Funk 1970s in music 1980s in music Punk rock genres Funk genres British styles of music