funk connection
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is Mike's skincare regime?
A: You can never underestimate the effectiveness of the old basics - repair, cleanse, tone and, of course, moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. Take particular care around that delicate eye area and avoid alchohol, red meat, coffee, tea, smoking, sunshine, late nights, cheese, chips, protracted bouts of oral sex and make sure you eat plenty fruit and veg.
Q: What is funk?
A: No short answer to this one. Funk is an American music style that originated in the mid to late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and rhythm and blues into a rhythmic, danceable new genre of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony, and brings a strong groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Unlike R&B and soul songs which had many chord changes and transitions, funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord. Like much of African and Latin American inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove created by instruments such as electric guitar and bass, Hammond organ and drums playing interlocking patterns with a horn section of saxophones, trumpets and trombones playing rhythmic hits and swells.
Influential early funk performers include James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, George Clinton and Parliament, Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, The Meters, The Funk Brothers and Bootsie Collins. Going into the 1970s and 80s Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley and the JBs, Tower of Power, Prince, The Average White Band, The Ohio Players, The Commodores, Kool and The Gangand The Isley Brothers. Through to the present day Freak Power, A Certain Ratio, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Phat Phunktion, Volfpeck,Cory Wong, Ian Dury's Blockheads, ElectroDeluxe, Tom McGuire and The Brassholes and many more all carry the funk sound forward.
Funk music was a major influence on the development of disco musicand funk samples are used extensively in hip hop and it is also the major founding influence of Go-Go music.
Q: How long do you guys play for?
A: About 2 hours. We play a long set. We love it.
Q: Do you do weddings?
A: No. We are NOT a wedding band that plays a bit of this and a bit of that.
Q: Do you have any studio recordings or are you on Spotify?
A: We are a live band covering classic tunes. We don't see the point of going to a studio to re-record something that is already amazing. You can listen to live recordings taken from the sound desk from a recent gig in the music section of this web site. Apart from that, the best way to hear us is live.