by Grey Burrell | staff writer
Lately, I’ve been noticing that funk and soul have been making a comeback in today’s society, with bands like Parliament Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Commodores, and even more talented musicians from this era to have to inspire and influence people, it’s great that it’s finally happening.
To start off, I’ll introduce a group that I have been a fan of for a while now, one that is really bringing the funk back as well as giving it a good reputation to the newer generation of music buffs. Not only that, but if this style of music is to continue gaining in popularity in today’s society, people who were original fans of funk may be pleasantly surprised.
Not afraid to bring back the eclectic nature of funk music, the band Vulfpeck is a group of young seasoned session musicians that banded together to form a great modern day funk/soul group. Focusing on Vulfpeck’s sound and style, you can really tell how people like Bernard Purdie, a session drummer that helped with the offbeat, yet funky synchronized drum patterns the 70’s, Louie Shelton, who helped shape the guitar patterns that inspired early 70’s funk groups, Even Louis Johnson is still influencing people today, to the bass slapping and thick basslines that brought funk to life in the 70’s.
While this band may bring back memories to those who grew up with the music, the style of “funk” could become even more popular among the younger generation. Theo Katzman, the drummer of Vulfpeck, has stated that his influences include a wide variety of genres, from classic rock to R&B, but soul and funk seem to be the key factors. The bassist, Joe Dart, a talented musician that brings his funk upbringing to life with his bass lines and style, utilizes staccato blue notes and heavy slapping techniques that he has mastered.
As for getting the band out there and being an amazing keyboardist, It would be sacrilege to leave out Joe Stratton, the genius behind it all. He organizes all the music videos with help from Katzman, and also worked together with a programmer to release a plugin for other fellow music creators to get their sound out there to help get funk back into the mainline of musical roots.
Another key thing that really brings out the band’s style and love for old school sound, they hired Devin Kerr, a mastering engineer who also shares the love of the lo-fi, crunch of the 70’s. He and the band utilize vintage tape recordings and vintage synthesizers to get the sound that really defines themselves as a group.
Vulfpeck has inspired many people to go back to their roots musically, and as a result, many other musicians are now starting to produce this fine genre of music. In addition, as funk continues to gain in popularity, more people are choosing to educate themselves on the origins of funk. The sheer quality of the music that this group puts out is outstanding, and they just keep coming out with more and more. They are truly musical geniuses that are proving themselves in today’s music scene.
