When we hear modern music echoing the 1970s, we often describe it as retro. But pulling classic sounds into a new era is easier when the music you borrow from is groundbreaking funk. Funk and soul ...

The foundations of funk were laid down in the mid-1960s, when James Brown began to emphasize the first beat of each measure in his stage-tested and frenzy-inducing R&B songs. Before the decade’s end, ...

For those of a certain age, the words “funk music” bring to mind some of the great acts of the 20th century’s second half. James Brown. Sly and the Family Stone. Ohio Players. The Isley Brothers.

I was strung out on Bach, and Beethoven was my thing. I dug jazz, I dug rock, anything with a swing” — or so goes Funkadelic's 1978 groove “Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!).” Now ...

The foundations of funk were laid down in the mid-1960s, when James Brown began to emphasize the first beat of each measure in his stage-tested and frenzy-inducing R&B songs. Before the decade’s end, ...