Culture Cypher Radio July Chart: George Clinton’s birthday and the wide-reaching influence of P-Funk
This month marks George Clinton’s 80th birthday and I’ve been thinking (and talking!) a lot about the musical worlds that he has built for us. Born in the south but raised up north and on the east coast, Clinton’s musical roots in the blues, soul, gospel, and doo-wop / R&B equipped him with a particular set of tools necessary for the music that he would make in the future.
With the emotive power of the blues, gospel’s intimate relationship with the metaphysical, and doo-wop’s democratic, communal approach to music-making, George Clinton would pour a wealth of influences into his greatest experiment; Parliament/Funkadelic. On The World Cafe this month, Raina Douris and I discussed P-Funk at length and unpack the broad, fantastic vision that Clinton helped execute. We also discussed the contemporary music that P-Funk has influenced, highlighting the ways in which Clinton’s ideas still pop up today.
This edition of Culture Cypher Radio not only opens with a mini P-Funk set, but the musical programming was also inspired by the adventurousness that Clinton practiced. With new cuts like Moor Mother (feat. Pink Siifu) “Obsidian” and “Venus” from Emma-Jean Thackray’s Jazz-Funk epic Yellow alongside classics by A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets, this episode spans decades, styles and moods.
Happy Birthday George Clinton. R.I.P. Gift Of Gab <3
1. Parliament-Funkadelic – Flashlight
2. Blackalicious feat. Saul Williams and Zack De la Rocha – Release
3. Premrock feat. Curly Castro and Zilla Rocca – Reductive
4. The Awakening – Glory To The Sun
5. DJ Harrison – Pen Eyes 1 (Starry Night)
6. Skyzoo – Bed-Stuy Is Burning
7. Moor Mother feat. Pink Siifu – Obsidian
8. Emma-Jean Thackray – Spectre
9. The Roots – Stay Cool
10. Digable Planets – Rebirth Of Slick
Parliament — Flashlight
Funkadelic — Hit It And Quit It
Funkadelic — I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody’s Got A Thing
Premrock feat. ELUCID — Remorse
Premrock feat. Curly Castro & Zilla Rocca — Reductive
Blackalicious — Make You Feel That Way
Blackalicious feat. Saul Williams and Zack De la Rocha — Release
Blackalicious — Swan Lake
The Awakening — Glory To the Sun
Kinkai — Better Today
Verbatum Jones feat. Four:8 — Samson
(Liv).e — You The One Fish in the Sea
The Roots — Adrenaline (Live at Woodstock 99)
The Roots — Stay Cool
Jazzy Jeff feat. Jill Scott — We Live In Philly Baby
DJ Harrison — Pen Eyes 1 (Starry Night)
Skyzoo — Bed-Stuy Is Burning
Moor Mother feat. Pink Siifu — Obsidian
AKAI SOLO — Barbatos
De la Soul feat. Biz Markie — Stone Age
First Choice — Let No Man Put Asunder (Shep Pettibone)
Black Sheep — Without A Doubt
Emma-Jean Thackray — Venus
Emma-Jean Thackray — Spectre
Emma-Jean Thackray — Mercury
The Fugees — Fu-gee-la
Edwin Starr — War (King Britt remix)
E.W. Wainwright Jr.’s African Roots Of Jazz — The Healer/Don’t Break
Shabazz Palaces — Free Press And Curl
Jesse Markin — Vidhjarta
Boogie Monsters — Bronx Bombers
A Tribe Called Quest — Award Tour
A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight
Digable Planets — Pacifics
Digable Planets — Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
The Tamlins — Baltimore
Budamunk & Yotaro — Rube Goldberg
Oliver Nelson and Telefon Tel Aviv — Stolen Moments