Genre story · Rock
Funk Rock
Rock riffs carried by a bass-and-drum groove that asks the body to move differently.
Funk Rock developed across exchanges between African American funk and Rock bands during the late 1960s and following decades. Funk musicians had already used electric guitar extensively, while rock performers borrowed syncopated bass patterns and a stronger dance emphasis. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More became prominent examples of guitar bands working with funk rhythms in different ways. A Funk Rock song may rely on a clipped guitar part, a lively bass line and accents that resist straight hard-rock drumming. The connection is rhythmic and musical, not merely the use of slap bass on one track.
Listening examples
- 1971FunkadelicMaggot Brain1971, early related precedent.
- 1989Red Hot Chili PeppersMother's Milk
- 1989Faith No MoreThe Real Thing