Funky Friday – Episode 69: Front To Back

🎧 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

Add to Google Calendar

🎶 Catch the Replay → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Airdate: 5.29.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2

Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!

Funky Friday – Episode 69: Front To Back

The groove does not stand still. It moves.

One artist hears something and changes it. Another hears that change and pushes it further. A bassline becomes a movement. A rhythm becomes a language. A generation becomes another generation.

Funky Friday Episode 69: Front to Back explores funk not as nostalgia, but as continuity.

Rather than separating old school and new school into blocks, this episode alternates them from beginning to end. Every classic track is paired with a modern descendant. Every modern selection points backward. Some connections are obvious. Others reveal themselves gradually.

The journey begins with People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul and immediately jumps forward through Funk You Muthafunka. The songs are separated by decades, but they speak the same language: rhythm first, movement first, groove first. From there, synthesizers evolve into new textures, talkbox transforms into atmosphere, and the DNA of funk continues mutating without losing itself.

The episode graphic reflects that same idea.

A traditional yin-yang rebuilt from vinyl.

One side broadcasts at 9am.

One side returns at 9pm.

Morning and night. Front and back. Old and new.

Not opposites. Complements.

Because the best funk never disappears. It changes shape. Then comes back around.

Keep the signal alive.

Funky Friday – Episode 69: Front To Back

🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES

James Brown — People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul (1973)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals), Fred Wesley (trombone), Jimmy Nolen (guitar), John “Jabo” Starks (drums), Fred Thomas (bass).

Renegade Note: The ignition source. Rhythm stripped to essentials and rebuilt into propulsion. Not simply funk — instruction. Get up. Move.

Ghost-Note — Funk You Muthafunka (2018)

Personnel: Robert “Sput” Searight (drums), Nate Werth (percussion), MonoNeon (bass), Vaughn Henry (keys), Xavier Taplin (keys).

Renegade Note: Decades later, the mission remains recognizable. Modern precision layered onto classic funk instincts.

Earth, Wind & Fire — September (1978)

Personnel: Maurice White (vocals, percussion), Philip Bailey (vocals), Verdine White (bass), Al McKay (guitar), Ralph Johnson (drums, percussion), Earth, Wind & Fire horn section.

Renegade Note: Celebration transformed into groove. Horns, harmony, and rhythm combine to create one of funk's most recognizable and enduring anthems.

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars — Uptown Funk (2014)

Personnel: Mark Ronson (production), Bruno Mars (vocals), Jeff Bhasker (keyboards, production), Philip Lawrence (background vocals), Homer Steinweiss (drums).

Renegade Note: A modern revival built on the foundations of classic funk. Horn stabs, pocket rhythm, and call-and-response energy reconnect contemporary audiences with the traditions pioneered by artists like Earth, Wind & Fire.

Zapp — More Bounce to the Ounce (1980)

Personnel: Roger Troutman (vocals, talkbox), Larry Troutman (drums), Lester Troutman (drums), Bobby Glover (bass).

Renegade Note: Groove engineering. One of the most influential rhythmic templates in modern music.

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic — After Last Night (2021)

Personnel: Bruno Mars (vocals), Anderson .Paak (vocals, drums), Bootsy Collins (guest vocals).

Renegade Note: Revival without reenactment. Vintage warmth filtered through modern production.

Prince — Controversy (1981)

Personnel: Prince (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, production).

Renegade Note: Minimal structure. Maximum identity. One person generating an entire universe.

Janelle Monáe — Make Me Feel (2018)

Personnel: Janelle Monáe (vocals), Nate “Rocket” Wonder (production), Roman GianArthur (guitar, arrangement).

Renegade Note: One generation speaking directly to another while refusing imitation.

James Brown — Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals), Maceo Parker (saxophone), John “Jabo” Starks (drums), Fred Wesley (trombone).

Renegade Note: Performance converted directly into propulsion.

Cory Wong — Jax (2021)

Personnel: Cory Wong (guitar), Petar Janjić (drums), Sonny T (bass), Kevin Gastonguay (keyboards), Cory Wong band horn section.

Renegade Note: Built on relentless rhythm guitar, disciplined pocket, and forward momentum. The groove remains the destination, carrying the rhythmic philosophy of classic funk into a modern ensemble setting.

Parliament — Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) (1975)

Personnel: George Clinton (vocals), Bernie Worrell (keys), Bootsy Collins (bass), Eddie Hazel (guitar).

Renegade Note: The invitation remains open. Funk as collective experience.

Dumpstaphunk — Justice 2020 (2020)

Personnel: Ivan Neville (keyboards, vocals), Ian Neville (guitar), Tony Hall (bass), Nick Daniels III (bass, vocals), Nikki Glaspie (drums), Trombone Shorty (featured trombone), Chali 2na (featured vocals).

Renegade Note: New Orleans funk carrying the communal spirit of classic groove traditions into a modern era. Multiple basses, deep pocket, and collective energy transform social commentary into movement.

🔗 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

Add to Google Calendar

🎶 Catch the Replay → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Funk Facts

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James Brown — People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul

Built around interlocking rhythm guitar, tightly disciplined drumming, and repetitive vocal commands that treat groove as propulsion rather than accompaniment. The arrangement strips harmony down to expose rhythm as the central event and establishes many of the performance instincts later adopted across funk and hip-hop.

Ghost-Note — Funk You Muthafunka

Constructed from layered percussion, modern drum precision, syncopated bass movement, and dynamic ensemble interplay. Dense rhythmic detail replaces harmonic complexity while preserving the physical momentum established by earlier funk traditions.

Earth, Wind & Fire — September

Built around tightly synchronized horn arrangements, fluid bass movement, layered vocal harmonies, and crisp rhythmic interplay. The groove balances precision and exuberance, creating a dance-floor energy that remains both sophisticated and immediately accessible.

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars — Uptown Funk

Constructed from punchy horn stabs, interlocking rhythm guitar, deep pocket drumming, and call-and-response vocal phrasing. Modern production techniques amplify classic funk architecture while preserving the live-band energy and infectious rhythmic momentum at the song's core.

Zapp — More Bounce to the Ounce

Centered on talkbox processing, minimal chord movement, and hypnotic rhythmic repetition. Electronic textures become emotional rather than mechanical while the groove remains intentionally spacious and highly repeatable.

Silk Sonic — After Last Night

Constructed from warm analog-inspired production, relaxed rhythmic pacing, and layered vocal arrangement. The track recreates vintage funk and soul textures while using contemporary recording precision and dynamic control.

Prince — Controversy

Built from machine-tight rhythm, minimal harmonic vocabulary, and highly controlled instrumental layering. Prince compresses an entire band’s worth of energy into concise repetitive structures that prioritize feel over density.

Janelle Monáe — Make Me Feel

Driven by syncopated rhythm guitar, punchy synthesizer accents, and sharply defined rhythmic spacing. The arrangement intentionally references Minneapolis funk while reshaping it through contemporary pop and electronic production.

James Brown — Get Up Offa That Thing

Constructed from short rhythmic phrases, call-and-response vocal energy, and continuous forward motion. Instrumental parts function less as melody and more as coordinated momentum systems.

Cory Wong — Jax

Built around tightly articulated rhythm guitar, synchronized horn figures, and highly disciplined drum-and-bass interplay. The arrangement prioritizes groove, momentum, and precision while allowing each instrumental voice to contribute to a unified rhythmic engine.

Parliament — Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)

Driven by layered vocal hooks, broad harmonic spacing, and large-scale groove architecture. Multiple instrumental voices move independently while remaining anchored to a unified rhythmic center.

Dumpstaphunk — Justice 2020

Built around dual-bass interplay, New Orleans rhythmic traditions, and layered ensemble performance. Featured trombone and hip-hop vocals expand the arrangement while the groove remains anchored in collective musicianship and deep-pocket funk.