Funkalicious: Dancehall Grooves For Modern Storytellers

Have you seen the film Roll Bounce? It’s one of my favorites. A Black family in 1970s Chicago struggles to deal with the loss of their mother. Chi McBride (incredible actor by the way) plays a bereaved father trying to raise a little girl and a teenage son, played by Bow Wow. McBride tries to prevent his son’s oft-times wayward friends from running amuck, played by the likes of Nick Cannon, Rick Gonzalez, Mike Epps and Khleo Thomas.

These actors are unbelievably funny. In fact, I can’t tell if many of their scenes were scripted or ad-libbed, they are that fluid and believable. It’s hard for me to put into words just how much this story means to me. Maybe that’s because, at least in some small way, I lived my own version of it.

The friendships between these teenage boys take center-stage in this movie. While Bow Wow’s character, named X (short for Xavier), spends the entire film trying to understand his father’s love for him, only a few scenes showcase that tension. Most of the scenes are about his friends and their attempts to become a winning roller-skating team.

This means a lot of this film was shot on an actual roller-skating rink with a ton of GREAT music from the 70s. A lot of this music is funk and it’s a perfect fit to the story (hat tip to music supervisor Barry Cole). But more than anything, the music and the skate-dancing scenes convey an overwhelming sense of joy. These boys love to skate, love to tease each other and just can’t seem to figure out girls. Befuddling.

As much as the film’s rather heavy themes (death, grief, family conflicts) form the emotional center of the story, they are consistently balanced by the joy and freedom of music, friendship and roller skating. When X is at home, he faces the heavy stuff. But when he’s on the rink, with some of the coolest music ever written blasting over those loudspeakers, he is completely free.

This might be why I love this story so much. I experienced family tragedy in the 70s. It upended our lives. Family conflict was common at home. But when I was on roller skates with my friends while funk music pulsed through us like naked electricity, I was completely free. But girls were still a complete mystery.

The Origins Of Funkalicious

As a composer, I never start a project with my own emotions or experience as the centerpiece. I start with story. I picture a director, producer, showrunner, creative director or music supervisor getting to a point in the narrative where they’re stuck. They need music to set the tone for a scene, to do the emotional heavy lifting, but they just can’t quite find the right music. Then I ask myself: “how can I help?” Those are the creative problems I want to help solve.

I take this approach, in part, because I’ve been there as a filmmaker myself. I’ve also watched creative leaders struggle with these moments, where the music is good, but just not quite right. The people I enjoy working with don’t like to settle for good enough. They want excellent.

For Funkalicious, I tried to envision narratives that need moments of complete levity and joy because the other moments in the story are not. This might be, in fact, why I love funk music so much. It’s not lost on me that most funk music originates with Black artists in the U.S. For many of these artists, no doubt, their day-to-day lived experiences in the 1960s and 70s were anything but joyful and free. For context on this, I encourage you to check out Jumia Wignot’s STAX: Soulsville U.S.A. documentary series (which is outstanding).

Yet, somehow, funk artists rose above all of that and wrote music that expressed the fullness of their humanity. They resisted oppression by making joy-filled music. They made art out of pain. I cannot help but feel the spirit of James Baldwin, somehow hear his voice, in their music. That amazes me. All of this is background for how Funkalicious came to be.

For Funkalicious, I tried to envision narratives that need moments of complete levity and joy because the other moments in the story are not.

Who’s In The Band?

Funkalicious contains ten instrumental funk tracks. It is comprised of very few instruments, which include:

• Electric guitar (of several types and varieties)
• Horn section (trumpet, trombone, tenor sax)
• Drums
• Timbales and bongos (used very sparingly)
• An 808 percussion machine (on a couple of tracks)
• Electric Bass

That’s the entire lineup. But don’t let the simplicity of the instrument palette fool you. This music cooks with some very special spices.

How To Get The Most From Funkalicious

Funkalicious is a perfect fit for period stories based in the 1960s, 70s or even the 80s. Consider dance hall scenes or any discotheque setting and you’re in the neighborhood. Of course, given the roller-skating influence, the music works well for scenes set in roller rinks. The tracks even work for scenes of couples or families hanging out at home, just bopping to some cool music, scenes common to TV advertising. Most scenes in urban settings also can benefit from these songs. Establishing shots showing city streets or freeways also gain a sense of place from this music. Any scene requiring good energy and upbeat vibes will get a boost from these songs.

Wrap Up

Thank you again for your interest in Supernatural Sounds, our music and our unique approach to creating music for visual narratives. The ten tracks on Funkalicious will take your production to the next level with vibes and energy that you’ll likely find irresistible. In fact, we believe you won’t be able to resist tapping your toes or swaying your hips as you listen. No roller skates required.