1980: Funk (Patreon)

A confession: early 80s soul and funk is a bit of an unknown region for me. My (very indie-centric) musical education tended to jump straight from disco to house, which left about half a decade of Black American music unaccounted for.

So part of my sorting process with this bracket and the “Disco” one was whether I knew a track or not. The ones I was less familiar with mostly ended up in here, and my hope was that they’d lead to a broader, deeper range than the more upfront joys of those groups.

As it was, that didn’t actually give me enough material for a bracket so I threw in a group of British new wave-ish tracks, as the titration of funk, reggae, and disco through the post-punk test-tube helped define UK pop for the next half-decade. They sit awkwardly in the playlist, distant and nervous cousins in a bracket full of suavity and expertise.

The rest of the groups are more sounds from the disco afterglow, full of gorgeously arranged strings, mid-paced, slinky rhythms and great hooks. It’s jam after jam, from the brittle late-Chic spikiness of Sister Sledge’s “Pretty Baby” to the late-night silkiness of George Benson’s “Love X Love”. The shadow of Chic looms large, too, over Change’s lush “The Glow Of Love” (though I don’t think The Chic Organisation ever had a male vocalist of Luther Vandross’ calibre to work with) and Geraldine Hunt’s itchy “Can’t Fake The Feeling”. Other tracks owe more to funk - Lakeside’s “Fantastic Voyage” boasts the most irresistible hook in the bracket, later swiped by Coolio, and Cameo’s “Shake Your Pants” is as goofily joyful as you’d hope. Exploring this bracket has been a blast for me, and I hope some of it’s unfamiliar to you too.

POTENTIAL WINNER: It’s hard for me to get much idea which of the soul and funk tracks will break through, as I don’t know anything about their profile. “Mirror In The Bathroom” by The Beat, from the UK group, could go a long way - one of their most memorably twitchy tracks.

DARK HORSE: Chaka Khan has an impeccable record in these tournaments - she’s back with “Papillon (Hot Butterfly)” which is indeed hot, and her name recognition may help it do well in the lower-streamed groups.

BEST TRACK: There aren’t many slow jams in this section, which is my only real regret about it - Odyssey’s “If You’re Looking For A Way Out” is sad and sultry and beautifully done - a classy piece of work, even among this selection.

DISCOVERY: Honestly this could also be Best Track - Shalamar’s wonderful bubblefunk tune “Work It Out”, with swoopy strings AND squelchy keyboards, is a pure delight.

DON’T MISS: Soul singer Richie Havens going deep on his cover of “Going Back To My Roots”, not as urgent as the original but absolutely oozing feeling.