Trouble Funk
Encyclopedia
Trouble Funk is an American
R&B
and funk band from Washington, DC. It helped to popularize that area's local funk
subgenre known as go-go. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas." They released several studio album
s including Drop the Bomb, In Times of Trouble, Live, and Trouble Over Here, Trouble Over There (UK
#54), and two live album
s, Trouble Funk - Straight Up Go-Go Style and Saturday Night Live. In 1982, they released a single
"So Early In The Morning" on D.E.T.T Records, later reissued on diverse labels as 2.13.61 & Tuff City
. Trouble Funk sometimes shared the stage with hardcore punk
bands of the day such as Minor Threat
and the Big Boys.
Its song "Pump Me Up" was sampled
by many other artistsm and was featured in the film Style Wars
and the fictional R&B radio station Wild Style in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
.
"Pump Me Up" was sampled in Dimple D's one-hit wonder
"Sucker DJ," which went to #1 in Australia
.
Keyboard player Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed died at the age of 50 on April 13, 2008, from pancreatic cancer
.
Trouble Funk continues to remain a figure on the Washington, DC, area live-music scene, and holds a weekly Friday night spot at Alexandria, VA's Holiday Inn.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and funk band from Washington, DC. It helped to popularize that area's local funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
subgenre known as go-go. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas." They released several studio album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s including Drop the Bomb, In Times of Trouble, Live, and Trouble Over Here, Trouble Over There (UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#54), and two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s, Trouble Funk - Straight Up Go-Go Style and Saturday Night Live. In 1982, they released a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"So Early In The Morning" on D.E.T.T Records, later reissued on diverse labels as 2.13.61 & Tuff City
Tuff City Records
Tuff City Records is a New York-based record label founded by journalist Aaron Fuchs in 1981. Initially concentrating on hip hop music, the label's roster expanded to include doo-wop, dancehall, and hip hop-jazz fusion, and releases included reissues of music from as far back as the 1940s.Fuchs was...
. Trouble Funk sometimes shared the stage with hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands of the day such as Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
and the Big Boys.
Its song "Pump Me Up" was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by many other artistsm and was featured in the film Style Wars
Style Wars
Style Wars is a 1983 documentary on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. The film has an emphasis on graffiti, although bboying and rapping are covered to a lesser extent...
and the fictional R&B radio station Wild Style in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
.
"Pump Me Up" was sampled in Dimple D's one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
"Sucker DJ," which went to #1 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Keyboard player Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed died at the age of 50 on April 13, 2008, from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
.
Trouble Funk continues to remain a figure on the Washington, DC, area live-music scene, and holds a weekly Friday night spot at Alexandria, VA's Holiday Inn.
Discography
- Straight Up Funk Go Go Style (Jamtu Records, 1981)
- Drop The Bomb (Sugar HillSugar Hill Records (rap)Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
, 1982) - In Times Of Trouble (D.E.T.T. Records, 1983)
- Say What? (IslandIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, 1986) - Trouble Over Here Trouble Over There (IslandIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, 1987)