Oh wow! I hadn’t heard that in a long time.
3 Likes
More bass riff candidates for your consideration:
- Meshell Ndegeocello - If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night)
- CHIC - Everybody Dance (Official Music Video)
- CHIC - I Want Your Love
- The O’Jays - For the Love of Money - beginner-friendly, excellent study in syncopation, and a great example that a hooky bass riff doesn’t need to be flashy or fast–and a rare use of a flanger/phaser pedal on a prominent bass line
- A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
- Michael Jackson - Get on the Floor (Louis Johnson, bassist)
- Earth, Wind & Fire (feat. The Emotions) - Boogie Wonderland
- Slave - Just a Touch of Love
- Prince - Lady Cab Driver
- Prince - Pop Life
- Prince - Uptown
- Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real
- Duran Duran - Rio (Nile Rogers from Chic was album producer)
- Duran Duran - New Religion (Nile Rogers from Chico was album producer)
- Grace Jones - Pull Up to My Bumper
- Stanley Clark - We Supply - basically an advanced study in slapping’ & poppin’
- Jocelyn Brown - Somebody Else’s Guy
- Graham Central Station - Pow
- Sly & The Family Stone - If You Want Me To Stay - the bass riff is mostly a continuous stream of slightly, swung staccato eighth notes played a smidge ahead of the beat. A great example of a funk song where the bass establishes a groove through “time feel”, and one that does NOT use the usual funk techniques slap & pop or syncopated 16th notes landing on* “e” and “a” subdivisions. The staccato eighths bass line and the bass playing slightly ahead of the beat is tricking the listener’s brain into feeling syncopation when none is happening.
- James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing
- The Whispers - And the Beat Goes On
- Brandy - Sittin’ Up In My Room
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With Vulfpeck/Joe Dart, it’s hard to pick just one for the funkiest. They are the modern funk.
or
or
or
Roll a D20 and take your pick of almost any Vulf song.
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@micklerd , a really good list. “If You Want Me To Stay” has always been one of my favorites. I had actually had it transcribed last week and was told that,
*"The track was originally recorded in A and then sped up almost 2 steps. *
The closest key to what you hear is Bb with your bass tuned up to +/- 450Hz.
*If you tune up your bass almost 2 steps (almost F# B E A), you can use *
the fingerings of how it was originally played."
I’ve got other things in the immediate cue, but I when I get to it I’m hoping for a good level of funkiness with my standard EADG.
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One more, little bit obscure, but Do the Bus Stop by The Fatback Band. This is the original, but was covered a few years ago by Chaka Khan. Simple bass line, but got some solid funkiness.
Also, The Brothers Johnson, Get the Funk Out Ma Face
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This spotify Funk playlist by Dan Hawkins makes things easier for me to list :
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I think this is probably the one and only time in my life that a playlist has moved me so much. Not only is all of this the music that made me wish i could dance, it also made me wish i could be the guy playing the bass in these tracks.
Huge thanks to @JoshFossgreen for yet again reminding me why i started this!
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The Chicken is a personal favorite!
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How about the Commadores Brick House?
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Oh, now you’re talking! I was playing that one in my practice today! It’s SO MUCH FUN! nothing you do or play is wrong.
(i hope) 
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Hadn’t heard this before. My exact words when I heard the line:
MMMmmm!
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Wojtek at NAMM 2015
1 Like