| Mysteries of Funk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 1998 |
| Genre | Drum and bass, jungle |
| Length | 1:52:21 |
| Label | Sony [1] |
| Producer | Grooverider |
Mysteries of Funk is an album by the English drum and bass artist Grooverider, released in 1998. [2] [3] The album's first single was "Rainbows of Colour". [4]
The album peaked at No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Robert Christgau |  [8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [9] |
| Melody Maker | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
The Washington Post thought that, "with its jazzy trumpets and congas and its ethereal synths, it seems to owe as much to the Star Trek TV show (which is sampled on several cuts) as to James Brown." [4] Rolling Stone concluded that "there's something dutiful about the music, as if Grooverider simply made a record because he thinks that's what big-time DJs are supposed to do." [11]
The Observer wrote that "the best passages of Mysteries of Funk entwine d'n'b's percussive intricacy with languorous jazzy moods of a Miles Davis hue ... Against this are dull 10-minute tracks stuck in a tape loop." [12] The New York Times called Mysteries of Funk "an elegant record with many textures, many instruments and blissful serenity amid hurtling beats." [13]
AllMusic wrote that the album "succeeds most when Groove is wrapping his drum'n'bass two-step around a distinctly mainstream attention to house and fusion ambience." [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cybernetic Jazz" | 12:18 |
| 2. | "Rainbows of Colour (feat. Roya Arab)" | 8:21 |
| 3. | "On the Double" | 8:45 |
| 4. | "Time & Space (feat. Sophie Barker)" | 7:10 |
| 5. | "Where's Jack the Ripper" | 9:14 |
| 6. | "Fly with Me" | 1:56 |
| 7. | "C Funk (feat. Cleveland Watkiss)" | 11:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Starbase 23" | 10:20 |
| 2. | "Time & Space (feat. Sophie Barker) (Heaven Mix)" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Rivers of Congo" | 8:28 |
| 4. | "Imagination [Part 1 & 2] (feat. Sophie Barker)" | 8:25 |
| 5. | "560 Degrees" | 7:21 |
| 6. | "Imagination [Part 3] (feat. Sophie Barker)" | 4:55 |
| 7. | "Stay with Me" | 10:01 |
| 8. | "Rainbows of Colour (feat. Roya Arab) (Heaven's Breath Mix)" | 0:18 |
Raymond Bingham, better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene.
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, and rap. For the first time, the band's songs were credited to the Clash as a group, rather than to Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by the Temptations was issued later the same year. This latter version of the song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Superstition" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was released on October 24, 1972, as the lead single from his fifteenth studio album, Talking Book (1972), by Tamla. The lyrics describe popular superstitions and their negative effects.
All 'n All is the eighth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. All 'n All has also been certified Triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in Canada by Music Canada and Silver in the UK by the BPI.
Throwin' Down is the 6th studio album by Rick James, released in 1982 via the Gordy imprint of Motown Records. It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Although not as popular as Street Songs, Throwin' Down is certified gold by the RIAA. It was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Chocolate City is the third album by the funk band Parliament, released in 1975. It was a "tribute to Washington D.C.", where the group had been particularly popular. The album's cover includes images of the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial in the form of a chocolate medallion, as well as sticker labeled "Washington DC". The album was very popular in the capitol city, selling 150,000 copies alone there.
"Sexy MF" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, released as a single from their 1992 album Love Symbol. The music and most of the lyrics were composed by Prince, while Levi Seacer Jr. came up with the chorus and the song's title. Tony M. also delivers a rap, which he wrote. The song and its refrain "You sexy motherfucker" caused some controversy, and edited versions were produced for radio, the music video and the US version of the album. The song was recorded in Paisley Park's Studio A in December 1991.
The Bells is the ninth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in May 1979 by Arista Records. It was recorded in binaural sound at Delta Studios in Wilster, West Germany. Production was handled by Reed with Michael Fonfara serving as executive producer. Three out of nine songs on the album are the product of a short-lived writing partnership between Reed and Nils Lofgren. More of the team's work appeared on Nils' solo studio album Nils, released the same year. Lofgren released his version of "Stupid Man" as "Driftin' Man" on Break Away Angel (2001). Lofgren resurrected five songs he wrote with Reed in the late 70s on Blue with Lou (2019).
Light of Worlds is the fifth studio album, and seventh album of new material by the American R&B group Kool & the Gang. Released in 1974, it was later remastered by Polygram and was a second success for the band, reaching number 16 in the R&B chart and number 63 in the pop chart. It was a landmark in the funk/jazz fusion genre of the 1970s.
The Force is the ninth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1977 on De-Lite Records. The album peaked at No. 33 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The Need of Love is the second studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 35 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. The Need of Love would be the band's final album for Warner Bros. until 1993's Millennium on Reprise Records.
Sun Goddess is a jazz album by Ramsey Lewis, released on Columbia Records in 1974. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Sun Goddess was also certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Numbers is the seventh studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1979. It was the band's first album without Chaka Khan on lead vocals. Instead, band members Tony Maiden and David "Hawk" Wolinski shared lead vocal duties, with additional female leads by Helen Lowe and Maxayne. The album reached #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, #81 on Pop and included the single release "Keep It Together ".
In the Name of Love is the seventeenth studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in July 1997 on Rhino Records. The album reached No. 19 on the UK R&B Albums chart and No. 25 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart.
Places and Spaces is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd, that was released on Blue Note in 1975.
Escape Artist is an album by Garland Jeffreys, released in 1981 by Epic Records. The album originally included the EP Escapades. The cover photography is by Anton Corbijn.
All the Way Live is a compilation album released on June 21, 2000, by the Washington, D.C.-based go-go band Trouble Funk.
Matt Quinn, known by his stage name Optical, is a British musician, producer and DJ. He is co-founder and owner of Virus Recordings, a widely regarded drum and bass record label. He is best known as one half of drum and bass duo Ed Rush and Optical, whose debut album Wormhole has been described as one of the most significant LPs of the drum and bass genre. He is also the brother of Jamie Quinn also known as Matrix.
Baby, You Can Get Your Gun! is an album by the American blues musician Snooks Eaglin, released in 1987. It was regarded as a comeback for Eaglin, who had not put out an album since 1978.
