Punk funk emerged in the late 1970s, however, it was eclipsed in the 1980s by
dance-punk,
avant-funk, and
funk metal later in the 1980s, all of which are also alternatively described as punk funk. Despite this, punk funk has been occasionally used in more recent years to describe
bands such as
CSS and their 2005 album
Cansei de Ser Sexy.
1970s Ian Dury and the Blockheads, formed in 1977, have been described as punk funk. The earliest punk funk band is probably
Talking Heads, having formed in 1975. Their track "
Psycho Killer" opens with a
funky bassline, and following this, they brought in
Bernie Worrell from
Funkadelic into their live band.
1980s Beginning in the 1980s, punk funk itself metamorphosised into dance-punk, avant-funk, and funk metal. Almost all punk funk bands were swept up into these new genres; Gang of Four has been described as dance-punk. The Jam split up in 1982, and its member
Paul Weller formed
the Style Council a year later, which saw Weller take his music in a more
soulful direction, which was only hinted at on later Jam releases. Following Minutemen's 1985 breakup,
George Hurley and
Mike Watt would take their music into a more
experimental vein with
Firehose, although hints of Minutemen's blend of punk, funk, and
free jazz could be heard. However, one group associated with punk funk which emerged in the UK during this period was
the Higsons. In the 1980s,
Rick James would break through with his biggest commercial success in "
Super Freak". He has, over the years, branded himself as the "King of punk funk", and
The New York Times and
Bay State Banner have noted his punk funk sound.
uDiscover Music argues that the punk context was in his street attitude, and not in a
musical one.
2000s In 2005,
CSS released
Cansei de Ser Sexy, which has been described as punk funk by Australian newspaper
The Age.
2020s Earth by
EOB has been described as punk funk by
Pitchfork. ==References==