THE LEGENDS MIXES - 'SUMMER FONKIN' & WATCHIN' GIRLS'' (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Yeah, I grew up with Bootsy Collins and didn't even know it. He was behind so much stuff I loved as a kid. I had actually 'outgrown' the funk for a minute, or so I thought. Once you really know the funk, there is no way you can outgrow it. In actuality, the funk, like hip-hop, is in everything I do.

In the summer of '88 or so, I was hanging out with Modern Vending a lot. They kinda took me in. I sure loved those dudes. Duncan and I hit it off immediately when we met at Second Time Around, a great used-record store that helped form a lotta what has made me the Artist I am now. The drummer, Will Sibley and I actually toyed with the idea of forming a rap-group called the 'BZeroP'. That stands for 'Bar None Posse'...HAHAHA!!! Toooo good, man. Too good, yo...



We had the hats right, at least. We actually made a tape of us drunkenly freestyling and Will cracked off this line that Coalition ended up sampling for the hook to a song, 'Why Did I Say It?'. (What the...? Who's hand is that...?). During this Summer, I was always wanting to go to Duncan's and listen to records and make tapes, talk about Music and what his band was doing, and drink the cheapest malt-liquor we could find. It was a great time.

I made one tape in particular that I'll never forget. Duncan pulled out a Bootsy album one day and asked if I was hip to it. I was like 'Yeah, that's the one that had the glasses in it." Duncan asked me when was the last time I had listened to it. "Man, I couldn't tell you I haven't listened to that stuff since I was a kid. I'm kinda not into that anymore." Sure, I had been a funkateer my whole life, but I was now listening to...well, "Modern Vending, PE, Sonic Youth, Run-DMC, Jot, R.E.M. and stuff like that, I guess." I suppose I thought there wasn't room in there for the stuff that I listened to as a kid. "Man, I have been there." I was 'growing'...I had no idea as to how silly I musta sounded.

Then we gotta talking about how all the hip-hoppers I loved were just sampling P-Funk. He mentioned the 'NWA Dude' in particular, pointing out that 'Dopeman' was really just a big ol' 'Funky Worm' celebration/rip-off. He said that I should start looking into P-Funk for the samples and stuff. We pulled out all the P-Funk and P-Funk related records..."YEAAAH, man, My Uncle Marc had this one! AWWWWW damn!, You still got the pull-out on the little stand-up figures, man! Play 'Mr. Wiggles'. Later in the day, Duncan told me to listen to the Meters. I specifically remeber him saying 'Man, there's tons of stuff in their records. They're really funky." I had never heard these dudes in my life. I made a tape that day, filled it with the Bootsy songs I wasn't already hip to from childhood and filled it out with about eight Meters songs. I sat there with my friend reintroducing myself to the funk, the Music I waited for every summer. Duncan accidentally made me a 'crate-digger'.

Why would you wanna outgrow this dude, anyway?



My Uncle Marc and I went to see Bootsy about three years after my booster-shot from Duncan. It was one of the best shows I have seen. Two memories; 1) Bootsy played the first ten minutes with his back to the audience...just BUMPIN. He had a sheet over his outfit and he turned around sooooooo sloooooow. When he finally did turn around, he flung the sheet off, and you could see him in his full 'Bootzilla' glory. He was cheesing, the 'Space Bass', awwwww, DAMN! It was awesome....2) After an awe-inspiring, tear-and-gyration-inducing, incredible set, Bootsy starts asking if the crowd can feel him. Everybody in the place is delirious with joy and fonk. Bootsy says he "wants to touch everybody" and puts down his bass. He comes off the stage into the front row and walks through THE ENTIRE CLUB (BALCONY INCLUDED) and touches every single person, while the band just keeps fonkin'. I had never seen anything like it and I haven't seen anything like it since.

As for the Slave/Steve Arrington songs that are in there? They were always one of my personal faves as a kid. Their music always reminds me of the Summer. They always had a Summer jam, with a sick bassline...and my Aunties liked them, too. I originally had made this mix for them and I wanted to share it with you guys. It's just a lotta fun.

MP3;
RUSTY REDENBACHER - SUMMER FONKIN' & WATCHIN' GIRLS [zshare]<-Click that and you'll be weak in the knees and yaaaaaba-fonkin' on, bobba. 

Playlist

1) Snap Shot - Slave
2) Nobody Can Be You - Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame
3) Just A Touch Of Love - Slave
4) Weak At The Knees - Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame
5) Bootzilla - Bootsy Collins
6) Bootsy! Get Live! - Bootsy Collins
7) The Pinocchio Theory - Bootsy Collins
8) Stretchin' Out - Bootsy Collins
9) Body Slam - Bootsy Collins
10) Psychoticbumpschool - Bootsy Collins
11) Ahhh...The Name Is Bootsy - Bootsy Collins
12) Outro - Bootsy Collins

Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow!