PBS is airing a new documentary on the history of Funk

By
5 Magazine
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PBS is set to air the new documentary charting the history of Funk music, with an emphasis on soul, Afrofuturism and the music’s origins in the Midwest.

We Want the Funk! directed by acclaimed documentarian Stanley Nelson, is airing at US PBS stations across the country in April as part of the Independent Lens series.

We Want The Funk! is “a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness”:

“Featuring James Brown’s dynamism, the extraterrestrial funk of George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, the story also traces funk’s influences on both new wave and hip-hop.”

 

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The film features interviews with George Clinton, Questlove, Kirk Franklin, David Byrne and others:

“Distinctly rooted in joy, funk music reflected a post-Civil Rights Movement sensibility. “WE WANT THE FUNK!” examines the symbiotic relationship between the explosion of funk music out of the Midwest and the political and racial dynamics in 1970s inner-city America. At the heart of the film are the first-hand stories, recollections, and experiences of the people who created and defined funk: George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic; Fred Wesley of The J.B.’s; Robert ‘Kool’ Bell from Kool & The Gang; Marcus Miller; Nona Hendryx of Labelle; Kirk Franklin; David Byrne of the Talking Heads; Prince Paul, DJ and Producer for De La Soul; along with additional perspectives from Questlove and Thomas DeFrantz. The film also features archival interviews with musical icons, including James Brown, Elton John, David Bowie, and more.”

 

Stanley Nelson is one of America’s most accomplished documentary directors, having previously taken on subjects from the Black Panthers, the murder of Emmett Till, the Wounded Knee occupation and the Attica prison riot. His 2019 documentary, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, earned a Grammy nomination for producer Nicole London, who is co-director and co-producer of We Want The Funk!

The official release date for Independent Lens’ presentation of We Want The Funk! is April 8 2025; check your local PBS station for local air times.

 

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