Masters of the Beat
A widely-forgotten compilation of mid-80s electro which primarily reflects the values and themes of CYBERFUNK
CYBERFUNK is a metagenre pastiche conceived to capture the lost or diminished aesthetic vocabulary of the mid-1980s. The best way to understand the laws and byways of CYBERFUNK is to pre-order Time to Make the World End, Vol III, a CD-only mix which explores the network of mainly obscure gestures which make up the sound. You can read more about it here, read a Q&A with ISIL CEO on the DJ Mix’s origins here, or explore ten cyberfunk hits you already know here.
But why read about it when you can experience it firsthand? Pre-order the mix at ISIL.CLUB. Orders ship by end of year; US only, for now. CD only, forever!
Walking down Magazine Street in New Orleans I came upon the Nola Mix Record Shop and found a canonical CYBERFUNK compilation I’ve had an eye out for for some time. I can’t recommend it enough, it’s a real gem, released in 1985 on Tommy Boy Records:
For one thing, it's half-full of exclusive tracks that don’t exist elsewhere—not on 12”, not on other compilations or artist albums. The tracklist is crazy—two from the Latin Rascals, two from Keith LeBlanc, two from Whiz Kid, one from Hashim and a #rare instrumental solo cut from Rick Rubin. The LP was apparently a flop at the time, which is sad because the music is amazing, and according to a note on the back:
The Latin Rascals I have yet to post much about, but they play a considerable role in the formation of the CYBERFUNK aesthetic. On this comp, opener “Lisa’s Coming” is a decent slice of electro, though the ominous, synthesizer-slathered vibe can feel a bit too close to the “Planet Rock” universe or Freestyle to really qualify as full-on post-Run-DMC/Larry Smith CYBERFUNK; both Planet Rock-style Electro and Freestyle have been pretty “on trend” throughout the last few decades of ‘80s revival. “Just Do What You Want,” though, is a quality slab of slamming drum machine funk, a little too dry and percussive to have floated up in electroclash or similar ‘90s-‘00s extractions of the ‘80s.
Keith LeBlanc was discussed in some detail in last week’s Tackhead post on the Best American Band of the 1980s. Here he contributed two solo cuts which are probably my favorite on the LP. Admittedly, this stuff is most appealing if you guilt-ily think the drum solo is usually the best part of being in jazz combo. Both “Uh!” and “Maneuvers” were used in Time to Make the World End, Vol. I. His deft use of echoing drums and shifting rhythmic palettes make for some of the most exciting CYBERFUNK ever made—there’s an amazing friction between his obvious skill and the uncomfortable place technology had put him as a traditional musician. He was a man on a mission at this phase of his career, and it feels like every piece he put out in the mid-1980s was a reinvention, a great piece of creative art, that magic that results when someone of tremendous skill is forced to take on real formal risks. He wasn’t trying to fulfill some existing musical archetype—they didn’t exist, this is really intuitive, innovative music. (Also, it’s the music that most sounds like what’s suggested by the comp’s cover art).
Hashim is known for the legendary electro cut “Al Naafiysh (The Soul)” which veers a little closer to the wet synthesizer sound of classic electro than most true Cyberfunk (which is to say, it never really went out of style and inspired everything from Miami Bass to Funk Carioca to Electroclash). “It’s Nasty,” his contribution here, fits the CYBERFUNK mold because it does have that experimental drum-solo approach to percussion, even if the groove is closer to smooth, svelte West Coast electro or “Set It Off” by Strafe than the stiff hammering CYBERFUNK prototype.
Whiz Kid, real name Harold Mcguire, has two strong contributions to this tape, likely second only to Keith LeBlanc’s in my heart. Mcguire was known as the Roland 808 master behind “Play That Beat Mr. DJ,” a collaboration with MC G.L.O.B.E. that became one of Tommy Boy’s best singles. “Sweet Beat” has a fun swing to it, one of those track that feels like it’s trying to adopt real-world drum cadence to a drum machine which can’t quite keep pace. “Yeah Right!” is my favorite of the Whiz Kid contributions though. As an innovator of the ‘playing with drum machines’ form, he was really on some “next shit.” “Yeah Right!” is up with LeBlanc’s as the best production on this project, cool intricate drum programming with intermittent keyboard stabs which still feels ahead of its time. Sadly Whiz Kid passed away in the 1980s.
The closer is Rick Rubin’s “Dust Cloud.” I’ve been kinda down on Rick Rubin’s productions in other columns, certainly in comparison to other drum machine auteurs like Larry Smith, Davy DMX, Pumpkin, Duke Bootee, Whiz Kid, LeBlanc, etc.—his production on LL Cool J’s debut tends toward the generic arm of the CYBERFUNK sound, which worked nonetheless thanks to LL’s huge personality. I don’t think “Dust Cloud” is liable to make anyone rethink this perspective, there’s something that still feels a bit stiff and amateur. But in this case it works, I think, because Rubin’s Genius is in part being evasive about his weakness and this puts his weakness up front (awkward drum programming, figuring out the drum machine as you go along, squarely-placed hi-hats and drums plodding along with dub echos and melodic horn samples that don’t particularly stick to the mind). And here he is, unashamedly wack, and it turns out that’s a legitimate part of the whole CYBERFUNK appeal—playing with these new toys and determining how they function doesn’t require a PhD in drums or drum programming. Sometimes you want to hear art made by democratized hands! The experimental heart of CYBERFUNK emerges through Rubin’s clunky fingers boxing with the buttons, trying new things, emerging with what turns out to be a pretty singular jewel in not just his discography but the metagenre’s wider canon. I really like it! it has an almost hypnotic unpredictability. The repetitions at 4:07, the cacophonous pots-and-pans clatter that follows, the echoing stabs—you get a sense Rubin has as much idea of where it’s going as you do (and that’s good).
Pre order “Time To Make the World End, Vol III” at ISIL.CLUB! Releasing by the end of December! CD only! US only! Limited supply!