Foot soldiers in George Clinton's extended family of funk, Hamilton, Ohio-born brothers Roger, Larry, Lester, Tony and Terry Troutman formed Zapp in the late-`70s, drawing on their love of funk outfits such as Ohio Players and Parliament-Funkadelic. After a series of false starts for obscure local labels, Troutman and Co. signed to Clinton's vanity label Uncle Jam, releasing their sprawling, vocoder-laden debut in 1980--an album that was eventually picked up by Jam's parent label Warner Brothers. They remained on Warner for a decade, honing their electro-funk craft on five albums, ending with 1989's ZAPP IV. Lead singer and talk-box maestro, Roger went on to pursue solo work during the `90s to varying success. The mid-'90s spawned renewed interest in the group when Zapp's (particularly Troutman's) signature cyborgized vocals began to be sampled by countless hip-hop groups, ushering in rap music's "G-Funk" sound.
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Zapp Artist Snapshot:Product Description
Title NoteReleased in 1980 just as George Clinton's P-funk empire had reached the brink of its existence, Bootsy prot‚g‚ Roger Troutman proved himself a worthy successor with Zapp's self-titled debut album and its subsequent two follow-ups. In actuality, Zapp originally was a branch of the Parliament/Funkadelic collective, as group leader Roger Troutman was originally signed to Clinton's short-lived CBS subsidiary, Uncle Jam Records. After Troutman completed the album with CBS' money, Clinton's help, and Bootsy's production, Warner Bros. stepped in, offered Roger a considerable sum of money, and slyly bought the album -- leaving a distressed Clinton with no Zapp album for his shaky boutique label. Propelled by the dancefloor smash "More Bounce to the Ounce," the album quickly became a considerable hit. It was here that Troutman first defined the vocoder-laden funk aesthetic that would become his trademark for the remainder of his career. In addition to the near ten-minute "More Bounce," the album also featured "Be Alright," another epic jam that slowed down the funk to a smoked-out, almost ballad-like tempo (both songs would later fuel numerous early-'90s West Coast rap hits via sampling). Of the remaining four songs, "Funky Bounce" and "Brand New Player" also stand as perennial standouts, further affirming Troutman's dense funk aesthetic. Later Zapp albums would have their moments, but this debut is absolutely solid from beginning to end, in addition to being the foundation from which Troutman would base all later work, and with "More Bounce to the Ounce" and "Be Alright," it houses two of the best moments in '80s funk. ~ Jason Birchmeier If You Enjoy "Zapp (CD)", May We Also Recommend:Customer Reviews for "Zapp (CD)" by Zapp (Artist)There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review! Explore More Great Tower Sales & Specials
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