Oct. 5 is National Get Funky Day, so one absolute requirement is to listen to some jammy funk music.<\/p>\n
Berkeley has a rather interesting history with funk music. Rickey Vincent, a UC Berkeley lecturer and host of the radio show \u201cThe History of Funk,\u201d has written books about and helped students gain a critical understanding of the genre. Tower of Power, the legendary funk band originally from Oakland, spent much of its early days performing at The Keystone Berkeley, a historic music venue that helped many musicians and musical groups launch their careers.<\/p>\n
In honor of Berkeley\u2019s funk history and the national holiday, it only makes sense that we spend all of Oct. 5 listening to funky tracks across campus.<\/p>\n
Student union and Sproul Plaza: \u201cAin\u2019t No Stoppin\u2019 Us Now\u201d<\/p>\n
When you think of Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union and Sproul Plaza, a couple of things come to mind: tables (lots of tables) and people (lots of people). If it\u2019s the top of the hour and you hear the Campanile\u2019s chime? Yeah, it\u2019s a lot.<\/p>\n
We need an energetic vibe that simultaneously gives off a hustler mentality. From the tablers to the students, everyone is working their asses off. A song that comes to mind? \u201cAin\u2019t No Stoppin\u2019 Us Now\u201d by McFadden & Whitehead. Although mostly known for its disco theme, it\u2019s also considered a disco-soul-funk crossover. It\u2019s a fun, energetic song and an excellent choice for when you\u2019re walking towards Sather Gate or are chilling on the bottom floor of the student union.<\/p>\n
Telegraph Avenue: \u201cThe Skunk, The Goose, and the Fly\u201d<\/p>\n
Telegraph Avenue takes Sproul\u2019s energy and shifts it in a slightly different direction. Whereas Sproul has a grind-set energy, Telegraph Avenue is a much more variable sensory overload. Dodging foot traffic like you\u2019re lane-splitting on a highway, walking past all the painting and clothing vendors and watching frantic students stress about midterm grades \u2014 you\u2019ll find it all on this historic street.<\/p>\n
But through it all, there\u2019s a special vibe to the street. Being surrounded by so many different people doing whatever they want, especially at night, can be exhilarating! So, what better way to enjoy Telegraph Avenue than with a fun, vibey and energetic track that talks about a wild night out from Bay natives themselves? \u201cThe Skunk, The Goose, and The Fly\u201d by Tower of Power is literally about the three stages of intoxication. It\u2019s chaotic and a wild party. It\u2019s vibey.<\/p>\n
The Glade: \u201cEverybody Loves the Sunshine\u201d<\/p>\n
When you think about a fun day in the sun chilling with friends, the Glade instantly comes to mind. It\u2019s bright, literally the \u201cgolden hour\u201d spot on campus. The pics you can get there are insane and it has an unhurried, fun pace that bears a sprawling energy.<\/p>\n
Of course, that is only when it\u2019s sunny out. When it\u2019s cloudy, on the other hand, it\u2019s a lot more chill, relaxed and introspective. It makes you want to reflect. If it\u2019s sunny, listen to \u201cEverybody Loves the Sunshine\u201d by Roy Ayers Ubiquity, a laid-back track that makes you just want to soak in the moment and chill. If it\u2019s cloudy, listen to \u201cSummer Madness\u201d by Kool & the Gang, a much more atmospheric, reflective song that makes you want to stare at the clouds and the buildings around you and just ponder.<\/p>\n
Shattuck Avenue: \u201cFootsteps In The Dark\u201d<\/p>\n
When I took my first steps on Shattuck Avenue my senior year of high school, I thought, \u201cdamn, this place is old. But it\u2019s really historic and urban.\u201d Especially at night, the street felt so \u201cDowntown-esque,\u201d with people popping into restaurants, cars playing some banging music and folks shouting in conversation while walking home. The perfect song? \u201cFootsteps in the Dark\u201d by the Isley Brothers. You might recognize it, as it is the sample for a very well-known hip-hop song. It fits the vibe perfectly \u2014 chill groove and a jammy tone that matches Shattuck Avenue\u2019s more open dynamic extremely well.<\/p>\n
The Gateway: Chameleon<\/p>\n
Halfway through writing this, I realized I needed to find a song that would work for the new Gateway building.<\/p>\n
How do you combine the hyper-focused, futuristic energy of the Gateway with the living-in-the-present vibe of funk music? I finally landed on \u201cChameleon\u201d by Herbie Hancock. It sounds exactly like the sound I\u2019d associate with a chameleon; it has a robotic vibe with a well-done bass set resembling 808s. It\u2019s funky. It\u2019s groovy.<\/p>\n
Berkeley\u2019s funk music history includes launching careers and maintaining a legacy of energetic Bay beats and tracks. To honor this legacy, let\u2019s spend National Get Funky Day listening to as many funky, jammy tracks as possible. I\u2019ve given you some places and songs to start: Let\u2019s see how funky you can get!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oct. 5 is National Get Funky Day, so one absolute requirement is to listen to some jammy funk…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[87753,189966,58855,189971,189968,189969,330,143,145,144,13774,189967,50651,189970],"class_list":["post-486008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-campanile","tag-funky","tag-herbie-hancock","tag-isley-brothers","tag-keystone-berkeley","tag-mcfadden","tag-music","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-telegraph-avenue","tag-the-history-of-funk","tag-tower-of-power","tag-whitehead"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}