Deep Funk

Deep funk denotes the heaviest, rarest stratum of funk: obscure, mostly independently released singles of the late 1960s and early 1970s built on dense syncopation, downbeat emphasis and raw, minimally polished recording, together with the modern revival music made in their image. The term arose in the British rare-groove collecting scene of the 1990s, where DJs prized unknown American 45s by acts working in the orbit of *James Brown* and *The Meters* over commercial hits. Deep funk records favour instrumental workouts, shouted call-and-response vocals and stabbing horn riffs, and original pressings command high prices among collectors.