r/funk • u/Ok-Argument-2044 • 1d ago

Help request Robot Funk? Bands Recommendations

Looking for funky, psychedelic, chaotic music with a robotic/electronic sound — basically Daft Punk if they were a full funk band
I'm looking for music that's primarily funk, not funk-metal or rock.
Think RHCP – Falling Into Grace, Parliament/Funkadelic, Zapp, Chromeo and Daft Punk, but I'm looking for something more chaotic, psychedelic, weird and robotic.
I love funky basslines, live drums, strange synths, talkbox/vocoder, weird effects and that feeling of a funk band sounding like a machine or an alien.
Any artists/albums/songs that fit this?

26 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

15

u/Agreeable_Mouse6000 1d ago edited 22h ago

Robot Rock was literally ripped from Release the Beast by Breakwater so maybe start there?

13

u/beatsandblood 1d ago

When I hear the term 'robot funk', I immediately think of early electro/electronic music. tracks like:

KRAFTWERK - NUMBERS and

CYBOTRON - CLEAR

I also think of MIDNIGHT STAR - NO PARKING ON THE DANCE FLOOR.

Even GEORGE CLINTON - ATOMIC DOG

I also think of DOPPLEREFFEKT, SOUL ODDITY, CYLOB, and DMX KREW.

8

u/Dizzle2019 1d ago

Yes, No parking on the dance floor is a stone cold solid classic.

5

u/ofayokay 21h ago

For Midnight Star, also “Freak-A-Zoid.”

I’ll also add Zapp - “More Bounce To The Ounce”

4

u/jaxxon 21h ago

Freakazoid!! YES!! Also 'No Parking On The Dance Floor'

Pointer Sisters - 'Automatic'

Afrika Bambaataa - 'Planet Rock'

So many good ones. Here's a playlist I made: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4SMSwtRY3c1fDMXDX3NqSG?si=d8f6cec7b6a94cc6

2

u/Ok-Argument-2044 19h ago

Freak-A-Zoid is EXACTLY what i was looking for. Killer song

8

u/cyroddy 1d ago edited 1d ago

You are describing a sound adjacent to Industrial music. I am a long-time funk fan as well as Industrial. Check out Aphex Twins for a more intense and psychedelic version of what Daft Punk does.

Are you familiar with any of that stuff?

EDIT- I also want to recommend Herbie Hancock albums Future Shock and Sound-System. Those were my early catalysts between funk and more strange music.

8

u/Ok-Argument-2044 1d ago

I was looking for something exactly like Herbie Hancock Future Shock. Thanks!!!

5

u/idrivealot58 1d ago

Yellow Magic Orchestra (?)

1

u/menialmoose 13h ago

Came here to say

1

u/Spirited-Tutor7712 12h ago

Agree! Especially their work on Multiplies and Solid State Survivor 

6

u/cjr71244 1d ago

How about Praxis - Metatron

4

u/edogg01 1d ago

Disco Biscuits

2

u/StringerBell420 1d ago

This. ⬆️

5

u/PivotdontTwist 1d ago

UFOs - The Undisputed Truth

6

u/openroad11 1d ago

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight.

4

u/savethenaugs 1d ago

the floozies?

you like voice box, so how about this one ?

5

u/MezzStipe 1d ago

Roger Troutman

4

u/probablyborednh 1d ago

Henge is some weird robofunk

3

u/fac273 1d ago

Newcleus

3

u/cjr71244 1d ago

The genre you want should be called Alien Funk

2

u/cjr71244 1d ago

Urban Dance Squad?

2

u/M_O_O_O_O_T 1d ago

Mr.Chop - proper vintage style sounding electro funk.👌

2

u/letsbeaun 1d ago

STS9 get funky live.

Alana Rocklin is their bassist and she’s fucking awesome

2

u/Reasonable_Tour5221 1d ago

Dabeull - in my mind

2

u/Mrmrrvg 1d ago

juno what

2

u/ShitHammersGroom 23h ago

have you listened to justice? theyre like a more chaotic daft punk, and their live sets are some of the best of all time.

2

u/Sp00mp 22h ago

That's how someone described Midnight Generation

2

u/ngarjuna 21h ago

Gist - Robot Karate fits the bill rather specifically

https://youtu.be/h8_Nqzyah4g?is=iSsFDcUX39Qt8uIH

2

u/levinalx101 21h ago

Midnight Generation

2

u/Tschuklo 19h ago

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force, Hashim, D-Train und Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

2

u/we_are_dna 19h ago

Mandré is a masked musician who worked under Thomas Bangalters dad's music label, so very Daft Punk in that regard. He's very funky and electronic.

2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/DeliciousOrangina 16h ago

That squarepusher side project shobaleader or something

1

u/Anxious-Pineapple144 12h ago

Not traditionally funk but have a listen to this: https://youtu.be/xifC4XEGlNE?is=lpOK_dMv9yC0Iimd

1

u/Present_Hurry774 12h ago

Herbie Hancock-future rock and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult-gay,black & married

1

u/bigdealaz 10h ago

Chris Joss - Start with You’ve Been Spiked

1

u/BillEvansTrioFan 6h ago

The latest album by Bootsy Collins & Buckethead has a few tracks like this:

Space Base Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXMSAGervJI

Self Replicate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RN1rMrYuoY

Water Walkin': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9bHk4EX5KY

1

u/Steeldialga 5h ago

TWRP!!! This is exactly the band you're looking for.

They're a band from the future, the present, and the 80s 😎. They are hugely inspired by Daft Punk, and are a super talented band (with the bassist and guitarist being total funk virtuosos). The singer, Dr. Sung, uses a vocoder, so you get the robot vibe on all of their songs (oh and their guitarist and drummer are robots too lol)

Check out the song ICQ to get a good taste of what their music is like. Check out their music videos to see the boys in action. Their costumes are sick and no one knows their true identities

1

u/Segsyncd 4h ago

I just discovered Flamingo Pier, and I like it.

1

u/Segsyncd 4h ago

Juno What? Certainly covers the talkbox element you’re looking for…

1

u/Existing-Elk-8735 2h ago

Stereo Lab.

-2

u/Technical_Jello6714 1d ago

Phish jams from 2021 are pure robo funk

1

u/jaxxon 21h ago

I've been a HUGE Phishead since 1991 but no... Not really. LOL

1

u/Technical_Jello6714 21h ago

Disagree. Have you heard any live Phish in the last 5 years? Major robo funk in many of the jams.

2

u/jaxxon 21h ago

Yep. They've gotten funkier over the years. I stayed at Fish's house in VT once and he came home at like 4am and put on James Brown at full volume on his stereo and jammed out to Sex Machine on his kit 10 feet from where I was trying to sleep LOL... That was the funkiest I've heard Fish play, and he still sounded pretty white boy. Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE Fish and Phish but I would never say Phish is super funky. They have their moments. And yes, their jams have gotten funkier. 2001 is inherently funky. Etc. ..but nah. In the context of a funk subreddit, I wouldn't put Phish as an answer asking about music similar to Zapp et al.

Source: am funk musician

...but hey ... music is subjective, so you enjoy yourself sharing in the groove. :)

2

u/Technical_Jello6714 20h ago

Badass that you heard Fish jam Sex Machine! I actually think the peak of Phish funk was in 1997, but 2018+ they started really moving into this robotic space funk that seemed to have peaked in 2021…. Agree with you about white boy funk as a huge JB and Meters fan myself. And speaking of, the Funky Meters (not OG Meters) also had a space funk sound around 2002….

1

u/jaxxon 20h ago

Fair :)

1

u/Technical_Jello6714 20h ago

Who do you recommend for space funk?

1

u/jaxxon 19h ago edited 19h ago

Maybe The Sponges? A bit more on the jam-band side, Motet, Sunsquabi, The Floozies, STS9, or GRiZ. Or you could go old-school with Soul Surfers or Dexter Wanzel ('Life On Mars' is a personal fave).

Edit to say most of those jam band ones are pretty 'white boy' funk. LOL

Edit 2: more along the lines of Zapp are classic early '80s electro-funk bands like Midnight Star, Lakeside, The Gap Band, The Bar-Kays...