Punk Funk

Alternately known as disco-funk, punk-funk likely got its start when Gang of Four first combined syncopated rhythms with slashing guitars. Or it might have its origins in the late-'70s downtown NYC scene, with Talking Heads and James Chance fusing funk and disco. Either way, the sound created deep-pocket grooves perfect for pogo-ing and hip-shakin'. Listen for yourself.

With bands like Franz Ferdinand and Radio 4 leading the '00s punk-funk revival, the music's second wave has held up surprisingly well to the late '70s, when Public Image Ltd. and the Clash first showed us that doing the funk and being punk was cool. Mix these outfits up with Bauhaus, Electric Six, and the Dead 60s, and you've got one very strong playlist.

Listen to those guitars and synths. They sound like they're being strangled by a 50-foot cable. Check out those jittery vocals. The singer is definitely freaking out about something. These Deep Cuts are all about deep grooves, people, as evidenced by Jon Spencer's unhinged James Brown horn fantasy and the classic "I Luv I Jah" by hardcore pioneers Bad Brains.

Punk was about more than three chords. Far more. When the genre was challenged to grow and find alternate heroes, it looked to funk pioneers like James Brown and George Clinton. The newly devised fusion of syncopated drum/bass rhythms with slicing guitars and, of course, punk attitude created a new genre, as exemplified by Gang of Four. Meanwhile, in the gritty Lower East Side of NYC, James Chance, Defunkt, and Talking Heads forged a similar sound. Today, groups like Radio 4 and Le Tigre carry on this proud, hip-shakin' tradition.