Funky Nassau

iTunes Review

Though they sported a fairly forgettable name, Miami-based funk combo the Beginning of the End crafted catchy, danceable instrumentals that no doubt stayed lodged in the memories of listeners long after the group themselves had been forgotten. Funky Nassau, the Beginning of the End’s debut for Henry Stone’s Alston label, is little more than a handful of cobbled together funk workouts, but despite the informal quality of these recordings the powerful backbeats and wide-open drum breaks of songs like “Come Down” and “Funky Nassau, Pt. 1” neatly straddle the divide between funk and disco, pointing the way towards the shimmering, four-on-the-floor beats that would eventually catapult Henry Stone’s TK records to the head of the disco pack. Thankfully Funky Nassau keeps a solid focus on gritty funk despite its disco trappings, and its raw breakbeats and propulsive bass work make it a favorite of beat heads, breakdancers and funk fanciers the world over.