70'S FUNK A LA ISAAC HAYES

[ibanez468]

Alright TAXIdermites!Thought I'd try my hand at the 70's Funk Instrumental a la Isaac Hayes. I tried ta' keep it as recognizable as possible without totally copying the thing ta' death. Changed the arrangement & the phrasing here & there on most of the instruments. I reversed all of the bass lines so it wouldn't sound exact. Had to go with the wah guitar as is though. That's a key ingredient in there. Still hafta clean up a few things, but lemme know what ya' think.'70s FUNK/SOUL/BLAXPLOITATION SONGS & INSTRUMENTALS a la Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" are wanted by an established Music Publisher in Los Angeles. This company specializes in Film/TV placements and has signed many TAXI members. Great songs recorded at Broadcast quality are what's needed here, but be sure there is no profanity in your lyrics if your song has vocals - and no uncleared samples! The tone must be definitive in this genre - very specific to the reference. The sound quality must be excellent (solid demo recordings are okay as long as the quality is there). They offer a non-exclusive, 50/50 split deal - you keep your original copyrights. Broadcast quality needed. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than September 19, 2008.Partial To PhunkI-468

[marcblack30]

did you just update this? i was going to suggest cutting the intro down and have the other instruments come in earlier. this works way better, i like the record scratching in the background.i think you did a real nice job with the instrumentation, horns and all, everything sounds real! the breakdown to the ending sounds quite familiar, is that "celebrate good times"? that is the only thing i could see holding this song back.nice job!

[llama]

Hey Ibanez,I like this. Dunno if it is too close to The Theme from Shaft but you really captured the spirit there. Also as Marc said the horns sounded like Celebration. I also wonder if the intro is too long. But all in all this sounds very good. Very realistic instrument sounds too. I'd submit it and see what happens...Fingers crossed for you.Derek

[jay10music]

WOW....This is a completely different (I-468 )than I'm use to hearing.... u caught me by surprise.. The Great stuff I'm u's 2 is not there on this piece for me ,so I don't know how 2 respond.. I will say u captured the Vibe of the ERA,but I'm having trouble maybe cause it's probably the 70's thing I'm not youz to here...Don't listen 2 me....I'm confused....Good job...U know I love YA man...... Jay...

[liamkelly]

IbThis is very cool. Real good instrumentation.As I'm sure you know, the lead melody line is very close to Shaft and the outtro horns are Celebrate, as Marc and Der pointed out.They want ala Isaac Hayes and they've got it! I hope they didn't get too much of it.BTW I loved the vinyl texture but thought it a bit hot. 2c.Best of luck, man. Really enjoyed this!

[suzdoyle]

Hey I-468-I like this! Definitely got the right vibe going. The guitar is AWESOME! It did feel as though the intro guitar vamping lasted too long. And I wasn't sure if the static-sounding stuff at the beginning was intentional (silly me, it probably was!! Funk isn't my strong point, music-wise . . . ). Also, I'm not sure the piano works well in this -- perhaps something more electrified, e.g. a Rhodes? or ??Anyhoo, I think you're on the right track with this. I'd just tighten up the intro.And - -the ending is very cool!Nice work!Suz

[ibanez468]

marcblack30: Nope! No update. I basically put it together pretty much how the record lays it out (I still have the 45) Each section gets about a minute's worth of time on the record, so I did the same. I did change a few notes at the end of that little horn riff, so it does resemble "Celebrate" somewhat, but the actual "Shaft" song does have a horn riff in there that sounds similar. Gotta remember, "Shaft" was released long before "Celebrate", so if anything, Kool & the Gang got that horn part from Shaft, rather than the other way around. Thanks for listenin' and your comments.Der Llama: Yeah it is close after the first section, but still slightly different, not totally exact, ya' know? Yeah, I'm gonna submit and see what happens after I clean it up a bit. My fingers are crossed too. Roadrunner422: Sorry Jay, that you're not inta' the funk man. Gotta realize I'm just tryin' ta' give 'em what they want. Didn't listen ta' much Isaac Hayes back in the day, didja? Neither did I, but this was probably one of his biggest hits (Shaft, that is). Let's just hope I nailed it.liamkelly: Thanks Liam. Yes everything is close, but not exact. I have the 45, and trust me, I listened to it very carefully. See comments on "Celebrate" above. "They want ala Isaac Hayes and they've got it!" That's what I was shootin' for Liam.suzdoyle: Thanks Suz! Yeah, I gave each section about a minute (just like on the record). The static sounding stuff was intentional, as it was meant to sound like an old record playing on a turntable. As far as piano goes, that's what was used in the original tune. Just tryin' ta' keep it real! Thanks for the listen & your thoughts.I-468

[heinsite]

damn I-man--this brought back the memories for me. see, when hayes won the oscar for shaft, (although i dug his sound) i was pissed--i wanted something more "oscar like", and damn if was dead wrong! just wasn't ready for it. i can appreciate what was happening now more back then. just being honest, always...ok, now this is just what the listing seems to order, i just hope as has been said it aint too close, but hell, do it man.oh, the other thing that i never like (and of course i'm old, not dumb, but subject to being wrong...) is the vinyl scratch thing going on. is it too gimcky? i find it distracting, but again, i find it might be just me.good luck with it, i dig it...brought that time back!the best,warren

[anne]

Damn, thats good stuff!

[feaker]

IbyDon't know if it is close or not, but it is done very well.Enjoyed the listen.good luckPaul