How did the Gangster sessions go down?
I played on “Let the Good Times Roll,” “It’s All in the Game,” and the single, “Ain’t That Peculiar.” George and I went into the studio together to overdub my parts. We ran two direct signals—one through my effects, and one dry. He sat right next to me and tapped me on the shoulder when he had something to say, which was usually just to keep it simple. His initial vision was to stay true to the original arrangements. I played “Ain’t That Peculiar” in the classic James Jamerson Motown style during the session, but George decided later that he wanted to tweak things out a bit. He actually lifted a piece of a bass line from a previous session and manipulated that loop as the bass line for the final “Peculiar” arrangement. The effect you hear is my MXR M-88 Bass Octave. I had to fight for that!
What’s your Ligedelic Funkadelicish album about, and how did it come together?
I’ve had the privilege of learning direct from all the old Funkadelic bass players. I went into my home studio with drummer Barry Chenault and laid down the bass lines for loads of Funkadelic tunes, morphing the ones that worked together well into something new. For example, “Hit It on the Verge” is a combination of “Hit It and Quit” and “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On.” George took a bunch of them for a future Funkadelic album, and I fleshed out the best tracks he didn’t take for Funkadelicish—my tribute to Funkadelic.
How does your custom ESP 6-string factor into the way you play with P-Funk?
The main difference between my 6-string and most others is the wider string spacing— it’s the same as on a 4-string. Funk requires a lot of slapping and popping. I need room to isolate the string I want to slap with my thumb, and also to get under and grab the string I want to pop. I place my fretting-hand thumb right in the middle of the back of the neck to facilitate a long reach. I also had ESP build my bass with a wider body, not only to match the wider neck, but so I would feel more vibrations coming through from the body.
What do you hear players do wrong when trying to play those lines?
Most of them have trouble copping the laidback P-Funk feel, which took me a very long time to master. To get the lines right, you’ve got to listen very carefully to all the little halfstep slides and other subtleties. You don’t want to play on the line—you want to bounce around the line in staccato fashion. Funk is all about stop and go. But the bottom line is the feel. George always tells us that it should have a pocket like a marching band. In fact, sometimes when he’s not feeling it, he’ll say, “Come on—march with me!” He’ll literally start marching until we’re all on the one.
CAN BE HEARD ON
George Clinton, George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love [Shanachie, 2008]; Ligeadelic, Funkadelicish [Wefunkwest, 2008]; Lige Curry, Funk Bass Universe instructional DVD [Wefunkwest, 2008]; The Naked Funk, The Naked Funk [Wefunkwest, 2008]; Starr Cullars Band, Living Galaxy (producer) [Sunset, 2008]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Marcus Miller, Marcus [Concord, 2008] “I always think his tone is the bomb, and I like the collaboration of artists on this record.”
GEAR
Bass Custom ESP LTD 6-string
Rig Two Mesa/Boogie M-Pulse 600s, two Mesa/Boogie Powerhouse 8x10 and 1x15 cabinets
Effects Dunlop 105Q CryBaby Ultimate Bass wah, MXR M-88 Bass Octave, MXR M-188 Bass Auto Q, MXR M151 Doubleshot Distortion, MXR Phase 100, Uni-Vibe Stereo Chorus, MXR M108 10-Band Graphic EQ, MXR M80 Bass DI+ Strings D’Addario XLs (.032–.130)