Listen to François K’s top 137 funky records

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House legend opens his DJ bag.

After relocating from France to New York in his early 20s, François K spent the ’80s playing nightclubs like Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage, before cementing his status in the New York scene with the legendary Body & SOUL parties that he ran alongside Danny Krivit and Joe Claussell.

Widely considered a forefather of dance music, we were thrilled to find that François has shared some of his favourite funky records of all time. Announcing the list of 137 records via his Facebook page, François wrote:

“In this era of homogenized top 10 everything, let’s buck the trend. Some of these might not sound similar to the stereotypical template, and others are obviously things that have already been on hundreds of compilations, but (in my mind at least) the common trait they share is a definite funk flavor, this being the very thing I just can’t live without.”

We’ve painstakingly compiled all 137 tracks into one handy YouTube playlist. (You can thank us later). And below, in no particular order, find the complete list of records, which reads a bit like a who’s who in the history of funk and boogie. All we need now is someone to mix them…

– Manu Dibango “Soul Makossa” [Festival]
– War “City, Country, City” [United Artists]
– Prince “Sexy Dancer” (Import 12” version) [Warner Bros]
– Eddy Grant “Walking On Sunshine” [Epic]
– First Choice “Love Having You Around” [Salsoul]
– Funkadelic “One Nation Under A Groove” [Warner Bros]
– James Brown “Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose” (from fake live album ‘Sex Machine’) [King]
– Brass Construction “Movin’” [United Artists]
– Jermaine Jackson “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming” [Arista]
– Blackbyrds “Happy Music” [Fantasy]
– Instant Funk “I Got My Mind Made Up” [Salsoul]
– Peter Brown “Dance With Me” [TK]
– Pointer Sisters “How Long” [ABC]
– Taana Gardner “Heartbeat” [West End]
– King Sunny Ade “Ja Funmi” (Waka Dub) [Island]
– Kraftwerk “Trans Europe Express” [Capitol]
– One Way “Music” [MCA]
– Cymande “Bra” [Janus]
– Undisputed Truth “Law Of The Land” [Tamla]
– Stevie Wonder “Black Man” [Motown]
– Earth, Wind & Fire “In The Stone” [Columbia]
– Aurra “Such A Feeling“ (Shep Pettibone Dub) [Salsoul]
– Affinity “Don’t Go Away” [Island]
– D Train “You’re The One For Me” (instrumental reprise) [Prelude]
– Lace “Can’t Play Around” (Larry Levan Mix) [RFC/Atlantic]
– George Clinton “Atomic Dog” [Capitol]
– Boris Gardiner Happening “Melting Pot” [Dynamic Sounds]
– Aretha Franklin “Rock Steady” [Atlantic]
– Serious Intention “You Don’t Know” [Easy Street]
– Teena Marie “I Need Your Lovin’” [Motown]
– Fern Kinney “Groove Me” [TK]
– Barry White “It’s Ecstasy You Lay Down Next To Me” [20th Century]
– Marvin Gaye “Got To Give It Up” [Motown]
– South Shore Commission “Free Man” (Tom Moulton Remix) [Scepter]
– George Duke “Reach For It” [Epic]
– Crown Heights Affair “Say A Prayer For Two” (12’’ mix) [De-Lite]
– Pleasure “Take A Chance” [Fantasy]
– Brothers Johnson “Strawberry Letter 23” [A&M]
– The Sunshine Band “Black Water Gold” [TK]
– Trussel “Love Injection” [Elektra]
– Brick “Dazz” [Bang]
– Graham Central Station “The Jam” [Warner Bros]
– Wham “Everything She Wants” [Columbia]
– Gwen Guthrie “Seventh Heaven” [Island]
– B.T. Express “Peace Pipe” [Scepter/Wand]
– Tom Browne “Funkin’ For Jamaica” [GRP]
– Little Sister “You’re The One” (Tom Moulton Remix) [Stang]
– Tower Of Power “What Is Hip” [Warner Bros]
– Johnny Hammond “Los Conquistadors Chocolates” [Fantasy]
– Fatback Band “Wicki Wacky” [Spring]
– Teddy Pendergrass “Only You” (12’’ mix) [Philadelphia International]
– Creative Source “Who Is He And What Is He To You” [Sussex]
– Yvonne Fair “Funky Music Sho’ Nuff Turns Me On” [Motown]
– Ian Dury “Spastics Autisticus” (12’’ mix) [Island]
– Atmosfer “Dancin’ In Outerspace” [MCA]
– Lonnie Liston Smith “Expansions” [Flying Dutchman]
– Grace Jones “Slave To The Rhythm” [Island]
– Lynn Collins “Think” [Polydor]
– War “Slipping’ Into Darkness” (Tom Moulton Mix) [United Artists]
– Ramsey Lewis “Sun Goddess” [Columbia]
– Empress “Dyin’ To Be Dancin’” [Prelude]
– Steve Arrington “Nobody Can Be You” [Atlantic]
– Average White Band “Pick Up The Pieces” [Atlantic]
– Stephanie Mills “Put Your Body In It” [20th Century]
– The Jimmy Castor Bunch “Potential” [Atlantic]
– Marva Withney “It’s My Thing” [King]
– Band Of Gypsys “Who Knows” [Capitol]
– James Brown “Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine” (from fake live album ‘Sex Machine’) [King]
– Stargard “Which Way Is Up” [MCA]
– Rhythm Makers “Can You Feel It” [Vigor]
– Curtis Mayfield “If There’s A Hell Below” (We’re All Gonna Go) [Curtom]
– Change “Paradise” [RFC/Warner Bros]
– Evelyn King “I’m In Love” [RCA]
– Rhythm Heritage “Disco_Fied” [ABC]
– Fred Wesley & The JB’s “Blow Your Head” (undubbed version) [People]
– Herbie Hancock “Chameleon” [Columbia]
– Bill Withers “You Got The Stuff” [Columbia]
– Tamiko Jones “Can’t Live Without Your Love” [Polydor]
– Roy Ayers “Running Away” [Polydor]
– Bunny Sigler “By The Way You Dance” [Salsoul]
– Man Friday “Love Heartache” [Vinylmania]
– Chakakas “Jungle Fever” [Polydor]
– Bumble Bee Unlimited “Love Bug” [Red Greg]
– Prince “Get Off” (Flutestrumental Mix) [Warner Bros]
– Area Code 615 “Stone Fox Chase” [Polydor]
– Ex Tras “Haven’t Been Funked Enough” [ExcellenT]
– Herb Alpert “Rotation” [A&M]
– Pete Shelley “Witness The Change” [Island]
– Dâm-Funk “Burn Straight Thru U” [Stones Throw]
– Pieces Of A Dream “Mt Airy Groove” (instrumental) [Elektra]
– Kenny Burke “Risin’ To The Top” [RCA]
– Maze feat. Frankie Beverly “Twilight” [Capitol]
– Archie Bell & The Drells “Let’s Groove” [Philadeplphia International]
– Donald Byrd “Dominoes” [Blue Note]
– Jeff Beck “Come Dancin’” [Epic]
– Bobbi Humphrey “Harlem River Drive” [Blue Note]
– Don Blackman “Heart’s Desire” [GRP]
– Brian Auger “Light On The Path” [RCA]
– Billy Cobham “Stratus” [Atlantic]
– Tower Of Power “Squib Cakes” [Warner Bros]
– Kool And The Gang “Jungle Boogie” [De-Lite]
– Bar-Kays “Holy Ghost” [Stax]
– The Meters “Look-A Py Py” [Josie]
– Rose Royce “Do Your Dance” [Warner Bros]
– Rufus And Chaka Khan “Tell Me Something Good” [ABC]
– The Time “Get It Up” [Warner Bros]
– Olympic Runners “Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is” [London]
– Banbarra “Shack Up” [United Artists]
– Miz Davis “Sing A Happy Funky Song” [Now]
– The Minx “Something We Got” [Mercury]
– Zapp “More Bounce To The Ounce” [Warner Bros]
– Ray Parker Jr “For Those Who Like To Groove” [Arista]
– Bootsy’s Rubber Band “Body Slam” (Todd & Martinelli Remix) [Warner Bros]
– Jakki “Sun, Sun, Sun” [Pyramid]
– Keith Barrow “Turn Me Up” [Columbia]
– Lil’ Louis & The World “I Called U” (The Story Continues) [Epic]
– Wally Badarou “Mambo” [Island]
– Gwen Guthrie “Padlock” [4th & Broadway]
– T Ski Valley “Catch The Beat” [Grand Groove]
– Bobby Byrd “I Know You Got Soul” [King]
– Manzel “Space Funk” (Kenny Dope Mix) [Dopebrother]
– Edna Holt “Serious, Sirius Space Party” (special unreleased mix) [West End]
– Robert Palmer “You Are In My System” [Island]
– Joeblack feat. Angel B. “Voltar” [Mullet]
– Tommy Stewart “Bump N Hustle Music” [Abraxas]
– Dennis Coffey “Scorpio” [Westbound]
– Clarence Carter “Right On” [Atlantic]
– One Way “Mr Groove” [MCA]
– Taana Gardner “Work That Body” [West End]
– Thelma Houston “You Used To Hold Me So Tight” [MCA]
– Captain Rapp “Bad Times” (Can’t Stand It) Part 2 [Saturn]
– Hi Tension “Hi Tension” [Island]
– Norman Connors “Once I’ve Been There” [Buddah]
– Can “Hallelujah” [United Artists]
– Timmy Thomas “Why Can’t We Live Together” [Glades]
– Original Cast ‘The Wiz’ “Tornado” (DSKO-52 long version) [Atlantic]
– MFSB “Love Is The Message” [Philadelphia International]