new music: george clinton and p-funk release ‘chocolate city: london / p-funk live at metropolis’ for record store day #soundcheck

In time for Record Store Day, the immortal George Clinton is releasing a stunning box set recorded during P-Funk’s residency at London’s Metropolis Studios. The set goes on sale in stores April 18th, and online on the 19th. For the true P-Funk fan, Chocolate City: London / P-Funk Live at Metropolis is a necessity.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

The set features the legendary Parliament Funkadelic in rare form. Right before “Red Hot Mama” the 73 year old Clinton announces “I bet you’re all wondering why I’m sitting down here. I just sprained my knee out there, so we’re gonna do this show anyhow. I don’t give a fuck. So let’s party on y’all.” Though his age may be starting to show in his physical performance, you wouldn’t know it listening to this set, in which his band sounds as dynamic and exciting and straight up funky as ever. “I don’t give a fuck, so let’s party on” is pretty much the purest distillation of Clinton’s core philosophy. There are worse words to live by. “Atomic Dog” and “We Want The Funk” stand out, as they would in any collection. One of the more unexpected highlights is an 8 minute cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that turns the taut electro-soul hit into an epic freakout.

Disc Two leans heavy on longer jams. Deep cut “Mr. Wiggles” from Motor Booty Affair, Funkadelic’s signature hit “One Nature Under A Groove,” and guitarist Michael Hampton’s take on Eddie Hazel’s psychedelic guitar solo “Maggot Brain.” The intro to “Maggot Brain” is a celebration of all that makes P-Funk great. The love, the feeling of community, and the joy of just being really fucking weird and not giving a shit what anybody thinks. “He’s been going by the name of Starchild, Dr. Funkenstein, the Maggot Overlord, all that good stuff, but for us, we simply know him as our big brother. Everybody give it up to Mr. George Clinton.” You can hear the love everyone in the band has for what they’ve been doing for going on 60 years now. Michael Hampton’s been playing “Maggot Brain” for almost as long as Eddie Hazel was alive. His performance has developed a depth and nuance that makes it still a compelling listen 45 years later. In his hands, “Maggot Brain” has turned into something of a celebration. There’s a well of infinite joy in that solo. And why shouldn’t they celebrate? Few bands can last as long as P-Funk and touch every corner of culture without ever compromising or diluting who they are.

The physical set also includes a live vinyl cut and a DVD of the performance. Support your local mom & pop record store and pick it up this weekend.