Personal Mix: Transdimensional Funk: Prog Rock Funk & Breaks

Most of my friends know that I am a deep Prog Rock head. My first concert was Pink Floyd (Brendan Byrne Arena, 1987); King Crimson and Yes took turns as my favorite bands; my biggest music revelation and with-a-gun-to-my-head favorite band of all-time is Magma. Over time, I also became a huge Funk fiend. If I could have witnessed any concert, it would have been P-Funk at any time between 1976-79. I have more compilations of funk in my collection than any other style of music. It's perhaps the style of music I work most frequently into my programming (when appropriate, of course). But one thing I have not seen done by anyone is to show how these two genres interacted with each other. While it can be tricky to hear Prog in Funk (aside from Fusion and despite the fact that musicians such as Bernie Worrell, David Sancious, and Steve Arrington are devout prog fans), it is not such a stretch to hear flashes of Funk in Prog (think of Chris Squire's popping bass or some of Neil Peart's open hi-hat syncopated beats). I thought I would try my hand at compiling some of my favorite funky bits from the Prog universe. This being Deep, I tried to go with artists more than a little below the surface. Either way, I think this mix is an original and fun open door to a realm most listeners--even most fans of Prog or Funk--have not yet traveled.