Lipps Inc.'s Funkyworld is a non-stop dance party. Nearly every song is 5 minutes or longer in length, and it is super-saturated with sizzling drum beats/rhythms, cool bass lines, strumming guitars topped with the beautiful vocal stylings of Cynthia Johnson, Melanie Rosales & Margaret Cox.
I remember experiencing "Funkytown" for the first time as a child on my old KISS transistor radio in my parent's basement. I ran to the telephone & called up the one & only black station in Kansas City, and desperately asked the DJ for the name of the artist & song. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I promptly ran out & bought the LP "Mouth to Mouth" with my weekly allowance money. Most of the tracks from that LP are featured here. "All Night Dancing" is one favorite. There is a part of the song where Cynthia whispers the title as a male voice sings backup over minimalist drum and (thumb-popping) bass, the effect is almost hypnotic. "Jazzy" is a cute little instrumental number which really emits a personality all its own. "How Long" is a remake of the classic, which I feel far surpasses the original with its inventive stopwatch-clicking eigth notes and clever sound effects. "Designer Music" is a brilliant tune which incorporates classical string arrangements with the simple drum/bass/piano and guitar mix as Ms Johnson celebrates the labels associated with high fashion (If Calvin says it's smashin'/It's got to be in fashion). The last 6 songs were all new to me when I first purchased this collection. "Hold me Down" features a beautiful vocoder voice singing part of the verse and later harmonizes with itself. "Addicted to the Night" continues the recurring theme of dancing/partying/going out and turns it into a fast-paced, thick-drummed adventure. Of the entire collection, "Hit the Deck" is the most creative. It's a magical collage of obnoxious beats (that change pace), a vocoder voice, sequenced-keyboard rhythms and sound effects that makes a really a fascinating listen, especially when it's pulsating at high volume while driving down the highway with the moon roof open under the twinkling stars. If "Funkytown" is the only Lipps, Inc. song you have heard, give this disc a spin. There's a lot more where that came from!