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Album

James Brown

Sex Machine

Sex Machine is the 1970 double album by James Brown, presented as a live set and featuring the young band that became the J.B.’s, including Bootsy and Catfish Collins. No artist was sampled or played more in hip hop’s early years than James Brown.

The break

The set includes “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose,” and its percussion breakdown was a favorite of Kool Herc and the first b-boys. A later remix on the 1986 compilation In the Jungle Groove became the version breakers still dance to.

Sound and production

Brown’s 1970 band was built on tight, repetitive grooves and space for drums, exactly what DJs needed. The title track, “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine,” is one of the most famous funk records ever made.

Legacy

Brown’s drummers and grooves became the foundation of sampled hip hop, and this era of his music is still the first stop for crate diggers.

Tracklist & credits

Produced by James Brown, James Brown Productions

  1. A1
    Get Up I Feel Like Being Like A Sex Machine
  2. A2
    Brother Rapp (Part 1) & (Part 2)
  3. B.a
    Bewildered
  4. B.b
    I Got The Feelin'
  5. B.c
    Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose
  6. C1
    I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing
  7. C2
    Licking Stick
  8. C3
    Lowdown Popcorn
  9. C4
    Spinning Wheel
  10. C5
    If I Ruled The World
  11. D1
    There Was A Time
  12. D2
    It's A Man's Man's World
  13. D3
    Please, Please, Please
  14. D4
    I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)
  15. D5
    Mother Popcorn

Tracklist and producer credits: Discogs. Gear credits: Breakbeat Archive, sourced on each credit.

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More from hip hop in 1970. The break: Give It Up or Turnit a Loose, and the records that sampled it.

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