The Time
Slick, synth-heavy funk with a sharp comedic edge. The quintessential Minneapolis sound, built for dance floors and high-speed struts through the city at night.
Slick, synth-heavy funk with a sharp comedic edge. The quintessential Minneapolis sound, built for dance floors and high-speed struts through the city at night.
The Time is the definitive architect of the Minneapolis sound alongside their creator and frequent ghost-collaborator, Prince. Formed in 1981 from the remnants of Flyte Tyme, the group served as a vehicle for Prince's more traditional, groove-oriented funk ideas while he explored avant-garde territory.
Despite the heavy involvement of Prince in the studio, the band's live identity was forged by the immense talent of members like Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Jesse Johnson. Their sound is characterized by the 'Minneapolis slap' - a combination of synthesized bass, crisp guitar scratching, and the iconic LinnDrum. The group's career arc is marked by internal friction and massive external success, particularly following their appearance in the film Purple Rain. Jam and Lewis's eventual departure led to the creation of a production empire that defined 80s and 90s R&B. Critical consensus views The Time not merely as a satellite act, but as a premier funk ensemble that modernized the genre for the digital age, influencing everything from G-funk to modern electro-pop.
Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion (subgenres); analog_warmth, layered_dense, live_recording (production style)
Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion (subgenres); analog_warmth, layered_dense, live_recording (production style)
Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, layered_dense, live_recording (production style)
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Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion (subgenres); analog_warmth, live_recording, studio_polished (production style)
Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, layered_dense, live_recording (production style)
Shares jazz fusion, progressive rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres); urban_night, late_night, rainy_day (atmosphere)
Shares progressive rock, jazz fusion, art rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, studio_polished, layered_dense (production style)
Shares progressive rock, art rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, layered_dense, live_recording (production style)
Shares progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, live_recording, studio_polished (production style)
Shares progressive rock, organ, psychedelic rock, art rock (signature)
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