Zapp I in Bloomington, MN

Released in 1980 just as
George Clinton
's
P-funk
empire had reached the brink of its existence,
Bootsy
protege
Roger Troutman
proved himself a worthy successor with
Zapp
's self-titled debut album and its subsequent two follow-ups. In actuality,
originally was a branch of the
Parliament
/
Funkadelic
collective, as group leader
was originally signed to
Clinton
's short-lived
CBS
subsidiary,
Uncle Jam Records
. After
Troutman
completed the album with
' money,
's help, and
's production,
Warner Bros.
stepped in, offered
Roger
a considerable sum of money, and slyly bought the album -- leaving a distressed
with no
album for his shaky boutique label. Propelled by the dancefloor smash
"More Bounce to the Ounce,"
the album quickly became a considerable hit. It was here that
first defined the vocoder-laden
funk
aesthetic that would become his trademark for the remainder of his career. In addition to the near ten-minute
"More Bounce,"
the album also featured
"Be Alright,"
another epic jam that slowed down the
to a smoked-out, almost
ballad
-like tempo (both songs would later fuel numerous early-'90s
West Coast rap
hits via sampling). Of the remaining four songs,
"Funky Bounce"
and
"Brand New Player"
also stand as perennial standouts, further affirming
's dense
aesthetic. Later
albums would have their moments, but this debut is absolutely solid from beginning to end, in addition to being the foundation from which
would base all later work, and with
"More Bounce to the Ounce"
it houses two of the best moments in '80s
. ~ Jason Birchmeier