Dave Baby Cortez - Funky Robot (Part 1)

Year Released: 1973
Genre: Funk / Instrumental Funk

Description:

“Funky Robot (Part 1)” by Dave “Baby” Cortez, released in 1973 on All Platinum Records, is a high-octane instrumental funk track defined by its driving organ riff and raw, dance-floor rhythm. Cortez — best known for his 1959 hit “The Happy Organ” — here reinvents himself for the funk era, laying down a groove that would later attract the attention of hip-hop’s first generation of beatmakers.

The song was sampled by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five on “Flash It to the Beat” and also looped by early Bronx DJs as a breakbeat staple. Its syncopated drum pattern and gritty Hammond tone made it a favorite for early block-party mixing and live MC routines.

Today, “Funky Robot” stands as a key connection between 1960s organ-soul and the foundation of hip-hop’s breakbeat culture.