"James Brown Is Dead" and "James Brown Is Still Alive" are two of the earliest and best known of a series of electronic dance music references to iconic American entertainer James Brown. One basis for these lyrics is the widespread sampling of Brown's music, particularly the rhythmic breaks in "Funky Drummer", possibly the most sampled piece of music of all time.^[1] Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad set of percussive music genres that largely inherit from 1970s disco music and, to some extent, the experimental pop music of Kraftwerk. ... An entertainer is someone who is hired to entertain people. ... James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as The Godfather of Soul and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. ... Lyric can have a number of meanings. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a break from the main parts of the song or piece. ... The funky drummer break is one of the most used sampled drum loops in hip-hop and drum and bass music, together with the Amen break, which is more related to drum-and-bass. ...

L.A. Style

The Dutch duo L.A. Style (founded and produced by Wessel van Diepen who later helped create Vengaboys) released "James Brown Is Dead" in 1991. It appeared on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart and was the first techno song to hit the Billboard Hot 100. Despite the lyrics and title, James Brown was alive at the time of the song's release and did not pass away until December 25, 2006, some fifteen years later.^[2] L.A. Style was a Dutch rave duo, founded and produced by radio host Wessel van Diepen, who also created Nakatomi and the very successful Vengaboys. ... Wessel van Diepen is a Dutch radio host for Radio 538, born November 12, 1966. ... Vengaboys are a Dutch Eurodance group that came to prominence in 1997. ... See also: 1990 in music, other events of 1991, 1992 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... The Hot 100 Airplay is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ... Techno is a form of electronic dance music that became prominent in Detroit, Michigan during the mid-1980s with influences from electro, New Wave, Funk and futuristic fiction themes that were prevalent and relative to modern culture during the end of the Cold War in industrial America at that time. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

While remixes of this song often include the words "James Brown Is Dead" as the only discernable words, the song has other lyrics including: A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ...

I checked up on the late great J.B.
His death is said on national TV
Now memory, man are you with that
James Brown is dead
Total chaos, man it's resurrected
I'm confused that things are gettin' hectic
In my brain, what is happenin'?
Could this be a big misunderstanding? It is
The hardest working man in show biz is alive so
Don't be misled, cause the newsman said
James Brown is dead^[3]

Some sources report that the basis for the song is a 1992 broadcast that falsely reported the singer's demise and that a sample of that broadcast became the basis of the recording. Because the song was released in 1991, this cannot be true.^[4]

Although a false report of the singer's death may have been made on the airwaves at some time before the song was released (or perhaps at a later date with origins as a prank inspired by this song), this entire assertion may fall under the category of an urban legend. Airwaves is an album by Badfinger, recorded in 1978 and released 1979. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... An urban legend is a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ...

Holy Noise

In the wake of "James Brown Is Dead", the song "James Brown Is Still Alive" was released that same year by Holy Noise, a techno group also from the Netherlands. Although the first song's lyrics do actually assert that "the hardest working man in show biz is alive", the Holy Noise song is regarded as an answer to the L.A. Style song.^[5][6] Holy Noise was an electronic dance music group from the early 1990s best known for the 1991 song James Brown is Still Alive. It membership consisted of Paul Elstak, Rob Fabrie, E. Gomes and Richard Van Naamen , all of whom were from Rotterdam, Netherlands. ...

This song begins with the lyrics:

James Brown's down
Who the funk do you think you're fooling?
For me the man's still ruling
Stop the nonsense
Stop telling lies
James Brown is still alive^[7]

Like "James Brown is Dead", "James Brown is Still Alive" has been remixed innumerable times. Often, the two songs have been blended together so that they form a sort of conversation.

Traumatic Stress

Also in 1991, Traumatic Stress (a third Dutch techno group) released a song called "Who the Fuck Is James Brown?" which may have been a response to one or both of the above songs. The lyrics of this song may be interpreted as cryptic and/or poor English and include: The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Move your do's, goose
Then you move to the beat
Doin' the do
Here with beat so deafen by the hands of the master
Who the fuck is James Brown?
My name is Brown
James Brown^[8]

Note that this excerpt contains what appears to be a reference to the well-known phrase "Bond, James Bond" from the works of Ian Fleming. The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent[1], created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming, featured in several novels and short stories. ... Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the childrens story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ...

Pop Will Eat Itself

Predating the three Dutch offerings, the 1988 single "Not Now, James, We're Busy" by the English electronica group Pop Will Eat Itself is a reference to Brown's arrest in the 1980s. The song contains a sample of Brown's vocals from "Funky Drummer" and has prominent scratching. See also: 1987 in music, other events of 1988, 1989 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // Events Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... Electronica is a term that covers a wide range of electronic or electronic-influenced music. ... Pop Will Eat Itself (also known as PWEI or the Poppies) were an English band formed in Stourbridge, with band members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. ... James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), commonly referred to as The Godfather of Soul and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. ... The funky drummer break is one of the most used sampled drum loops in hip-hop and drum and bass music, together with the Amen break, which is more related to drum-and-bass. ... Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique originated by Grand Wizard Theodore, an early hip hop DJ from New York (AMG). ...

Pop Will Eat Itself made several other song references to Brown including "Augusta Georgia, late September" (the site and time of Brown's police chase and subsequent arrest), "Faster, Soul Master" ("Godfather of Soul" is Brown's well-known sobriquet) and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Son" (referencing the song "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter").^[9] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Chicago Police Department arrests a man An arrest is the action of the police, or person acting under the law, to take a person into custody so that they may be forthcoming to answer for the commission of a crime. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. ... Mrs Brown, Youve Got a Lovely Daughter is a popular song written by Trevor Peacock. ...

Other artists

• In the quickly-evolving world of techno music, "James Brown Is Dead" was already considered a "rave classic" by the late 1990s when artists such as DJ Irene would mix it into their sets.^[10]

• "James Brown Is Dead" was sampled by German techno group Scooter on their 1999 single "Call Me Mañana"', taken from the 1998 album No Time To Chill.^[11]

• In 2001, Wessel van Diepen and Arista Records released "James Brown Is Dead 2001", a new version of the L.A.Style original.^[12]

• The "James Brown Is Dead" refrain is also heard in the "I Love Techno" track on Nite Versions, a 2005 album from the duo known as Soulwax.^[13]

• Void released a remix to L.A. Style's song "James Brown Is Dead" in their 2006 album The Angry Brigade.^[14]

Rave music consists of forms of electronic music for dancing that are associated with the rave scene. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... DJ Irene is an electronic music artist. ... A DJ mix or DJ set is a group of musical tracks which are typically blended together using a DJ mixer and multiple turntables or CD players to create one continuous track. ... Scooter is a German dance band. ... See also: 1998 in music, 1999 in British music, other events of 1999, 2000 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 7 After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation. ... Call Me Mañana is a 1999 single by German techno group Scooter, taken from the 1998 album No Time To Chill. ... See also: 1998 in music (UK) other events of 1998 Musical groups established in 1998 Record labels established in 1998 list of years in music 1990s in music // February 15 - Sir Edward Elgars unfinished third symphony, completed by Anthony Payne is performed for the first time at the Royal... No Time To Chill is the fifth studio album by German techno band Scooter, released in 1998. ... See also: 2001 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels established in 2001 other events of 2001 list of years in music 2000s in music // January 1 Comeback of Guns N Roses in House of Blues Hum disbands. ... Arista Records is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony BMG, and operates under the RCA Records Group // After being fired from CBS Records, Columbia Pictures hired Clive Davis to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. ... Nite Versions is an electronic album by Soulwax. ... See also: 2005 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2005 Record labels established in 2005 other events of 2005 list of years in music 2000s in music January 1 - In most of Europe, copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock and roll songs recorded in 1954... Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, is an alternative rock band hailing from Ghent, Belgium. ... See also: 2006 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2006 Record labels established in 2006 other events of 2006 list of years in music 2000s in music January – James Nicholl, drummer of Pay*Ola became ill and was admitted to hospital. ...

References