EZX The Funkmasters

This is a unique and exclusive recording of two of the most important drummers in popular music. Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jab’o" Starks.

A Toontrack EZ-Drummer or Superior 2.0 is required to use EZX expansions!

On their own or in tandem, Starks and Stubblefield were the principal drummers for the Godfather of Soul and Funk, Mr. James Brown. Fans and critics alike cite their collective era in Brown’s band as the pinnacle of Funk. Their combined drumming on the classic double-album "Sex Machine" is some of the most innovative, inspired and funky playing ever recorded.

Samples and looped audio of their original beats and breaks would go on to become the foundation of Hip-Hop. Their breaks gave birth to countless genres reaching deep into the realms of underground, experimental and popular music. It is also crucial to note that the use of their breaks inspired innovation within the techniques of DJ-ing and sample based production, thus making Starks and Stubblefield the most sampled and influential drummers in modern day music.

Toontrack® Music has sampled both their unique sound and grooves. Musicians, Producers and DJ´s will be amazed by the depth of soul found within these samples. From the tight sizzle of the hi-hats to the snap and crack of the snares, our unique sampler engine reveals the subtle mastery of these drummers in ways never available before. The included MIDI will inevitably become the backbone to a new generation of Digital Jockeys generations to come.

We at Toontrack® Music are honored and humbled to have worked with these masters. As fans and lovers of music, we wish to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude for the legacy that “Jab’o” and Clyde have given us all.

The Funkmasters EZX® feature two kit interfaces, one for Clyde and one for ”Jab’o”. The EZX® also features effects sliders in the EZmixer, a Vinyl effect created with the use of iZotopes Vinyl plug-in and a large Plate reverb resampled at Toontrack® Music Studios, Umea, delivering all that you need to create those real sounding Funk tracks.

The Funkmasters EZX® is produced by Brad Bowden and Mattias Eklund from Toontrack® Music.

The Funkmasters EZX® special features
• Two kit interfaces, one for Clyde and one for Jab´o.
• Effects sliders in the EZmixer, a Vinyl effect created with the use of iZotopes Vinyl plug-in and a large Plate reverb resampled at Toontrack® Music Studios, Umea, delivering all that you need to create those real sounding Funk tracks.

Credits:
The original concept for this EZX® by Brad Bowden for Toontrack® Music/New Polyphony.
The sounds for the Funkmasters EZX® were played by Clyde Stubblefield and John ”Jab’o” Starks at Sound Kitchen, Nashville, USA.
The sounds for the Funkmasters EZX® were recorded, engineered and mixed by Leslie Richter, Mattias Eklund and Brad Bowden at Sound Kitchen, Nashville, USA.
The MIDI files for the Funkmasters EZX® were played by Clyde Stubblefield and John ”Jab’o” Starks at Sound Kitchen, Nashville, USA and Per Mikaelsson at Toontrack® Music Studios, Umea, Sweden.
The MIDI files were recorded by Brad Bowden and Henrik Kjellberg.
Sound and MIDI editing: Henrik Kjellberg, Nils Eriksson and Mattias Eklund.
Project co-ordination: Brad Bowden, Kathie Williams, Erik Phersson, Andreas Sundgren.
Graphic designer: Fredrik Ärletun.
Head of support, beta testing and configuration manager: Rogue Marechal.
Coding: Olof Westman.
The music demos for the Funkmasters EZX® were played & produced by:
Alana Rocklin(Bass), Brad Bowden(Keys/Synths, Drum Programming, Production), Jeff Coffin(Tenor Sax), Akil Thompson(Guitar, Keys/Synths, Bass, Drum Programming, Production). Except track 3 & 4 produced by Henrik Kjellberg using the Funkmasters EZX® MIDI files.

The Funkmasters EZX® uses TPC, Toontrack® Percussive Compression.

iZotope is the trademark or US registered trademark of iZotope, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Video Demos

	Video Interview 2
	Video Interview 1

Meer informatie

Systemrequirements

A working EZdrummer® version 1.3 or a Superior Drummer® 2.3 (or above) installation.

• free disc space, depending on library
• 512 Mb RAM
• DVD drive
• Windows XP, PIII/Athlon 1,8GHz or better
• Mac OS X 10.5, G5 1GHz or better
   

Product activation:
An internet connection on any computer is required to authorize / activate the product (Challenge/Response).