More Bounce to the Ounce

"More Bounce to the Ounce" is an influential funk single recorded by the Ohio-based band Zapp, led by singer-songwriter Roger Troutman. Released in 1980 on the Warner Bros. Recordslabel, the song was originally recorded in 1979 while Troutman's group was part of George Clinton's Uncle Jam Records. When the label folded due to tensions Clinton had with Warner Bros. Records (his label dispute also ended the releases of Parliament and Funkadelic albums after 1981), Troutman and the group moved to sign with the parent label cutting ties with Clinton. The song, which featured Troutman playing nearly all the instruments including his famous vocoder/talk box in which allowed him to perform all the vocals on the song. The song is noticeable for its chorus, its line to "get, get on the dance floor" and Troutman's opening coda, more bounce... in a deep tone. The song was also noticeable for its rhythmic hand-clapped beats. Roger's production of the song (Bootsy Collins, who played guitar on the song also, co-produced it too) would later be often-sampled by hip-hop artists such as MC Breed ("Ain't No Future in Yo Frontin"), EPMD ("You Gots to Chill") and The Notorious B.I.G. ("Goin' Back to Cali"). The original song eventually reached number two on the Billboard Hot Selling Soul Singles chart setting the group and its front man on their way to a successful tenure on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s. The song was featured on the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in-game radio station "Wildstyle". The song was also featured in the 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite and the 1991 hood film Boyz n the Hood.

[edit] Credits

 * Lead vocals, talk box, synthesizers, bass and guitars by Roger Troutman
 * Drums by Lester Troutman
 * Percussion by Larry Troutman
 * Guitar by Bootsy Collins