What is the rhythm in King Floyd's "Groove Me"?

Cool groove.
I'd call it New Orleans Soul or New Orleans Funk.

Before corporate consolidation of radio and record companies in the 1980's
most american music styles had a wonderful regional character.
African rhythms by way of the Caribbean seeped into western music
and New Orleans arguably has held on to those rhythms more closely than other places.

 

Played it in a band and they insisted it was reggae, to which I said, No Way it's closer to funk. They said I didn't know music so,
I rage quit the band for a whole week....lol
Hard to categorize that song.

 

If the guitar hits an offbeat : Reggae
If there are also horns: Ska

 

Yeah it's just a funk tune. I guess the bassline throws people off.

Along those lines, a lot of well meaning people think the Police song "Roxanne" is Reggae but it's actually a Tango. I guess if there is any kind of syncopation whatsoever, then the default genre is reggae, lol.

 

R&B/Funk. Def not reggae. The guitar and organ are just doing what a horn section would be doing there. Horn section is doing it's own thing as well. It's a well crafted song. Been playing it for over 35 years or more.

 

I have a hard time calling Roxanne tango. Tango is defined by and-one. Roxanne shifts it to and-two. They both share the prominent quarter note feel but moving the "down beat" to two completely changes the feel.

 

Check out Fencewalk by Mandrill. Same style of syncopated rhythm and staggered bassline and horns spitting in and out.

 

I'd call it funk.
Not heard this song before, it's excellent.
Reminds me a bit of Bill Wither's 'Use Me'

 

Sting himself said it was a Tango...

 

I didn't know that JB was the king of reggae

 

I rather like the Blues Brothers version of the song from Briefcase full of Blues. It's absolutely reggae in their version given the vocal delivery along with the music.

 

This was one of the first songs I learned: Mama taught it to me by snapping her fingers and singing the syncopated notes. This is old school funk/soul and Syncopation 101!

 

you forgot : it has horns therefore it must be ska.

 

I think it may be an amalgam Bluskagae

 

Sting's just a singer in a rock and roll band!

 

Not sure if you were kidding, but vocal delivery doesn't make a song any particular thing. If I sing Groove Me like Carusso, does that make it Opera? Ahh no.

The bassline doesn't make any song a particular thing.

Reggae is a melting pot of things, but the main thing is not the bassline... It's the "skank". That upstroked rhythm guitar line that really makes reggae, reggae. If you don't hear that, get that whole, "it's reggae" thing out of your mind.

What do you think Marley is talking about when he says "skank it, skank it"? He never said "Bass it, bass it"... If you play a skank rhythm all by itself, you should instantly think reggae...

 

Not kidding, as such, the vocal delivery informed the intent. They clearly added a reggae vibe to it. That doesn't mean it is 100% but as I said, the intent was there for that kinda a feel to the song. For that, I dig it berry much mon

 

Skanking also refers to dancing, and there's way more talk about the bass in reggae than there is of "the skank". Additionally, it's often very easy to tell if a song is reggae just by the bass line.