Daniel Bedrosian, the longest-tenured keyboardist in the history of Parliament-Funkadelic, has released his second book, Make My Funk the P-Funk: Parliament-Funkadelic’s Meteoric Rise in 1975 from Chocolate City to Mothership Connection. Published by Bloomsbury Academic, the monograph provides a deep dive into 1975—a pivotal year that saw the collective release three seminal albums: ‘Chocolate City’, ‘Let’s Take It to the Stage’, and the platinum-selling ‘Mothership Connection’. Bedrosian utilizes exclusive interviews with George Clinton and other key members to document the band’s transition from “underground darlings of the chitlin circuit” to global superstars. The book examines how Clinton’s Afrofuturism and the social climate of the mid-70s combined to crystallize the unique P-Funk sound that would later become a foundational pillar of hip-hop and modern popular music.
Beyond a mere discography, Bedrosian pulls back the curtain on the artistic processes and production styles that defined this epoch-making year. The narrative traces the group’s journey from the Washington D.C. tribute ‘Chocolate City’—which famously imagined Black people in the White House—to the cosmic movement of ‘Mothership Connection’, which launched them into space. The text also features contributions and accolades from industry heavyweights like Robert Glasper and Fred Wesley, who offer personal insights into the recording sessions and the group’s historical importance. As a historian and active member of the band’s “Third Generation,” Bedrosian provides a factual and immersive look at how 1975 served as the ultimate catalyst for the P-Funk paradigm shift.