“The Smurf” by Tyrone Brunson

Bassist, singer, songwriter, and producer Tyrone Brunson landed his biggest hit with the seminal electro-funk track “The Smurf,” released in late 1982. This electrifying instrumental had a significant impact on funk, hip-hop, and electronic music. It’s widely recognized for bridging traditional funk with emerging electronic sounds of the 1980s, such as LinnDrums and synthesizers. The track was pivotal in furthering the development of electro-funk, which helped define the sound of early ‘80s hip-hop, as well as laying the groundwork for other dance-music genres such as techno, house, and Go-Go. 

The synth-heavy groove has a funky, mechanized feel with percolating drum-machine beats and powerful synth stabs. Brunson brings his formidable bass skills to the mix with some supertight thumpin’ and pluckin’, significantly heightening the track’s groove factor. This cut became a favorite among breakdancers and pop lockers, evolving into a full-fledged hip-hop anthem. Club DJs began spinning it regularly, and it even found its way across the pond into UK clubs.

“The Smurf” was named after a dance craze that was blowing up in NYC clubs in the early 1980s. Brunson’s hit further popularized the dance, causing it to quickly spread across the U.S. and abroad. The dance got its name from its resemblance to the arm movements of the little blue Smurf characters from the famous Belgian comic and cartoon series. 

“The Smurf” was written by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Otis Redding III, son of soul legend Otis Redding. It was the lead single from Brunson's debut album Sticky Situation (1983). The song peaked at #14 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #35 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart. And it rose to #52 on the UK singles chart, remaining on the chart for five weeks. Brunson produced Sticky Situation, and Russell Timmons Jr. is listed as the album’s executive producer.

“The Smurf” has been sampled on 24 songs, including 2 Live Crew’s 1989 track “Dirty Nursery Rhymes.” And it’s featured on the soundtrack of the highly popular 2002 action-adventure video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.”

Here’s the full personnel for “The Smurf”: Tyrone Brunson (bass), Louis Oxley (synthesizer), and Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

Here's a cool clip from the 1984 film Beat Street set to "The Smurf." (The actual song played in the film sequence was "Beat Street Strut" by Juicy.) 

 

"The Smurf" is available at Amazon

Related blog entry:

"Fresh" (Scratch Mix) by Tyrone Brunson