The Funky Bass Continuum: Bootsy Collins and MonoNeon in Conversation

The career paths of these two have been eerily similar, albeit decades apart. Collins, who is 73, electrified the club scene in Cincinnati, eventually being handpicked by James Brown to join his band. Prince caught wind of MonoNeon, who is 34, via his clips online, and soon the young bassist was standing next to Mr. Nelson at Paisley Park, bringing new energy to the Purple One.

Both have just released new records. MonoNeon’s You Had Your Chance … Bad Attitude blends funk and soul with dashes of heartbreak and humor, adding to his extensive list of releases. Bootsy has dropped his Album of the Year #1 Funkateer with a fury, collaborating with Snoop Dogg, Fantaazma, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, and Ice Cube to blend classic funk with modern grooves.

In our hour-long bass conversation, we talked about church, family, and finding your voice in the world, and I was genuinely surprised to hear the tech-savvy approach of the “old guard” Bootsy and the “old soul” approach of the social media influencer MonoNeon.