“Sex Machine” - Bootsy Collins
Bass: William “Bootsy” Collins
James Brown with The J.B.’s — Recorded April 25, 1970
Single: Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine (King Records)
Bootsy Collins’ performance on “Sex Machine” marks one of the most important turning points in funk history. Recorded just weeks after Bootsy joined James Brown’s band, this bassline captures the birth of a new rhythmic vocabulary — stripped-down, confident, behind-the-beat, and completely committed to a single groove. This track isn’t flashy; it’s foundational. For Working Pro players, it’s a masterclass in discipline, feel, and pocket leadership.
The Line — Minimal, Repetitive, and Deeply Intentional
The core groove is a simple two-bar idea built from roots, fifths, and syncopated pickups. What makes it iconic isn’t the notes — it’s Bootsy’s attitude inside the notes. He repeats the idea with unwavering conviction, shaping the groove through feel rather than variation.
This is the earliest recorded example of Bootsy’s ability to make a single idea feel limitless simply by controlling the time, articulation, and energy inside the pattern.
Pocket + Time — Laid-Back, Loose, and Laser-Controlled
Bootsy sits clearly behind the beat — but not dragging. His placement creates the “sex machine” feel: relaxed, swaggering, and irresistibly deep. He locks to the drummer (Jabo Starks) in a way that creates the track’s hypnotic pulse.
This pocket works because Bootsy commits to it fully. He never jumps forward to chase the energy; he lets the energy come to him.
This is high-level micro-timing — the kind Working Pros must develop consciously.
Tone + Touch — Dry, Punchy, and Perfect for the Pocket
Bootsy’s tone on this track is warm, thumpy, and intentionally short.
No long sustain.
No heavy brightness.
Just a clean, punchy attack with quick decay.
This articulation leaves space for the drums, guitar, and James Brown’s rhythmic vocal delivery. It’s also the root of what later becomes Bootsy’s space-funk aesthetic: the groove is built as much from silence as from sound.
Interaction With the Band — The Engine of the Machine
Bootsy and Jabo create the “machine” the rest of the band sits inside. The guitar’s chicken-scratch rhythm, the sparse organ hits, and Brown’s call-and-response vocal all orbit Bootsy’s feel.
Bootsy does not interact with the horn lines or hits — he stays inside the foundational groove, which is exactly what allows the arrangement to breathe.
This kind of restraint is pure Working Pro professionalism.
Working Pro principle:
Groove comes from commitment, not density.
Bootsy shows that funk power isn’t about playing more — it’s about owning one idea with total conviction.
Shed Like A Pro
Hear every detail. Feel every nuance.
This isolated bass track gives you full access to the clarity, articulation, and pocket of the original performance—without the rest of the band masking the subtleties. Shed with the exact phrasing, dynamics, note length, and feel that define master-level bass playing.
Step into the band. Fill the chair.
This minus-bass version of the original recording places you directly in the bassist’s role—same mix, same energy, same interaction, with the entire ensemble responding to your time, feel, and sound.