Tune #85: The Jonzun Crew - Pak Man

It is known that Pack Jam from The Jonzun Crew is an electro boogie classic, dated back in the early 80's. What is not known (at least to me) is that the original version of the track was named Pak Man!

THE JONZUN CREW - PAK MAN (LOOK OUT FOR THE OVC)


The Jonzun Crew was originally started as a brothers duo, consisting of Michael Edwin Johnson (Michael Jonzun) and Larry Curtis Johnson (Maurice Starr). Their first production can be traced back to 1978, the funk track Bout Time I Funk U for Maurice.

The introduction of Roland drum machines in early eighties and the burgeoning hip hop parties influenced the brothers to produce Pak Man (Look Out For The OVC). The OVC acronym stands for Outer space Visual Communicator, a made-up term coined by one of Michael's partners, in order to sound futuristic.

Pak Man was released in 1982 by Boston International Records (a label set up by the bros, originally named Johnson Brother Records). A little after in the same year, a distribution deal secured an additional release with the new name (Pack Jam) by Tom Silverman's Tommy Boy Records (the production home for Afrika Bambaataa, too).

Michael Jonzun, who was the head honcho of the group, has stated that Pak Man was recorded in 1980, preceding Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock. Personally, I do not know if such claim is truthful (maybe ol' Jonz is too bitter about not receiving the same recognition Bam did). However, the Jonzun Crew was the first electro boogie act to release a LP (Lost In Space) on Tommy Boy. During the time of its release, the group was supported by the third Johnson brother (Soni Jonzun), Steve "Stevo" Thorpe and Gordon "Gordo" Worthy.

After the production of the second studio album Down To Earth (1984), Michael froze the group, in order to create his own work (Money Isn't Everything). A final and unsuccessful revival of the group was made in 1990 through the third album Cosmic Love.

Lost In Space is a notable space-funk album, indicative of how hip hop sounded before Run-DMC. Tracks like We Are The Jonzun Crew, Space Cowboy and Ground Control maintain the spacey feel and show the potential of electro funk.

Back to Pak Man: According to Michael Jonzun, the inspiration for the track originated from an old guy with thyroid cancer. The hole in his throat caused him to speak in a creepy manner, which was reconstructed in the track through the Roland SVC 350 vocoder.

P-A-K. M-A-N. Pak Man!

P.S. Happy New Year!