You’re digging through a crate of dusty vinyl at a swap meet, or maybe you're deep in a YouTube rabbit hole of obscure 1970s funk. Suddenly, you hit a groove that feels like a punch to the gut—in a good way. That's usually how people first encounter Bang Gong Get It On. It’s raw. It’s gritty. Honestly, it’s exactly what soul music was supposed to be before everything got over-produced and sanitized by big-label polish.
Record collectors have a weird relationship with tracks like this. They hunt them down like holy grails. But for the casual listener, "Get It On" by the group Bang Gong is often a giant question mark. Who were they? Where did they come from? Most importantly, why does this specific three-minute slice of audio still make people lose their minds on a dance floor fifty years after it was pressed?
It’s about the "break."
In the world of hip-hop production and rare groove DJing, a track lives or dies by its drum break. Bang Gong delivers that in spades. It’s not just music; it’s a foundational building block of rhythm.
The Mystery Behind the Band
Let’s get one thing straight: Bang Gong wasn't Earth, Wind & Fire. They weren't touring stadiums or appearing on Soul Train every other week. In fact, finding concrete biographical data on the members feels like trying to track a ghost through a hurricane. This was the era of the "small press" or "private press" record.
Small groups would scrape together enough cash to rent a studio for a few hours. They’d record a couple of tracks—usually an A-side and a B-side—and press maybe 500 or 1,000 copies on a tiny local label. Bang Gong Get It On is a product of this localized ecosystem. These records were often distributed out of the trunks of cars or sold at regional gigs. Because of that, many of the original masters are lost. We are left with the vinyl itself, scratches and all.
✨ Don't miss: Who is Jay Gatsby? The Truth Behind the Man in the Pink Suit
Music historians like Eothen "Egon" Alapatt, who runs Now-Again Records, have spent decades documenting these types of "funk archeology" finds. The story of Bang Gong fits the classic mold. It’s a group of incredibly talented musicians who likely had day jobs, pouring their heart into a single session that accidentally became a cult classic decades later.
The vocals are strained but passionate. The bassline? Absolute filth. It’s that specific "can’t-fake-it" energy that modern digital recording struggles to replicate.
Why "Get It On" Became a Collector's Obsession
If you try to buy an original 45rpm copy of this record today, prepare to empty your savings account. Why? Scarcity. But scarcity alone doesn't drive price; demand does.
DJs in the 1990s and early 2000s, particularly in the UK and Japan, started spinning these rare US soul tracks at "Northern Soul" or "Deep Funk" nights. They wanted something nobody else had. When a DJ dropped Bang Gong Get It On, the floor would explode because the rhythm is undeniable. It has that frantic, driving tempo that demands movement.
- The syncopation is slightly "off," giving it a human swing.
- The horn section sounds like they’re playing for their lives.
- The recording quality is "lo-fi" by modern standards, which adds a layer of warmth and saturation that audiophiles crave.
It’s kind of funny, actually. At the time it was recorded, the band probably wished they had a better studio. Now, that "cheap" sound is exactly what makes it valuable. We call it "mojo."
The Anatomy of the Groove
Technically speaking, "Get It On" isn't a complex song. It doesn't have the orchestral arrangements of a Motown hit or the progressive structures of Stevie Wonder. It’s a vamp.
A vamp is basically a repeated chord progression or rhythmic pattern that allows the musicians to lock into a "pocket." In Bang Gong Get It On, the pocket is deep. The drummer is the undisputed star here. He stays right on top of the beat, pushing the tempo just enough to create a sense of urgency without rushing.
Think about the context of the mid-70s. Funk was evolving. You had the psychedelic influences of Funkadelic clashing with the tight, disciplined arrangements of James Brown’s J.B.’s. Bang Gong sits somewhere in the middle. It’s disciplined, but it feels like it could fly off the rails at any second. That tension is where the magic happens.
Sampling and the Second Life of Bang Gong
You can’t talk about 70s soul without talking about hip-hop. Producers like DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, and Pete Rock changed the game by digging for these exact types of records.
While Bang Gong Get It On might not be as widely sampled as "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons, it occupies a similar space in the "sample-heavy" genre. When a producer finds a snare hit or a vocal shout on a record this rare, it’s like finding gold. It gives their beat a texture that isn't available in a standard digital sample pack.
The grit is the point.
Honestly, if you cleaned up the audio too much, you’d ruin it. The hiss and the slight distortion on the peaks are part of the instrument. It tells a story of a specific room, a specific day, and a specific group of people trying to make their mark on the world.
How to Listen to Rare Soul Today
So, how do you actually get your ears on this?
Back in the day, you had to be a "digger." You had to spend Saturdays in damp basements. Now, things are a bit easier, though arguably less romantic.
- YouTube Archeology: There are channels dedicated solely to ripping rare 45s. This is the easiest way to hear the unedited, raw versions of tracks like "Get It On."
- Reissue Labels: Companies like Numero Group, Light in the Attic, and Soul Jazz Records do the hard work of tracking down the original artists (or their estates) to legally re-release these songs.
- Digital Crates: Platforms like Bandcamp have become a haven for boutique labels specializing in the "Bang Gong" sound.
It’s worth noting that "Bang Gong" is sometimes confused with other similarly named acts from the era. The 70s were full of bands with names that sounded like onomatopoeias or slang. You've got to be careful with your searches or you'll end up listening to a completely different genre.
👉 See also: Jarobi White: What Most People Get Wrong About the Spirit of A Tribe Called Quest
The Impact of the "Rare Groove" Scene
The "Rare Groove" movement started in London in the 80s. DJs like Norman Jay would play tracks that were "rare" because they had failed commercially upon their initial release.
It’s a beautiful irony. A song like Bang Gong Get It On was essentially a commercial failure in 1975. It didn't chart. It didn't make the band rich. But because it failed to become a mainstream pop hit, it avoided being overplayed. It stayed "fresh" for decades. When it was finally "rediscovered," it sounded like a revelation.
This happens more than you’d think. Music that is "ahead of its time" often lacks the infrastructure to succeed when it’s born. It needs the world to catch up. For Bang Gong, the world caught up when dance culture moved away from the glossy disco sound and back toward the raw, percussive roots of funk.
Actionable Steps for New Collectors
If you’re feeling inspired to dive into the world of rare soul and tracks like Bang Gong Get It On, don't just start buying expensive records on Discogs. That's a quick way to go broke.
Start by following the curators. Look up playlists from DJs like Gilles Peterson or Questlove. These guys are the gatekeepers of the "good stuff." They’ve done the heavy lifting of sorting through the thousands of mediocre tracks to find the ones that actually move the needle.
Next, pay attention to the labels. If you like the sound of Bang Gong, look for other releases on small, regional labels from the same time period. Often, the same studio or the same session musicians worked across multiple projects, creating a "regional sound" (like the Miami funk sound or the Bay Area soul scene).
Lastly, support the reissues. When you buy a legitimate reissue of a rare track, you’re often helping the original artists get royalties they were cheated out of decades ago. It’s a way to give back to the people who created the soundtrack to your new obsession.
Bang Gong Get It On isn't just a song. It’s a time capsule. It’s a testament to the fact that great music doesn't always need a massive marketing budget or a major label to survive. Sometimes, all it needs is a killer drum break and a soul that refuses to be ignored.
✨ Don't miss: Anna Wintour Movies and TV Shows: What Most People Get Wrong
Start your journey by looking into the "Deep City" or "Westbound" label catalogs. These outlets specialized in the same raw, unrefined energy found in the Bang Gong sessions. You can also use tools like WhoSampled to see if your favorite modern tracks have borrowed from these 70s legends, which is often the best "gateway drug" into the world of rare vinyl collecting.