More Bounce to the Ounce

Zapp's debut single is an electro-funk number admiring the way a girl moves her body on the dance floor. It's notable for its use of the talkbox, a device attached to an instrument that allows the singer to manipulate sounds through a tube in his mouth. The group's frontman, Roger Troutman, revisited the effect the following year on his funky interpretation of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" from his hit solo album The Many Facets Of Roger.

Formerly known as Roger & The Human Body, the band built its fanbase playing small venues throughout their native Ohio, where former Parliament-Funkadelic members Catfish and Bootsy Collins also performed. The brothers were impressed with Troutman's talent and invited the band to record at United Sound Studios in Detroit, where P-Funk leader George Clinton heard their demo of "More Bounce To The Ounce." According to Bootsy, Clinton was instrumental in shaping the final product, then called "Funky Bounce." He recalled: "George Clinton just happened to step into the studio this night and he really liked this one part that we had already re-did on 'Funky Bounce.' He advised us to loop that section and put the other talkbox parts over it. At that time, this was considered a genius act, because you had to actually cut the tape and make the right cut, line it up and loop it. So let us not forget that Dr. Funkenstein was way ahead of his time as well."

The strength of the demo earned Zapp a record deal with Warner Bros. Their debut album was co-produced by Bootsy Collins, who also contributed guitar work.