Genre
Funk and New Orleans R&B. Look-Ka Py Py is the definitive document of the Meters' foundational sound: stripped-back, hypnotic funk built on the interlocking interplay of Art Neville's organ, Leo Nocentelli's guitar, George Porter Jr.'s bass, and Zigaboo Modeliste's drums - a four-way conversation so rhythmically intricate and so seemingly effortless that it remains one of the most imitated and least duplicated sounds in American music.
Release
Released in 1969 by Josie Records. It was the Meters' second studio album, recorded the same year as their debut The Meters (1969).
Production
Produced by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn - the producing partnership that had signed the Meters to Josie and whose Sansu Enterprises imprint shaped the New Orleans sound of the late 1960s. All twelve tracks are originals composed by the group. Recorded at Sea-Saint Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Reception
The album is regarded as one of the foundational texts of funk music. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 196 on its 2023 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. AllMusic awarded it a perfect score, describing the Meters as "the definitive New Orleans funk band" and the album as a masterclass in rhythmic interplay. "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Dry Spell" became among the most sampled tracks in hip-hop history, with the former used by artists including Dr. Dre, Public Enemy, and A Tribe Called Quest.
The Meters
The Meters were an American funk band formed in New Orleans in 1965, comprising Art Neville (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) on keyboards and vocals, Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) on guitar, George Porter Jr. (born December 26, 1947) on bass, and Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948) on drums. They began as a session and backing band for Allen Toussaint's productions -playing on recordings by Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, and many others -before recording their own material for Josie Records from 1969. Their influence on subsequent funk, hip-hop, and New Orleans music is incalculable: they have been sampled more than 1,300 times. After a split in 1977 they reunited in 1989 and have continued performing in various configurations. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
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