You Can't Be Funky

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York for the 1981 Rituals EP, the track was produced by the Clash's Topper Headon. The lineup featured Cynthia Sley on vocals, Pat Place on guitar, Laura Kennedy on bass and Dee Pop on drums. The song helped establish Bush Tetras within New York's downtown club scene, pairing confrontational lyrics with tightly interlocking rhythms. Rituals expanded their audience through releases on Fetish in Britain and Stiff America in the United States. The track appeared on Soul Jazz Records' influential New York Noise compilation in 2003 and the band's 2021 retrospective Rhythm and Paranoia. Pitchfork identified it as one of their signature songs.