Sigma

Sigma (upper-case Σ, lower-case σ, lower-case in word-final position ς; Greek σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, when the word is not all upper-case, the final form (ς) is used, e.g. Ὀδυσσεύς (Odysseus); note the two sigmas in the center of the name, and the word-final sigma at the end.

History

The shape and alphabetic position of Sigma is derived from Phoenician shin 𐤔 .

Etymology

The name of sigma, according to one hypothesis, may continue that of Phoenician Samekh. According to a different theory, its original name may have been "San" (the name today associated with another, obsolete letter), while "sigma" was a Greek innovation that simply meant "hissing", based on a nominalization of a verb σίζω (sízō, from earlier *sig-jō, meaning 'I hiss').

Uppercase of esh

The uppercase form of sigma was re-borrowed into the Latin alphabet to serve as the uppercase of modern esh (lowercase: ʃ).

Duke Williams

Duke Williams is an American musician who fronted the musical group Duke Williams and the Extremes. Their song "Chinese Chicken" was featured on the breakbeat compilation Ultimate Breaks and Beats. Richie Sambora played with Williams before forming Bon Jovi.

The band released two albums on Capricorn Records in the 1970s. Williams still plays with various bands in and around the Trenton, NJ area.

References

DJ Fresh

Daniel Stein, best known as DJ Fresh, is an English record producer, DJ and musician known for making electronic music. He was one of the principal members of the drum and bass group, Bad Company, alongside Darren White (dBridge), Jason Maldini, and Michael Wojcicki (Vegas). He also owns and runs the pioneering drum and bass label Breakbeat Kaos with Adam F.

DJ Fresh released his third studio album, Nextlevelism in October 2012 on Ministry of Sound Recordings, which includes the two No. 1 hits singles "Louder" and "Hot Right Now" – the UK's first dubstep and drum and bass No. 1's respectively - "The Power", "The Feeling" and "Gold Dust".

Currently working on his fourth studio album – due for release at the end of 2014 – DJ Fresh recently scored two top five hit singles with “Earthquake”, a collaboration with Mad Decent label boss Diplo featuring Dominique Young Unique and “Dibby Dibby Sound” a collaboration with St Louis producer Jay Fay also featuring the legendary garage vocalist Ms. Dynamite.

Mega Man

Mega Man, alternatively written as Megaman and MegaMan, known as Rockman (ロックマン, Rokkuman) in Japan, is a video game franchise created by Capcom, starring the robot character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. Mega Man, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, began a series of over 50 games on multiple systems. By March 2015, the series had sold approximately thirty million copies worldwide, and is often cited as one of the most renowned video game franchises of all time.

Overview

The classic Mega Man series consists of ten main titles including the original game, as well as all Game Boy and PC titles featuring the original design of Mega Man. The classic series is considered to be the origin of the story, with Mega Man being the first installment, and continuing with ten direct sequels. Chronologically after Mega Man 8 comes Mega Man & Bass, followed by Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10.

Although the classic series has yet to reach an ending, the storyline shifts to the Mega Man X series, followed by the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Legends. Although it is confirmed that the Legends series takes place sometime in the distant future after the ZX series, there is an uncertain amount of time as to when it actually takes place. All series follow one continuous timeline except for Mega Man Battle Network and Mega Man Star Force which exist in an alternate universe (one in which network technology flourished instead of robotics technology), with Star Force occurring two centuries after the Battle Network series.

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid- to late 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord, distinguishing them from R&B and soul songs, which are built on complex chord progressions. Funk uses the same extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths.

Like much African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ, and drums playing interlocking rhythms. Funk bands sometimes have a horn section of several saxophones, trumpets, and in some cases, a trombone, which plays rhythmic "hits". Funk originated in the mid-1960s, with James Brown's development of a signature groove that emphasized the downbeat—with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure, funky bass lines, drum patterns, and syncopated guitar riffs. Other musical groups, including Sly & the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic, soon began to adopt and develop Brown's innovations. While much of the written history of funk focuses on men, there have been notable funk women, including Chaka Khan, Labelle, Brides of Funkenstein, Klymaxx, Mother's Finest, and Betty Davis.