Few bands captured the slick sound of late ’70s and ’80s funk quite like Zapp. Built around four Troutman brothers Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry, Zapp’s trailblazing use of the talk-box was influential in the the development of electro, hip-hop and G-funk.

Returning for the first time since 2001’s Zapp VI: Back by Popular Demand, new album Zapp VII: Roger & Friends features input from both Snoop Dogg and Bootsy Collins, and sets out to celebrate the legacy of Zapp frontman Roger Troutman, forty years on. It also contains posthumous performances by Roger himself, pieced together from an early demo tape.

“This group has always been about three things: hook ‘em, get ‘em dancin’ and keep ‘em dancin’. And I honestly think the secret to Zapp has always its authenticity,” says Lester Troutman Jr, who appears on the record alongside original members Lester Troutman Sr and Terry Troutman. “They genuinely want to make you get up and really dance and just forget about all your troubles, and it comes out through the music.”