Jazz, Tap and other art forms of the street have become classic because of either enthusiasts, mass media attention or historians. The UNDERGROUND DANCE MASTERS that we are talking about here, were never seen by a large part of society let alone any of the mass media. This collection of music entitled "O.G. Funk: Underground Dance Masters Music Series - Locking Volumes 1& 2" is from the feature documentary UNDERGROUND DANCE MASTERS: FINAL HISTORY OF A FORGOTTEN ERA". The new film takes you on a journey through this underground life style when a special group of artists created art, not on canvas nor recordings but in unique dances, one could call it Physical Graffiti. Using their individual dance styles (as gunslingers used their pistols) to dominate others, get respect and build self pride solely through the art of dance.

The music that inspired these dances is what is encompassed in this collection. This music is the deepest and the hardest grooves on the streets of that time and it was simply called the O.G. Funk. Later it was also known as old school (the real old school and not what's become old school). The film is a 2 hour and 25 minute production that covers a 20 year span of an unwritten history from 1970 to 1985. The music queues used in the film have been broken up into eight volumes based on the style of dance that is appropriate to each track.

Two of those are Locking Volumes 1 & 2 that features the music that inspired Don "Campbellock" Campbell from Los Angeles, CA to create Campbellocking in 1970 and inspired the dance group Chain Reaction from Reseda, CA to create and reinterpret Locking in 1974 establishing the way the dance is done today. The film is now for sale on VHS. The film is made up of archival footage that creates an unshakable timeline. These liner notes are from the book "Underground Dance Masters: History Of A Forgotten Era" and it gives a first time look at this part of American Pop Urban History. Telling about a very special group of Latino, Black and White individuals who are the true masters of the Urban Dance forms called Locking and Popping that has become the basis of what is called hip-hop dance today.

Don "Campbellock" Campbell (featured here on the cover of Locking Vol. 1) had many others dancers that were attracted to his energy and his dance. Those people, inspired by Campbellock created movement that became known as a LOCK. This move would eventually become the center piece and a key part of Campbellocking.

Leo "Fluky Luke" Williamson (Original member of the Campbellock Dancers, 1973 - shown above in the middle left photo, standing on the lower left side) would influence Campbellocking with his move originally called the IRON HORSE and renamed the Which-A-Way. With his agility and crisp movements his interpretation of Don's dance would go on to inspire many. It was his intense energy and extreme perfection that took the dance to new levels.

Alpha Omega Anderson (a member of the second incarnation of the Lockers, not shown) was one of those people. He created a move out of trying to do continuos Russian squat kicks. Every time he would try this move he would fall backward onto his hands. His brother called attention to this accidental movement. He would continue developing it and this move (originally known as an Oil Well) is what is known today as an Alpha.

In late 1970 another dancer named Tony "Go-Go" Lewis (a member of the Lockers in 1977 - shown above in the middle left photo standing on the lower right side), along with partner Edwin Lombard (originally from LA) were making up steps that they could do in unison, because the Lockers didn't do unison steps yet. They would create a combination of hopping and shuffling steps that would take on the nickname of one member of his group (the GO-GO Brothers) named James "Skeeter" Higgens (originally from LA). Skeeter did this move very jerky and hyper so they called it "Skeeter Rabbit". There are many variations of Skeeters done today, but when they came up with the move at Tony "Go-Go's" home in LA they had no idea that their step would become synonymous with Locking.

When Chain Reaction (Established in 1974 and featured above on the front cover of Locking Vol. 2 - front to back Cool Pockets, Deuce, T-Bopper & Bosco. ) took this dance and reinvented it, they took that energy of the improvisational approach that was established by Campbellock and did a new interpretation.

(Above) T-Bopper Chain Reaction 1975
Thomas "T-Bopper" Guzman-Sanchez based his style on a cross formation where everything had to be clean movement. As the group developed, it was the unison routines and this clean Doubled Up style of Locking that set them apart. He also changed the terminology and in 1974 introduced the word BREAK to describe the dance move originally called a LOCK. This word eventually evolved to be used as a descriptive word for the "act of dancing."

(Above) "Cool Pockets" Chain Reaction 1975
Paul "Cool Pockets" Guzman-Sanchez would take the Doubled Up Locking style to new levels with multi directional points and Bob "Bosco" Winters developed an off time syncopated style that made him absolutely unique. Together with Mike "Deuce" Donley made Chain Reaction a complete and unbeatable entity. The group created special unison choreography that did not exist before. This would change the way the dance would be performed forever.