Funkobit: Syke Dyke

Robert Michael Reed has died. Under his stage name, Syke Dyke, Reed was a founding member of Trouble Funk.

Between 1977 and 1994, Trouble Funk carved a whole subgenre of funk - go-go - for themselves. Although hits like Pump Me Up and Drop The Bomb defined their niche, the band's reputation was really forged through unlikely collaborations - remixing Julian Cope's World Shut Your Mouth, or sharing stages with punk acts like Minor Threat.

Reed was 50; the cause of death is believed to be pancreatic cancer.