FUNKY HOUSE

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

OK it's time to talk about the resurgence of funky house! As I see it the UK garage scene is currently comprised of four interweaving but still distinct strands - grime, dubstep, bassline and funky - and I finally got round to dipping a toe into the waters of the last one a few weekends ago. I was absolutely blown away: I remember dismissing funky house as boring wine bar music a few years ago, and I now have no idea whether my ears were wrong then or whether it's changed beyond recognition, because what I'm hearing now is magnificent. Below, youtube links to some of the best cuts and biggest hits of the year:

Wookie ft. Ny - Fallin' Again (I have listened to this maybe 40 times on loop so far? incredible, incredible track)
Perempay & Dee ft. Katie Pearl - In The Air
DJ NG ft. Baby Katy & Versatile - Tell Me
Paleface ft. Kyla - Do You Mind (Crazy Cousins Remix)
Apple - Mr Bean
Crazy Cousins ft. Calista - Bongo Jam

I don't really feel up to talking about the hows and wheres of funky's innovation and importance yet, am just immersing myself in all the amazing music for now - in any case there's loads of great commentary and groove theory on Tim F's blog, Melissa B's Quietus article and the ILX thread. It's oddly hard to find funky mp3s or even Youtube uploads - am mostly relying on radio sets (there are some great Marcus Nasty and Footloose sets linked on the ILX thread) and shonky myspazz rips. Some more of my personal favourites which aren't on Youtube: the Perempay & Dee remix of MA1/Sophia's 'I'm Right Here', Mentor Roska's 'Feeline VIP' (these two are on www.junodownload.com btw), TNT's 'Rumba', the Arms remix of Tawiah's 'Every Step', Delio D'Cruz and Kcat's 'Get On The Floor', Aphrodisiax's 'Unfinished Business'.

What's great is how it's infecting all the other strands of garage, too, in particular adding some femininity and glamour to the notorious sausage-fests of dubstep and grime; check the Geeneus remix of Benga & Coki's 'Night', and also Tinchy Stryder's new single, 'Stryderman', which is amazingly perched at No 74 right now. Wow, I remember when Tinch was the novelty kid in Ruff Sqwad with a kind of annoying, barking voice - he's come such a long way. NB - I still highly recommend his Star In The Hood album from last year, there's so much verve and vitality there - check the banging 'Dance 4 Now' in particular. EAST LONDON MAN DEM A BOK BOK BOK BOK.

Comments

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

In the past funky house seemed largely defined as such by having 'groovy' guitar basslines e.g. M&S Salsoul Nugget's 'If You Wanna', or indeed the Armand Van Helden mix of NuYorican Soul's 'Runaway' - so interesting that it's moved on from that previously key characteristic as that was the only claim it really had to actual Funk I think. The shift seems to be hinged on a 'socafication' of the sound. But no doubt Tim F said all of this better already.

Wookie track sounds good - glad to see this guy is still around ('Battle', 'Scrappy' and 'Back Up 2 Me' all top tunes from 00/01). Less keen on 'In The Air' as it sounds like bog standard mid 90s house apart from the slight rhythmic deviation (I'm not gonna use this as criticism for any other tracks cos it will get v boring v quickly).

The 'Do You Mind' remix is growing on me quite a bit too tho - probably because of the 'massive ayia napa anthem' air surrounding it which makes me interested in it's trajectory. Only question is when will it go top 10 if not #1. Another interesting thing about it's potential commercial success is how 'sad' it sounds for a dancefloor filler - wistful, melancholic, tenderised. That elegance and subtlety (outside R&B 'text) may be kind of refreshing.

'Mr Bean' is the kind of thing that will interest me a bit more tho purely for the Wileyish rhythmic dexterity. I keep expecting him to chime in with the beats tho and without a vocal presence it's kinda lacking after the first minute? This isn't so important with 'Night' as that feels more spacious and deliberately stripped like so much dubstep.

Not into 'Bongo Jam' much at all tho (or that 'African Warrior' one), but I would be quite happy to see all of this stuff invade the charts. Glad it's all coming together in this way.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah I love the socafication - it's obvious on 'Bongo Jam' (which at first I was a bit "lolz, novelty, now back to my babydivas" about, but I've grown to love it properly now) but runs through a lot of the others as well. Apparently (obv I have not read his actual article) S1mon R3ynolds dislikes funky because it's too much like soca which is...about as stupid as I expect from him.

It's a strange characteristic that a lot of funky and bassline vocalists sound so melancholy (esp as 'Do You Mind' isn't an especially sad song) - it's interesting that the dominant mode of expression for UK babydivas is emo-ish meditations on love & loss, hardly any braggadocio at all.

I think I love the wonderfully tactile bass on 'In The Air' most - NEED to hear it in proper quality! And pleased to see that my favourite r&g singer Katie Pearl continues to find gainful employment. Perempay & Dee also have a tune imminent called 'Time To Let Go' which is immense - Melissa says it's been tearing up Ayia Napa this summer.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

yeah i think the bass sound is the best thing about 'In The Air'!

re babydivas, Kyla sounds a little more grown up than Jodie Aysha, which helps (that put me off Heartbroken quite a bit in the end).

there were couple of things in FOotloose mix from the other week i liked (more electro-ey somehow) i need to ID

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Everyone sounds more grown-up than Jodie Aysha!

I am planning excursions to FUNKY HOUSE NIGHTS imminently, do you want to join me? There is one in Dagenham this Saturday but sadly I don't think I can bail on Miami Heat, but I'll get Melissa to keep me posted on when she's next going to one...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i was planning to stop by the late 90s house thing in Dalston - this is tonight yes? that will be old-style funky house tho not this newfangled version i guess.

maybe that Korsan place on Kingsland Rd will do a night like this soon if they're not already. this is more the sound of the suburbs tho surely.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

yeah that's tonight, dunno how funky it'll be at all yet. think Cis is coming too...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I dunno if it counts as funky house as such but I've been listening to this track by Kaskade & DeadMau5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFlI6vJjX48) a lot recently. I have no idea how I found it or even how old it is, but it's proper lovely swirly tranced-up Booka Shade bosh with sweet vocals over the top.

Will check out the stuff in the post at lunchtime!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

ooh that's not bad

[mindtaker-cro.livejournal.com]

"I dunno if it counts as funky house"

progressive house actually! or, rather, progressive at its most melodic, most poppiest. the tune's been out for a few months, and the accompanying Kaskade album ("Strobelite Seduction") is very good, basically a bunch of dead-pretty summery takes on Iio's "Rapture" (+ a few obligatory Cafe del mar-type ballads) (one of which is kinda nice too!).

i love this type of progressive house because i love trance melodies, but trance in general is too fast for me... so now i can have my cake and eat it too at house tempo! i don't know how long this sound's been doing its thing, i've only been getting into it in the last several months, but i'd wholeheartedly recommend searching out:

Kaskade - 4AM (Adam K & Soha Remix)
Paul Keeley - Sunset Boulevard (i think i played this more than any track this year...)
Deadmau5 - Not Exactly (...except maybe this one, what a banger!)
Adam K & Soha - Twilight / Who Cares Really
Spiritchaser - Not Far

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Same here - I've always found trance a bit 'nnnnngh' unless there is some proper nosebleed techno underneath it (eg Storm's 'It's Time To Burn') but it seems I have turned into an enormous soppy get these days, so wishy-washy vocals and less frightening beats = tick vg.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

(Ooo I do like that other Deadmau5 track too!)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard either Deadmau5 track linked here but 'Faxing Berlin' from years ago is a BANGER.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Just had a listen to that - it is indeed banging!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

also love how in the Tinchy video the girls are all taller than him :D

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think he's still a teenager! Bless.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough I've just had this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK1YZuklM6s&feature=related) pop up on the werk checklist - it's a pretty good remix of an otherwise fairly dreadful Aussie girlband (raen.com.au) track (they seem to be modelling themselves on 1997-era Posh Spice, yikes). There's a bassline remix too but it's a bit meh.

[tjanik.livejournal.com]

I love love love Tell Me. It really should hit the charts. Zinc & Geeneus ft Nikki Benoit - Emotions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOdqLAXpqPI) is also great.
As for Do You Mind, it seemed somewhat boring at first in comparison to the bassline original (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWJnufSTigo&feature=related) ore even this remix (http://www.ukgarage.fm/tune/kyla_do_you_mind_controls_electrostep_mix) but has grown on me.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

OMG yes to 'Emotions', I'd heard it on a couple of sets but not managed to ID it. So summery! Also I'm v pleased to see that someone on that Youtube account has seen fit to call themselves DJ Funk Sinatra.

I guess/hope that this will all chart in September or thereabouts, when everyone's back from Napa.

[(Anonymous)]

guess who that person is??LOL DJ Funk Sinatra...is mee...my utube id is bigfoot313...:)))..lol