The time has come for Dornik, who happens to be Jessie Ware’s former drummer, to present his debut self-titled album to the entire world.
British music has never sounded as good as in these past few years and together with Australia/New Zealand this is the new music hotbed. Let’s get one thing straight by the way. Dornik is not a Michael Jackson wannabe! Yes, he is clearly inspired by MJ’s greatness, but which self respecting Soul & Funk lover isn’t?
The Croydon-born singer/songwriter/producer needed a little nudge from miss Ware, but when push came to shove it didn’t take very long for PMR Records to sign Dornik. Congratulations are in order. For today sees the official release of “Dornik“, the album you all have been secretly waiting for even if you didn’t know it. Check the man out on Soundcloud or visit his site to pick up a signed CD or 12″ vinyl album.
For the longest, a handful of music enthousiasts have been anxiously waiting for Par-Le to release their debut EP. The duo out of London seems to have been in hiding for the past few years. Without warning and totally unexpected (to us at least) Alex Bonfanti (bass) and Miles James (guitar) released their “The Light Years” EP.
We could go on about how eighties Funk Par-Le is and how Par-Le is bringing the boogie back, but we’d rather have you listen to their music for yourself. Quite frankly the single “Exclusive” featuring Nadine Charles is pretty good, but it seems to have been released on…wait Movement Records?! Dunno about this sh*t though (insert emoji with raised eye brow).
Last week we got the honor to premiere a DJ Spinna’s remix for Pat Van Dyke‘s track “Two Sides”.
Today Pat and Cotter Records let loose another remix from “Technicolor HI-FI” record and this time it’s sir Buscrates 16-Bit Ensemble out of Atlanta, Georgia who takes the track “Walk It Off” to funky town.
Buscrates’ Funkdown remix can be exclusively streamed via on Soundcloud page, but you might as well pick it up right away at Pat’s Bandcamp page. When you pre-order the limited edition 7″ vinyl, you will get an immediate free download of the Buscrates and DJ Spinna remix. The rest of the remixes you will receive on June 30th.
For those that find vinyl records vile and disgusting, you’re in luck. The 10-track digital release can be pre-ordered separately (for the same price, minus shipping). You must either hate wax or be an idiot not to pick up the limited vinyl (300 copies) while it’s still in stock.
Astral Black seems to be a label/collective from the United Kingdom and as they say their business is tapes, parties, vinyl and tees. They have returned with the brand new, 14-track strong compilation, titled Frass FM 2.
Just like on the first compilation, we find another impressive list of producers such as Soulection representatives Sivey and JD Reid. Other super dope producers such as K15, Budgie, Jon Phonics and Jaisu have also donated a piece of music. Our favorite gems on Frass FM 2 come from Sivey and Budgie, but this does not mean you shouldn’t download the compilation for free and listen for yourself.
A very good friend of mine who goes by the name of B. Bravo has been collecting some records for me over the past years. So one day I bought one of my favorite Billy Ocean albums on Ebay for a bargain and told him it was a small gift from me to him. Little did I know that he would one day grab his talkbox and create his very own version of “Nights” (Feel Like Getting Down)”.
Another fun little fact is that I was selling some of my doubles last year at a small record fair and this one guy pulled out a 12″ version of Nights. He looked as his friend and asked him…’is this that one song’? I immediately started singing the hook and he was like ‘oh snap, I’ve been looking for this for a while now’. He was hella happy that day.
To celebrate the fact that B. Bravo is touching down in Europe in this week, he decided to unleash a brand new Funk track on his Soundcloud page. It was premiered by Discobelle and is available for free download right here! We’ll be taking Mr. Bravo to the Red Bull Studios Amsterdam next week to create something funky, so you can expect more good music to come your way soon. Make sure you catch one these nights in Stockholm, Tallinn, Trondheim or Amsterdam in the next two weeks, so you can see B. Bravo get down and dirty in the flesh.
Hir-O is a beatsmith coming out of the Motor City who combines elements of Jazz and Funk into his music. His music is not new to us, but last month DOC Mastermind first introduced us to Hir-O’s new “Emissary” album, which is a prequel to his previous instrumental soundtrack “The Voyage Home“.
We fell in love with one track, “Lovely Day on Dagoba“, in particular featuring The Elements Band. We played this song on our last radio show and it’s the most amazing and uplifting song to come out recently.
Enjoy this funky little ride that is guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face. Shout out to Mellow Orange for letting us premiere this gem on Soundcloud and make sure you purchase the entire album on iTunes.
Some of you might be getting used to our ‘Werk Space‘ project by now. For those that haven’t heard about it, let me break it down.
Each month we invite a Dutch producer to showcase his artistry and challenge him to work in an amazingly fruitful environment being the Red Bull Studios Amsterdam. Last month it was AJ Beats from Enschede who visited the studio. He worked on some proper Funk and went all out the percussion. Check out this interview on The Find, in case you’d like to know more about AJ Beats.
We mainly had fun, but actually finished the track “Lets Cruise” in the process. Gerson Rafael from Rotterdam danced his way into the recording booth and laid down some smooth vocals. Many thanks to Edoardo Marin for mixing down the final result.
Another big shout out to the lovely Serena Indigo for creating the artwork and big up to Lexflex81 for the fresh logo!
One of the best things about this job is connecting people from all over the globe. Last year I connected my friend B. Bravo with the homeys from Goodnws in Jakarta.
This year, together with Sindhen Apps, they have invited San Francisco funkster Teeko. It seems he will be coming through fresh on some having fun shit, straight from the West. Catch Teeko’s first ever performance in South East Asia. Jakarta to be exact!
For all the fans Teeko created some “Jakartafunk” just to let you know the party goin on March 20th at Hide and Seek SCBD. Get that free download and enjoy some futuristic Funk flavor.
When Kendrick Lamar released “Overly Dedicated” in 2010, we would have never thought he would become one of the most influential rappers of the new generation.
Let it be known I’m not a fan, but I was more than curious about his brand new “To Pimp A Butterfly” album. More then Hip-Hop it’s a true Funk album and it makes me happy whenever a new generation gets exposed to real music. Tracks like “Institutionalized” sound slightly reminiscent of Sa-Ra Creative Partners at first. Only to switch to some straight nineties Hip-Hop. Another favorite is “These Walls”, which is nothing more than a feel good summer time jam with Bilal on the hook.
No gimmicks on this album and with quality featuring artists such as George Clinton, Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Thundercat, Anna Wise, James Fauntleroy and Ronald Isley this might be my favorite Kendrick Lamar album yet. Definitely an album worth your while and give this a listen or purchase right away on iTunes.
We are not easily impressed and do certainly not jump on any bandwagon. That being said, we give credit where credit is due.
The Snakehips duo from London are in their mid-20’s and they have been blowing up like crazy. Personally I like some of their remixes, but it wasn’t until “I’m Gone” featuring Syd the Kyd (The Internet) came out that they had won me over. This is without a doubt the prime cut on their very recently released “Forever Pt. II” EP.
Another nice song of the EP is “Overtime” featuring Sasha Keable. I like the uptempo R&B vibe, but in all honesty all four tracks on the EP aren’t quite enjoyable. Make sure you purchase your own digital copy on iTunes.
