Originally released perhaps even as far back as in 1995, this tune delivers some exquisite oldschool house action reminding me a bit of a couple David Morales remixes. Now re-released by Soul Love with a lovely soulful remix from Sean McCabe (below) this is something definitely worth checking out!
Disco came back to town (although it never actually went anywhere) as another Finn, Funkhameleon, put out a disco house version of Luther's classic "Never Too Much". Expect big basslines, funky guitars and enchanting vocals courtesy of Mr. Vandross.
Did someone say awesome? Oh no wait, it was just this track I was listening to. I can't believe how I missed it more than a month ago when this was released by Ego, but here it now is. Also, seems to be a bit hazy who the actual artists here are behind this one, but Beatport says it's House Republic and Richard Grey so I think I'll just go with that. At least it has something to do with both of them.
On to the track then. The more I listen to it, the more I fall in love. It's got a definitive disco vibe with very catchy vocals and some of the funkiest guitars around. The drums are more modern than usually in these kind of tracks, although not too techy (luckily).
Show your support and buy it, let's bring this kind of music back!
Dutch DJ/producer Olav Basoski is truly a veteran on the dance music scene. He released his first tracks (under a different alias though) back in the late 80's and has been active ever since. I know him best for his funky house tracks, and here's one that doesn't fall short of exceptional.
Released the first time in May 2011 by Hed Kandi, and having been re-released several times after that by Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi again, tells what kind of a banger this track was – and still is of course. The overall sound is very polished and modern but the background loop brings a lovely oldschool disco vibe to the track. Pay attention to the funky drumwork and enjoy the superb drive after the drop.
Koe aka Tomek Cegielski is a Polish funky and disco house producer slash DJ with a bunch of lovely tunes on his SoundCloud and releases on some pretty big labels. His newest track, released just two days ago, caught my special attention. It's a disco-injected house edit of ELO's classic "Evil Woman" with lovely stringwork and an instant-dance vibe. Everything just works with this banger, and fortunately, being a bootleg, you can get it for free via Koe's Facebook! (Or by clicking on the name above).
Wattie Green Wattie Green – The Prophet Buy on Beatport | Listen on YouTube — Released by Coyote Cuts in October 2011
Very much like Wattie's "Fly Away", incredibly smooth sounds and piano melodies. Great track for sitting back and relaxing.
Sonny Fodera Sonny Fodera – Holds Us Together Buy on Beatport | Listen on YouTube — Released by Beatdown in November 2011
A deep and soulful track, like the recent productions by Mr Fodera have been. Doesn't mean anything negative though!
Kreap Somebody - Oskar (Kreap's Damn Right Disco Mix) (mp3) Listen on SoundCloud / Listen on YouTube — Released by himself in November 2011
Kreap had quite an uploading spree a week ago or so, uploading some of his old work. This one caught my attention in particular. Kreap is once again executing a very clean and polished disco sound. Loving it!
Kreap is no stranger to us here on Funkster. Fatty Roscoe blogged his wonderful "Foster The People" remix a month back, and now this australian disco mastermind has released a new rocking EP called "Housebreak". The release is packed with lovely jacking french house beats along with a couple indie dance remixes, which remind me of what funky house used to be back in the good days. Enormous love and respect for that to the artists and Stardust Records! My favourites are these three, but be sure to check out the other tracks on the release as well. Best title of the year would go to track #2.
Luminaire describes himself as an "English dude who likes to make beats and stuff", and well, who wouldn't like to make such awesome beats. His free EP "Cut/Paster", released merely a week ago, contains five feet-moving instant-like tracks, three of which I'd like to draw special attention to. Listen to the tracks in the player above.
She / Dream Lowe / Disfunction
Stylewise these three a very similar to each other. They all have a relatively slow four-to-the-floor drumbeat accompanied with a catchy sample including some kind of vocal. "Disfunction" features a lot of chopping, and is the most powerful one out of the lot. "She" and "Dream Lowe" are more feel-good tracks, to which you'll have no problem dancing to though. If I we're to pick a favourite, it would probably be "Dream Lowe", but the others would come very close in the race. All-in-all, a smashing EP, and the fact that it's free just adds to the wonderfulness.
Being yet rather undiscovered, the future looks bright for this funky beat-enthusiast. I'm eagerly looking forward to more!
I couldn't find much info about Higher Ground Movement, but I did learn that they're put together of artists from the Finnish UMO Jazz Orchestra. Although the message of this tracks seems to be somewhat religious and it's classified as "gospel house", the groove is so fat and funky that I don't even pay attention to the lyrics. This track seriously needs more attention and love!
The remixer, Jake Kilpiö aka Brever, is one half of Brever&Bakchos, Finnish house producer duo, who released a magnificant EP featuring Max'C titled "I Miss You" about a year ago including a great set of remixes by various producers.
I'm eagerly waiting for new stuff by either Brever&Bakchos or just Brever himself, God knows what they'll come up next time (pun intended)!
Finnish house act Koobra just released their second EP with four rocking tracks. "Nighrunning EP" was released on the (also Finnish) Nightrunners- label, where the likes of Lenno, Bright Shades, StardonE and Adam Bozzetto have already appeared on their EP's. This labels looks very promising, and "Nightrunning EP" is a great addition to their already magnificant selection of releases. To me the following tracks stood out.
Nightrunning is dominated by a heavy distorted guitar riff layered with 80's-esque synth stabs. Some catchy male vocals and funky synths here and there provide the icing for this tasty cake.
And then onto my favourite track on this release. When I heard "Give You Up" for the very first time I was instantly in love. I have a serious weakness for rhodes and when this is combined with an uplifting vocal loop, a big funky bassline and other lovely melodies spread around the track, my happiness can't be measured.
All in all, this release sounds very 80's, and of course there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Although I didn't like the other two tracks as much as these, make sure that you also check them out on Bandcamp. Who knows, maybe they'll take your fancy.
Just uploaded a couple of hours ago, this Go Go Bizkitt! free-for-download jam is pretty much as fresh as it gets. "Flunk" is the dopest free track I've heard in a long time. Expect a major feel-good funky house beat layered with male rap vocals on top of it. I absolutely love it – this will be on repeat for a considerable amount of time now.
Another classic Earnshaw remix. Soulful house with a definitive feel-good vibe. This one features catchy female vocals, funky synths and – of course – a set of fat rhodes. If you've ever heard a track by Richard, you know what to expect, but in no way is that a con.
And then a little something for the weekend, which actually is almost over already. "Well planned" you remark sarcastically? Well it's still a kick-ass track that can also be enjoyed on other weekdays. This one's a bit jazzier and deeper than the Earnshaw's remix, this time with male vocals and rhodes that are slightly funkier. One of my Joey Negro favourites.
Hip house. I've never really dived into this genre, mainly because the tracks usually are too hip-hop for my taste. But this one! Oh this one is gold. The vocals work remarkably well with that super-funky bassline and lovely drumwork. Even if you're not into hip house at all, you'll probably dig this one. There's not a word describing the feeling that arises inside of me at 2:30.
I really hope this sound will make a comeback soon, 'cause I've greatly missed these kind of tracks with a nice warm summery mood instantly making you feel good. Just 4 You features a vocal hook, a funky bassline and big breakdowns – the party is guaranteed. Mad love to Kenji and Scavo for this track!
Kosmetique - III (Kaspar Kochker Remix) Buy on Beatport | Listen on YouTube Released by Stardust Records in October 2011
The second big funky house banger comes from Stardust Records. Here we (of course) also have a very funky bassline, but this time instead of just a vocal melody there's also an sax and a funky guitar! The kick drum and drumwork too might seem a bit annoying first, but once they blend in the mix with all other elements the track starts working very nicely.
P.S. Fun fact: these tracks are almost equally long!
I present to you: two of the tightest remakes (or more like remixes though) of these house classics by Finnish house mastermind Shine Fish. You can instantly hear that this guy knows his percussion. The drum sets are very coherent and firmly complement the overall groove. Secondly you'll hear that this guy also knows a thing or two about making groovy basslines. In both tracks my favourite moment is when the bass comes in, really gluing the track together. There are plenty more tracks by Shine Fish than just these, check out the links at the bottom of the post.
Shine Fish has been busting out feel-good house tracks since 2007, although at a rather varying (and mostly sparse) density. Unfortunately, the last year or so has been very quiet, but on the brighter side, we still have all his earlier productions which don't tend to wear out easily.
I regularly wonder why this dude isn't already world-famous. Shine Fish's talent is obvious to everyone who has heard his work and I'm yet to hear a track by him that I don't love. On the other hand, his still modest popularity also offers an upside: all of this tracks are free.
Tasty Recording's Serial Thrilla just released their first album/compilation "Dance To It" a couple months back featuring many of Serial Thrilla's tracks from the past years. These two are the ones I hadn't heard of before, but all of the tracks are worth checking out nonetheless.
Serial Thrilla have always been loyal to their style: a sampled disco loop with vocals repeating the name of track and a nice and funky set of percussion. And these tracks do not come short of this description. Put on the music and get discotized!
Kreap is such a don. I'm always religiously waiting for a new track from this Melbourne-based producer as he never fails to deliver the funk with his sexy disco gems.
This track is no different. Kreap takes the vocal from Foster The People's indie pop anthem and builds an awesome French House meets Nu Disco track around it. Groovy drums, filtered samples and a hook that very cleverly pays homage to Duck Sauce, what more can you ask for?
He also just released a brilliant new original track on Homebreakin, stream it here and go get it on Juno.
I don't know how I missed this back in early 2010 when it was released, because this release is funkin' awesome! But better late than never, I present to you: Sonny Fodera's 4-track EP "Forever". Every track is as funky as it gets, I mean listen to those damn basslines!
"Bringing It Back" is the deepest track on this release. It features a very soulful and uplifting vibes solo, which really takes the track on to the next level. "Forever" is a vocal-loop-driven funkster with perhaps the funkiest bassline on the EP. My favourite, "Take Her Home", dominates with its catchy (some might say "groovy") bassline, a really nice set of drums and a great guitar riff, that Sonny saved for the last minutes of the song. Finally, the EP ends with "Near To Me": a very soulful track with beautiful rhodes and female vocals by Alyson Joyce – just the way I like my soulful house.
"I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you, baby." This has been worming around in my ear for quite some time now.
Master of the basslines, Canadian Mix Chopin, never fails to deliver french house bombs. This track is at least as beautiful as the girl in the cover and at least as summery as that beach.
This producer duo from Canada describe their style as electro-funk, and this track truly fulfils that portrayal. This banger could be classified as house with a french touch peppered with big sample-chops and funky synth-work. It's a shame that they're not better known (at least not on SoundCloud) but I'm sure they'll pick up speed fast as they've just recently started releasing their productions on the site – for free. There's no good excuse for not downloading this track.
Another instant Wattie Green classic with his trademark funky fat drumwork and enchanting jazzy piano melodies. I've had this on repeat for some time now and it's still far from getting old. That bass riff in the breakdown at 3:46 makes me infinitely happy every time I hear it.
As a bonus I present to you one more solid Wattie Green banger. Released just last month this track is still very fresh (although "Fly Away" can't be blamed of old age either). "It's That Soul" is a bit deeper in style than "Fly Away" but don't let that bother you, I promise you won't be disappointed in any way.
I've got two very funky soulful remixes for you today. First one is Dave Doyle's remix of "In The Zone" by Groove Junkies. With a funky yet soulful bass-line, joyful mood and soft rhodes this smooth jam is definitely worth getting for every soulful house enthusiast.
Next up is this tune with – if possible – an even funkier bass-line. This one also has more disco than the previous and is spiced up with extremely nice female vocals. Released just a couple months back, it's still a very fresh track. Enjoy!
I had never heard of Tom De Neef before, but after some research turned out that this Belgian DJ/producer has released his first track in '97 and DJ'd for Hed Kandi already in 2001.
White Isle Memories is his latest release featuring a very mellow chord progression, beautiful breakdowns and an overall nostalgic mood. I can't get enough of this track, it locks my mind in to some kind of reminiscent state every time I listen to it. White Isle Memories is released on Defected, and oh how glad I'm about that. Good to hear a more classic house sound coming from such a huge label instead of the modern trendy house music. Maybe times are changing back to the classic and funky house style? One cannot but hope.
If you're following this blog, I must apologize for not posting anything for such a long time. Studies came in the way and consumed much of my time, but now Funkster is slowly coming back with at least one post per week for a start. A lot has happened in the funky/disco house scene, so I have a lot of catching up to do!
We're searching for new bloggers too, so if you're into funky dance music, leave a comment here.
Funkster does a comeback as the summer is approaching with these two funksters from Finland. More funky house coming up soon! Remember to show your support on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TimoEtHector
