Funky/London/UK House

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dj's dj

Member
should we call it

Funky Garage...

A lot of people are confused as to why this genre is called Funky House when it is far from the swanky bar sound (a la early Hed Kandi) and the awful lowest common denominator cheese found on new Hed Kandi compilations.

I think Funky Garage - shows this latest sub genre is an hybrid of Funky House and UKG and allows one (read journalists) to make a clear distinction between Joey Negro and Roska's musical styles.
 
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Ach!

Turd on the Run
I think garage was pretty funky already. I think the main problem with that moniker would be that the DJs playing this style would certainly (up until very recently) have been playing a large amount of US house records in their sets, as opposed to their being a direct lineage from garage. I think it's great that there's no concrete name; all the best genres have had problematic periods where an absolute definition was cloudy for some time. Funky (on its own) or London House is what I have tended to describe it as.
 
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dj's dj

Member
...but a lot of the US records are actually more like Garage (in the traditional sense - as in Bobby and Steve 'Garage City' vibes). Producers like Masters Of Work (Kenny Dope's Mix of Nitelife for example), Dennis Ferrer (particularly Church Lady etc.), Ron Hall & Muthafunkaz (The Way You Love Me) where getting caned at Red Carpet (the seminal weekly club night @ Depature then Turnmills) in '06. Although, I admit the music is getting harder and less vocal based now, it has definately progressed from the Garage that UKG (pre 2 Step) came from.
 
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Ach!

Turd on the Run
I get your point, I guess I just associate producers like Ferrer with the house scene although as you say they are in line with US garage. I dunno, it is Funky though.
 
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Tim F

Well-known member
While the US house that funky draws on does cross over with US garage (Ferrer, Quentin Harris etc.) there's a lot of (US even) house that gets played in funky sets that has nothing to do with garage - and it's a really broad range from Claude Von Stroke's "Who's Afraid of Detroit" to Suge's "We Belong To The Night" to Masters at Work's "Work!", all really big in funky sets (so that's house/electro/minimal, deep house and soca-house respectively).

And even a producer like Ferrer is a lot less obviously garagey than most of the US stuff that, say, Tuff Jam were drawing on.

Funky isn't so much moving away from "funky house" as it is expanding well beyond the borders of what that term can easily refer to. Yeah, some tracks are as close to Black Dog or early Jammer or Lenky as they are to Ferrer/Harris, but the same producers who are pushing the boundaries are also simultaneously reaffirming their love of conventional house - one of my favourite tracks at the moment is the massive, apocalyptic remix of Harris's "My Joy" that Malice has done - Malice, who, along with Little Silver, is probably the grimiest producer in funky.
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
Ach! said:
I think garage was pretty funky already.
Click to expand...

When its 2step I reckon UK garage is far funkier than the new Funky house stuff, which I don't really find funky at all. I think Simon Reynolds definitely hit the nail on the head when he compared the rhythms to 'a pantomime horse trying to gallop'. The stuff I've heard on a couple of Marcus Nasty sets I downloaded sounds like a bit of a mess to my ears (and I don't think his mixing is much cop either). It does just sort of lollop along and it gets very tiring to listen to after a while.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
the problem i have with a lot of funky ive heard is that yeah theres interesting rhythmic things going on but theyre usually just rhythmic layers either on top of whats a pretty dull/muzaky standard house rhythm, not really in the heart of the track. even broken beat, for all its tasteful neatness, had more tricksy stuff happening on the rhythmic front. theres seems a lot of potential for it to really become interesting but hopefully the african/soca/afro-latin influence isnt just one tacked on but more integrated. i still need to hear a lot more of it though.
 
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dj's dj

Member
Tim F said:
Funky isn't so much moving away from "funky house" as it is expanding well beyond the borders of what that term can easily refer to.
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You are right about the expansion - I like DJs that can play different disciplines of House ranging from Minimal and Deep House to UK Funky and Experimental (Karizma!!), to even Tribal or traditional Garage - one funky nation under a groove.

However, imo forums like this, Ilx and bloggers appear to be itching for Funky to move away from Funky House.

I understand funky 'cos I'm in London (innit), went to the early raves (I even did raves with Butterbwoy PR where we put Funky House on the flyer because clubs didn't want UK Garage) and got a range of free mix CDs (from early '06 to now; the roll of the promotional mix CDs in determining the sound is heavily underated - tracks ranged from1994 to 2004 as if they were filling in the gaps for the RnB and Grime crew that had just reached!). My reasoning for a new tag, such as Funky Garage, is more for aliens to understand the nuances from Funky House, appreciate this 'new' genre's linear progression, and to stop forcing it to be more than it is by acknowledging the freestyle spirit of the DJs is as important the records/producers.

UK Funky or UKF?

LOL, apparently a new genre is only 2 press releases away so if anyone has Data's press release for DJ NG's 'Tell Me' please post - I just hope they don't call it Urban House.
 
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Tim F

Well-known member
The two funky tracks that I've heard that make me think of The Black Dog are Aphrodisiax's "Unfinished Business" and Bearfoot Monk's "Wearwolf".

Less Black Dog-ish but Dub Boy's "Funky Underground" is also a fantastic example of how out-there funky's rhythms can get.

Gumdrops I think you're wrong about the place of syncopation in the rhythms in funky house. Here's something I said on ILX re this issue:

"Re SR's complaint of too much bongo-style percussion and evocation of live percussionists at house nights in the early 90s... This seems like an argumentative sleight of hand. The analogy implies a necessary reduction in vibe/intensity and air of anti-perspirant refinement: only tracks that are already relatively sedate could easily be accompanied by live percussionists, and the implication is that the music is not interesting enough by itself, it needs the added distraction of live percussionists.

But the funny thing about UK "funky house" is how the specific sounds are being used in an entirely different manner.

Something like DJ Naughty's "Quicktime (VIP Mix)" - a massive, inescapable anthem - is basically a grime 8-bar, with bongo samples and piano chords replacing electroid-beats and synth stabs. Rather than ripple calmly across the top of the groove, the bongo samples take centre stage and they're wielded aggressively."

Listen to this track and it's clear that it's not using bongos in the typical tribal house set, the beats inhabit an entirely different and much more central point in the topography of the groove.

That said, I kinda instantly dismiss criticisms that complain about "muzak" house beats.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
i dunno - that dj naughty track isnt bad (youre totally right about it being basically an 8 bar type thing though, albeit with more progression rather than straight switch ups, and just more subdued) but the bongos are still mixed pretty low - they just seem to be in the background on clipped-loop (maybe this is what makes it different, that stacccato-ness to the percussion loops?), kinda as flavouring rather than really powering it along. the real rhythm is the kinda 'galloping' drum programming which seems to be one of funky's hallmarks, that same thing i liked about those apple beats from earlier this year.

i cant decide between whether i find quicktime repetitive or entrancing.
 
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viktorvaughn

Well-known member
African Warrior is such a massive tune...the best thing Donaeo has ever done. That sidewinder set with him on is embarrassing, all the big MCs are spraying their reload bars and he just makes some noises...
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
zhao, there's a little bit on juno download but not much yet (really, there's not a hell of a lot of vinyl yet either - this fall should be big though). at JD check for roska and the dj naughty remix of ma1's I'm Right Here. there's a perempay remix too but it's very dull. also the geeneus remix of Night.
 
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nomos

nomos

Administrator
oh i thought you meant digital.

yeah, rhythm division was a good source too until the web shop evaporated. uptown seem to get a lot of exclusives but their shipping rates make it rough from abroad.
 
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zhao

there are no accidents
nomos said:
oh i thought you meant digital.

yeah, rhythm division was a good source too until the web shop evaporated. uptown seem to get a lot of exclusives but their shipping rates make it rough from abroad.
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no i do mean digital. and thanks.
 
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gremino

Moster Sirphine
I suggest adding Roska to your Myspace friend list, as he informs news at bulletin board/comments.

Check out his myspace for a new EP. He's also playing a show at Manic fm on sundays 12-02pm.
 
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