funky house sceptics, let me draw your attention to this

That said I'd be interested to know if you were surprised at being bored by the Roska album, Lex. Do you particularly like much of his prior work other than "Our Father" (not some kind of trick question - I just know you really like that one)?

I'd find it odd for someone who likes his work generally not to be pleased with this album as I think it totally plays to his strengths, unless they'd actually wanted him to go for some kind of traditionalist detroit techno or funkstep vibe, or maybe they'd wanted the bangers to be more straightahead and less syncopated (so more in the "Our Father" / "Gone To A Better Place" / "In Your Handbag" vein) - maybe you would have liked the latter more?

I think maybe the "problem" with Roska's syncopation (when he works in this mode) is that it makes the tracks so tense rhythmically that they can't actually generate the same kind of free-sprint energy that a more straightforward rhythmic matrix allows, except in the mix where that energy is generated by the huge friction with the surrounding tracks. Even say "Climate Change" (still my sentimental favourite Roska tune) sounds a lot less dynamic as a standalone track than when it's used well in the mix. I guess this is a truism though.

Meanwhile Funkystepz have provided a download like for their Rihanna "Rude Boy" remix, which I've gone from thinking is a middling effort for them to totally loving. The way the beat breaks down so gratuitously during the "what you want want want" section is marvelous and very typical of their um generosity as producers.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/qoajra

Also Heatwave have linked up "Play Di Ting":

http://www.mediafire.com/?tnloidqdmmy

the roska album just didn't leave much of an impression - there wasn't as much character as i was expecting, even on the vocal tracks (i already disliked "wonderful day"). it's never a good sign when you're thinking "hmm is this album over yet?" on your first run-through. i don't know what i was expecting, i didn't know he's released an album til it was out, but i was def hoping for more in the "our father" vein, which is an all-timer for me.

i actually find the funkystepz "rude boy" a bit too bassliney - prefer the loose cannons remix with lady chann.

i also found roska album pretty boring. i feel like i've heard a lot of the tracks in mixes where i enjoyed them much more. in the mix context they feel much more energetic whereas in the album context they just feel a bit flat. also not a wise choice of album opener lol

I think maybe the "problem" with Roska's syncopation (when he works in this mode) is that it makes the tracks so tense rhythmically that they can't actually generate the same kind of free-sprint energy that a more straightforward rhythmic matrix allows, except in the mix where that energy is generated by the huge friction with the surrounding tracks.

100% otm

probably this isn't the place to talk about it but i'm also finding it hard to get into the ikonika album. i think the set of noises she uses is just quite...silly. for some reason i keep imagining how ridiculous it will sound when looking back on it in 20 years time. it's not like i don't like things with computer game bleeps and bloops as a rule..some amazing grime songs use these sounds but they always that 'hardness'.

that ikonika album is a bit shit. well shit is a bit strong but its so overrated now its untrue. she had good singles before, particularly please, but the album is just too much of that. and the chiptuney sounds wear thin quite quickly, just cos its hard to really take it too seriously after a while. it just sounds a bit silly cos shes aiming so hard for 'depth' and 'soul' and 'meaning'. plus its way too overloaded. people seem to think its 'complex' but its not really, its just unnecessarily overstuffed, as if piling as much of every possible idea you had for a track one after another is a good thing. it sounds nice and smart and all that, but as a whole it just doesnt add up. and the funky tracks - to bring it back on topic - are actually some of the weakest i thought. maybe its cos funky is still so new and developing, that it sounds a bit weird to hear her trying to essay it - like that one track that rips off lil silva, id rather hear lil silva tbh.

still not heard the roska album but hes really the last person i thought would do an album, or do one i would want to hear really. but i love his aesthetic.

also i hate that wonderful day track roska produced. good production (would rather it was instrumental) but such a pathetic vocal.

I'm not into the "Wonderful Day" vocal but hearing it in mixes so many times kinda wore away at my initial irritation. And I think "Love 2 Nite" is great.

whats the altered natives mix of that ikonika track like? ive a feeling i might like that more.

Lex my sense is that the big difference between us in this particular area (given we usually agree so much) is that I'm more of a rhythm nerd and you're more of a sonix nerd. The big stumbling block with Ikonika for me is that her rhythms mostly sound very enfeebled to me and the dinky computer game melodies just an elaborate distraction ("pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!")... Whereas I'm guessing part of what bores you about the Roska album is that once you take away the intensely detailed grooves the arrangements are very thin.

It's not coincidental, I think, that "Our Father" is both rhythmically simple and sonically "thick" by Roska's standards.

When did Major Note$ release an album? It popped up on Spotify the other day when I was looking for Friend of Mine and it sounds pretty good, lots of different vocalists, Basement Jaxx album voibe.

The Ikonika album is great, its the one video-game inspired album that actually makes you feel like you're inside a video game. But I'm not sure why it's being talked about here.

disagree that ikonika's rhythms are remotely "enfeebled" or whatever, i love how she messes with tempo and rhythm. and wtf is this lil silva rip-off that apparently is only on titchy's copy? she sounds nothing like him.

this track is great though -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW78HjQdvPM

It's not so much that Ikonika's rhythms are specifically enfeebled, it's just that whole stuttery draggy post-dubstep rhythm matrix used on most of the tracks (e.g. the first five) that I find very difficult to really get with in general regardless of the producer. But it's not worth having an argument over as I've never liked it except in isolated exceptions so I'm hardly going to change now.

Matt the internet is turning up no details of a Major Note$ album :-(

http://us.7digital.com/artists/major-notes/album

It exists! With packaging reminiscent of a CD of sea shanty cover versions available from your local petrol station.

er lex, psoriasis sounds like lil silvas different (i think its that one, though it could be bits of any of his tunes). quite obviously too. perhaps you missed that track?

not exactly difficult to spot -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lPIOf-z0TA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3PhBWkFWTM

Matt that Major Notes album looks like a comp of most of his older work (but no "Scream Out" or "Holy Ghost" WTF?), though I hadn't heard the opener "Tropicalia" and that's possibly new (and also sounds great!) - "Jungle Book" and "Friend of Mine" are classics also.

He's a bit inconsistent though - given how jaw-dropping productions like "Holy Ghost" or V-Boiz's "She Got That" or (ESPECIALLY) his remix of J-Wess' "Deja Vu" are it's odd that he then does relatively anonymous stuff like "Meet Me On The Dancefloor". I think when he wants to be he's maybe technically the best producer in the scene but you wouldn't know it from half his tracks.

OMG Princess Nyah Remix of "Pon De Floor"!!!

it's hard to say whos the more over rated on hyperdub...kode 9 himself, zomby, ikonika, cooly G or burial

i'm pickin zomby but this is neither the time or place to elaborate, sorry....as you were

i'm still not sold on this funky bidness eh ?...but i do appreciate your efforts to convert us Tim.

carry on with the good work.

Lex I forgot to say that that Redlight track is amazing. The video clip is like THE archetypal UK funky video clip too.

it fits in v well with zinc & ms dynamite's "wile out" i think - slightly tuffer than most funky

Actually I think it's pretty much spot on with where funky is at in 2010. Stuff with massive dirty basslines is becoming the rule rather than the exception. e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwiMdDk4IiA

Don't mind this sort of 'halfstep' switch to 'funky' backbeat steez...

silkie - quasar (dubbel dutch edit)

...anyone know of more stuff like it lying around ?

not lovin dirty basslines :(

In general or just on the evidence of "Fya"?

About Face, probably the best halfstep-meets-funky tune is Scratcha DVA's "Hard House" from last year, but I can't listen to that Silkie remix at work so I'm not sure if we're talking about the same idea.

don't love them in general, but i'm not so crazy about 'fya' either

Say Tim...you dont have a spare link for 'hard house' lying round do you ?

I'm pretty sure it'll be the same sort of idea. Be interesting to hear the DVA take on it. The thing i like with silkie is, he's got the rolling snare sorted from his days puttering around with breakbeats.

I wasn't too sold on that Silkie refix. I'm not really sure if it's just because I'm overly familiar with the original, or what though.

Finally bought Windrush Riddim off of ukfunky.com, along with a bunch of other tunes.

Geiom's "Sugar Coated Lover" is lovely as well..!

hah...yeah i coulda done without the funky beat switch, its more the idea that intrigues me. So for an Austin Texan like 'dubbel dutch' to combine the two is inspiring in itself.

"Dirty Funk" is ace but I have a feeling it's from last year? Maybe not though. What's the track it samples?

found it. (says a lot about devine that i wouldnt have immediately ruled out them making it themselves, but pilfering eurotrash is oddly pleasing too)

veimateus 7 months ago
Totalmente prostitutas

^ new band name btw

Ha of course. Is this def. "Dirty Funk" though as I've heard another Devine track that's also called that, more of a grimey one. Though maybe it's another part 1/part 2/part 8/part 73 deal. How good is "Touch Her In The Morning" also.

They should make a release of all the parts of House Girls. Or anything.

Is anyone else enjoying Sunday Roast? A lot of his (?) stuff either tends to be interesting instrumental workouts or cheesy (but enjoyable) vocal numbers.

Also, kind of loving Smoove Kriminal these days. The Represent EP from the tail end of last year is wonderful... title track appeared on Oneman's Rinse mix for about 50 seconds.

iirc i just assumed cos the devine fella is on the intro saying "and it's dirty funk", but he could have been speaking generally. although there is a producer who goes by that name as well right? - but i'm fairly certain it was mr devine.

'touch her' is ridiculous yes. really they may as well be the only producers in the world for all i care, until i remember all the other good ones.

talking of DEVINE (how's this for a segue bitches!) i love that "you think ur a man but i think ur a boy" nu-soul number marcus plays and duly claim my rightful place as the only herb to ask who it's by.

that tune's great but I feel that it combines some excellent lyrics with some bad ones in the verses, like they had an all night writing session but still had some placeholder lines, then thought "fuck it let's have dinner" and just sent what they'd done straight to marcus.

The thing with Devine Collective is that there really is no unifying pattern to all their tunes beyond a general aceness and a kind of "effortlessly sums up the spirit of uk funky" vibe.

well i did say it was nu-soul didn't i...

i think perhaps a sense of effortlessness kind of is the unifying pattern with devine actually, and is the thing that sets them apart in fact - this sudden windswept exhilaration and wild elemental feeling of looseness they have with all their stuff that seems to embrace funky's fundamental libidinal urges (r&b sensuality, house emancipation, grime violence, whatever) in a more powerful and direct way each time than the more industrial scenius opportunism of other outfits (most obviously funkystepz) who could also be seen to encompass funky's myriad mores to an extent.

which isn't to say that funkystepz sound laboured or anything, i hasten to add - besides the merits of their more successful tracks individually there also remains a joy in their rapid-response machinism that speaks of the brightness of the scene as a whole.

Yr contrast works i think - devine collective tracks all sound different to eachother but not in a way that leans out towards other genres like Funkystepz tracks do.

yeah, i mean i still feel they're equally open to genre (or rather equally represent funky's openness) but devine less so on a purely morphological tip than with funkystepz. does that make sense, i dunno.

i retract my nu-soul jibe btw (tru though it is), i quite like the sweetly chiding simplicity of that tune as is i decided. now i'm sitting here wondering if a funky refix of res 'golden boys' wouldn't be a clanger.

dunno, but a funky refix of latrelle's "dirty girl" would work excellently.

yeah, i mean i still feel they're equally open to genre (or rather equally represent funky's openness) but devine less so on a purely morphological tip than with funkystepz. does that make sense, i dunno.

perfect sense - devine have a more "digested" sound whereas funkystepz can feel very lumpy (though not in a bad way, or at least mostly not) - here's a dancehall reference, there's a grime reference, there's a bassline reference.

haha, that reminds me i finally found that 'dirty girl' remix with the bowie fame interpolation last year like a decade after reading you mention it. real weight off my shoulders obv.

she also randomly came back a couple of months ago with a rubbish guetta disco knockoff song btw!

Can you send it back to me?? I lost it in about 2003!

bet ya know that bitch over there

any bedroom/promo mixes going around the old twitbook lately? (whatever happened to faze?) i've been listening to this today, it's good stuff.

http://www.filefront.com/16302659/DJ-Reflex-Funky-Vol-5.zip/

01. Jodie Aysha - I'm A Pozer (Todz & Beatz Remix) [Reflex Dubplate]
02. Lil Silva - No Hooks
03. Addictive - Bad Girl (Champion Remix)
04. S-Tee Ft. Tasha - Touch On Me (FunkyStepz Remix)
05. Ill Blu - Overdose
06. Fuzzy Logik - Ocean (Remix)
07. Mischief Makers Ft. Natalie May - Play My Game
08. Princess Nyah - So Good
09. Nycole Valentina - Flatline (Dumplin Remix)
10. Miss Fire - Think I'm In Love (Dubplate Wonder Remix)
11. Wireless Sound - Chicago
12. Screama Ft. Merkury Ft. Farah - Kiss Me
13. Todz & Beatz Ft. Branjae - Mystery (Roska Remix)
14. Sacha - Cheat On You (Naughty Raver Remix)
15. DJ Naughty - Goosebumps
16. Major Lazer - Pon De Floor (Princess Nyah Remix)
17. DJ Eastwood - You Ain't Ready (Funky Remix)
18. KCat - Epileptic (The Mike Delinquent Project Remix)
19. T2 Ft. H Boogie - Better Off As Friends (Lil Silva Remix)
20. Chocolate Doll - Into The Blue
21. The Mike Delinquent Project - Dancehall
22. Brasstooth - Pleasure (Paleface Remix)
23. Tania Foster - Supawoman (Digital Dubstar Remix)
24. The Mike Delinquent Project - Stampede
25. DJ Seany B Ft. Tonia - Tell Me Would Ya
26. Hardhouse Banton Ft. A.L - In You
27. S-Tee - Crunk
28. Sophia Romain - If I Never (Diamond Remix)
29. Miss Fire - Confusion Beat
30. Andy Jay & S-Tee Ft. Tasha - Take Me Up
31. Sacha - I Need Love (Altered Natives Remix)
32. Barber Bizzle Ft. JJ Soul - Got That Something (Remix)
33. Kyla - Don't Play With My Heart (Reflex Dubplate)