F-F-F-F-F-Funkystepz

heh benny tbf they were playing full sets of their own productions even when it wasnt yet all killer

i don't disagree that they outmatch a lot of other stuff in quality but that gives the misleading impression that they're on the same page to begin with

certainly the mutated dutch gene in their dna - or at least the way it's mutated - is something sui generis and as yet indigestible to the nu-garage nation

i think that (absolute masterpiece of a) remix for the rude kid tune is probably going to do well for them in terms of its comparative restraint

love Star 9 so much

the Scrufizzer stuff is thrilling, coming off of 20 minutes of no rapping to suddenly having every demi-bar stuffed with eight words apiece

i also love how little - as DJs - Funkystepz appear to give a fuck

ya scrufizzer is such a fun dizzee/twista hybrid (even if he can be schizo to the point of alarming on occasion)

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

this was really great if you're prepared to forgive teeza's laughably inept presence

"mind f" and "star 9" are so amazing!

How do these guys stay so good

this was really great if you're prepared to forgive teeza's laughably inept presence

My favourite grime set of last year, absolutely wild. Quite frustrating that Scru can't capture the same energy on record, apart from maybe his 'Circles' freestyle, all his singles are let down by weak choruses. Haven't listened to Barricade yet, tho.

Also, yeah, Teeza is woeful.

Did anyone catch the Funkystepz guest mix for Shox on RInse.FM? There was supposed to be a lot of exclusives.

i think it's tomorrow @ 11am?

Is it? It sounded like it already happened on their twitter page. Either way, unless someone records it, I'll have to wait until later in the week when Rinse puts it up on their website, I live on the west coast so that would be 5 or so in the morning.

ah, an american

i'd assumed otherwise for some reason

esthero remix is so gorgeous

no you're right astrochimp it was yesterday

available here - http://rinse.fm/category/podcast/

http://instagr.am/p/MA4QQAk0be/

oooh fuck i love that little acid 303 number

now that's a comeback with some potential mileage

(the one that comes before and joins the dots with 'star 9')

Last year I never found the Funkystepz plasticky mini-Autobot arsenal quite as exciting as Ill Blu gleefully causing explosions all over the place but they seem to have maintained their upward trajectory more successfully. The DJ Q mix is a blinder.

Yes, I think there's definitely a moment starting from "Warrior" where they really started to up the ante on their instrumental bangers. The idea that they worked best on vocal tunes or remixes was a reasonable position up to that point.

that is still my position w/r/t both funkystepz and ill blu, i find their instrumentals mostly admirable but the minute a vocal remix comes along it hits the spot in a way the instrumentals have never done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPtoxmwMxAw. Love this one. Really love the Shanay Holmes remix too, the vocal breakdown on that one is crazy. My one minor complaint for Funkystepz is that they don't do enough vocal tracks, whrn they do them they are great. On Shox's show Maxsin said they were working on that though, trying to get some done with Lily Mckenzie. Shanay Holmes also said she's be collaborating with them and in the near future.

Just my opinion, and I love Ill Blu, but if that last XLR8R mix is indicative of their recent work, then Funkystepz are far and away the better producers atm. Funkystepz's sound continues to get more nuanced, detailed, and complex, but as it does, instead of becoming more cluttered or awkward, it's even more full of raw energy and banging rhythms. Their recent guest mix on Shox's Rinse show is also great, everyone should check that out.

Yes I'd say Ill Blu's sound peaked in late 2010 (though I liked the XLR8R mix) whereas Funkystepz appear to be still peaking.

One of the issues being that Ill Blu are much more within the orbit of that more masculinist post-dubstep-and-dutch-house kinda vibe characterised by Marco Del Horno / Shox (ironically given the above) / the kind-of-funky-Marcus-now-plays*, both sonically and socially and in terms of their own listening habits (e.g. the sorts of tunes they post to youtube) which is pulling them away from that galloping rrrrushiness they had previously perfected.

OTOH I'm not sure where you'd really take that sound after e.g. the "Green Light" remix on the one hand and "Monsta" on the other so I don't really think of Ill Blu as having fallen off (except in the lack-of-releases sense) so much as necessarily having reached the end of a chapter.

* Pantha / X5 Dubs / Kry Wolf et. al. I should probably address my mixed feelings re this stuff at some point.

Whereas I think the Funkystepz aesthetic was much hazier and more ill-defined for a long time and has really only snapped into focus in early 2011, as much as I adore many of their tunes from prior to that time (indeed since their very first widely-played tune).

Yeah, I noticed the last time I listened to Ill Blu's radio show that they were playing mostly "wobbly Funky" or whatever you call it, Their XLR8R mix had a lot of that same overly aggressive, glum, dour vibe. Funkystepz's recent work, otoh, while being plenty heavy, has a much more fun, colorful vibe to it. Ill Blu are obviously very talented producers though, so hopefully they can apply their talent in a new, more fruitful, and most of all, more fun direction.

It's worth noting though that Ill Blu's own recent productions (as per the XLR8R mix) are basically "wobbly funky" at its very best. Basically Ill Blu >> Pantha >> everyone else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PDaDc5WmQ

I'm not really feeling the Amira from Eastenders remix, Funkystepz contribution is great but it would be much better without the watery diffident vocal.

Kind of agree about Ill Blu's more recent direction but at their best (most of that Mistajam mix from last year) they're only 'dark' in cartoonish shoot-em-up way.

Yeah that's what saves them - and the Mistajam mix is amazing front to back.

Hope that new Funkystepz instrumental EP has 4 tracks on it, like the Royal Rumble EP, they have so many good tunes they could release. I'm going to give the Ill Blu XLR8R mix another chance- I absolutely love their Mistajam mix, I may have let my antipathy of the whole Redlight/Pantha wobbly Funky and lack of lighter vocal tracks in their radio sets prejudice my view. OTOH, maybe Funkystepz (and Champion as well) are simply better at making heavy instrumental bangers at this point?

I'm definitely more excited about Champion than Ill Blu at this point.

http://soundcloud.com/scrufizzer/back-on-my-ball

that's more like it, just throw stuff at him

Funkystepz with a preview of their next four-track instrumental EP of ultra bangers, the Dirty Fluxx EP:
http://soundcloud.com/funkystepzuk/funkystepz-dirty-fluxx-ep#
Maybe not a track on there quite as devastating as Royal Rumble, but all those sound incredible, Belter lives up to its name.

If you haven't already, everyone should get their new EP. It's really amazing how their sound has progressed from their early Funky House tracks into this intricate, space-age sci-fi, dirty dutch meets grime/Funky business. I don't know what genre they fit into, honestly.

http://soundcloud.com/funkystepzuk/2-chainz-birthday-song-feat

are we just not gonna talk about this then

so insanely relentless it's borderline frightening, like not only is it actually trying to chase you down but it's gaining on youuuu

http://i.imgur.com/AFKxq.gif

OMG

already listened to this ten times today. Thanks for the heads up rtc

This is amazing.

Incredible, aren't they? The new Missy Elliot and Kanye West remixes are great, too, as is this one, just put up yesterday: http://soundcloud.com/funkystepzuk/those-that-know-arise.

This guest mix of theirs on Da Movelt Nasty show is worth repeated listens, it starts an hour and twelve minutes in: http://soundcloud.com/moveltraxx/da-movelt-nasty-show-nasty-9. There's loads of new Funkystepz instrumentals and hip hop remixes, including two neck-breaking Fresh Prince/DJ Jazzy Jeff remixes. It ends with a brand new vocal track, 'Bring me Back'.

that 2 chainz remix O_O

OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS MIIIIIIIIIX

i think i may have just pulled faces i have never pulled before

everyone stop whatever you're doing right now and listen to this shit

cat in a tree, let it burn, it'll understand

i'm just cracking up sitting here listening to this "birthday song" remix

blinding mix again. I think Maxsins a wicked DJ actually.

Can't believe I still haven't got round to getting the Dirty Flux ep yet, what have I been doing?