Making up the rhythm section of long-time Melbourne soul favourites The Cactus Channel, Karate Boogaloo remind us of the beauty of colouring outside the lines; their unconventional funk guided by a steadfast commitment to bending the rules.
 
The quartet spent their early-20s recording in mouldy home studios and sweaty attic recording spaces, reimagining deep funk and wonky soul into an off-kilter sound that leans heavily on cinematic themes, classic breaks and library music. A sound delivered with a highly refined sense of inelegance, tongue-in-cheek humour and a sometimes jarring dose of zany 21st-century surrealism.

OFFICIAL BIO
Regarded upon his 2006 arrival as a promising beatmaker looming in the shadows of J Dilla, Madlib, waterfalls and Dabrye, Steven Ellison -- known as Flying Lotus -- nullified all comparisons only two years later with Los Angeles. On that album, his first of five for the Warp label, Ellison distilled a uniquely crisp, spasmodic, and heady sound with elements of hip-hop, avant-garde jazz, IDM, and dubstep. While the abovementioned producers fueled Ellison, he had also been excited as a youngster by the '90s West Coast rap classics that combined programming and live instrumentation. His sound continued to develop as he put his own twist on the approach, recording with a crop of jazz musicians including the indispensable likes of bassist Thundercat and strings master Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. This process began with the turbulent 2010 set Cosmogramma and peaked in terms of acclaim in 2014 with You're Dead!, which crashed the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned the Kendrick Lamar collaboration "Never Catch Me," a Grammy nominee for Best Dance Recording. Ellison devoted a few years to various forms of film work and the operation of his revered Brainfeeder label, and returned in 2019 with Flamagra, his second consecutive album to top Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart.

Professional music creative since 1995, with over 12 solo albums and a plethora of salient guest appearances, the likes of, Dr. Dre, Xzibit, Tha Liks, Dilated Peoples, Loot Pack, Strong Arm Steady, Planet Asia, and Evidence.

Join Mza & Ebo on a journey through the rich and diverse world of soulful sounds. Each episode takes you to a new destination—feel the samba rhythms of Brazil, groove to the raw garage house beats of New York, and move to the vibrant Afrobeat of Nigeria. Dive into the serene flow of lofi beats, the mellow grooves of chill-hop, the futuristic vibes of future soul, and the electrifying energy of electronic beats, drum & bass, and jungle. Together, we’ll explore how these genres connect, blend, and transcend boundaries.

Get in the Circle. Feel the Soul.

Thundercat is a cornerstone of the Brainfeeder label having released “The Golden Age of Apocalypse” (2011), “Apocalypse” (2013), and “Drunk” (2017) which completed his transition from virtuoso bassist to bonafide star and cemented his reputation as a unique voice transcending genre. 

His 2020 album “It Is What It Is” won Best Progressive R&B Album at 63rd GRAMMY Awards and features musical contributions from his friends Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, Pedro Martins and Zack Fox. The record was produced by Thundercat and his longtime partner Flying Lotus who was GRAMMY-nominated in “Producer of the Year, Non-Classical” for his work on the album.

In 2019 Thundercat was invited by legendary jazz institution Blue Note in New York to play a 14 show residency over the space of 6 days. Special guests for the residency included Reggie Watts, Zack Fox and Hannibal Buress. Other live highlights for Bruner have included a duet with Ariana Grande at Adult Swim Festival 2020, a special drive-in show at the Rose Bowl in LA (2020), a US tour alongside his friend Anderson .Paak (2019), an appearance at the Nile Rodgers curated Meltdown Festival held at the Southbank Centre, London (2019); and previous festival highlights for Thundercat include Glastonbury, Coachella, Primavera Sound, Sónar, Fuji Rock, Newport Jazz Festival, Primavera Sound and Governors Ball. One memorable sold out show at New York’s Irving Plaza in 2017 featured Dave Chappelle making an impromptu appearance as his hype man.

Thundercat was “at the creative epicenter” of the 21st century’s most influential hip-hop album Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”, and he won a GRAMMY for his collaboration on the track ‘These Walls’. In 2018 Thundercat and Flying Lotus composed an original score for an episode of Golden Globe and Emmy award winning TV series “Atlanta” (created and written by Donald Glover).

Bruner found his instrument at the age of 4. That made him a late-bloomer in the house of Ronald Bruner, Sr., who drummed with the Temptations among others. His first bass was a black Harmony, and he practiced to the Ninja Turtles soundtrack until pops played him Jaco Pastorius. He joined thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies as a teenager, and has spent road and studio time with everyone from Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock to Leon Ware, N.E.R.D., Travis Scott and Erykah Badu. Most recently he collaborated with HAIM on their track ‘3am’ (2021) and with Ty Dolla $ign on his 2020 album alongside Anderson .Paak and Kanye West on ‘Track 6’.

The name Thundercat is a reference to the cartoon he’s loved since childhood and an extension of his wide-eyed, vibrant, often superhuman approach to his craft. In 2020 things came full circle when Bruner voiced a character (and penned a song) named "Grune the Destroyer" in Cartoon Network’s Thundercats Roar animated series.

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