The latest instalment of Studio Funk features the dynamic duo Saucy Lady and U-Key from Star Creature records. They sit down and discuss their new EP Delirious and cover some of the great releases in the past, including Honey Sauce Band and the Supanova album. A show full of great conversations, music and even some beatboxing. Aswad, also catches up with Walla P about Prime Source, they reflect on the past month and give a sneak peek at some of the exciting things to come!

Tracklist:
Mad Honey - Upward Bound
Saucy Lady - Sugar High (T-Groove Remix)
Aru Takamura - I’m In Love
Love Touch Family ft. Saucy Lady - I Got Your Back (U-KEY Re-Touch)
Walla P Interview
Saucy Lady - Panorama
Saucy Lady/U-KEY Interview
Saucy Lady - Dazzling
Saucy Lady ft. K-Maxx, Throwback Zack, Yuma Hara - Saturday Love
Saucy Lady - Boy Toy (Original Mix)
Saucy Lady - Mirror Life (Monolog Reprise)
Saucy Lady - Rocket Science
Saucy Lady - Delirious 
Saucy Lady - Soul Amplified
Saucy Lady - In The Garden
Mix Tribute
Saucy Lady - On The Floor
Saucy Lady - Magic Dust (U-KEY Remix)
Saucy Lady - It’s All Here (Original Mix)
Saucy Lady ft. J-Zone - Alien Nation
Saucy Lady - Inside My Love

S3 EP3 - Saucy Lady & U-KEY

MIMS is excited premiere "Alcazar" an uplifting & cinematic slice of dancefloor ready jazz that should sound incredible on a good sound system in a dark, low-ceilinged room.

Recalling 4Hero and Cinematic Orchestra, Vertaal's Odyssey is due for release on Empty Quarter Tribe as a bonus track on the new physical and extended version of their debut release, 'Paradigm Shifting'.

The track was inspired by observing people’s habits and home rituals during lockdowns. Multi-instrumentalist Theo Howarth and drummer Ajit Gill are joined by bass player Severin Bruhin and saxophonist Loren Hignall.

Gill and Howarth originally bonded over a shared love of groove, broken beat, Dill, neo soul, and that blend of jazz with funk, soul and electronic music often referred to as nu jazz.

As Vertaal the duo recorded and released music inspired be these shared musical tastes, releasing the 'Speric' E.P. in 2017, and 'Paradign Shifting' album in 2020, both on Empty Quarter Tribe.

Bandcamp

Exclusive Premiere: Vertaal "Alcazar" (Forthcoming on Empty Quarter Tribe)

Adelaide neo-soulster Rob Edwards gets the remix treatment from non-other than Kaidi Tatham, who adding his Midas touch turns “Lonely Lover” into a sublime stew of broken boogie, jazz and neo soul. 

Adelaide-based singer-songwriter Rob Edwards has been a staple of his local scene for a few years now, whilst touring further afield across Australia. Eagerly displaying his strong falsetto vocals with a taste for grooves. On “Lonely Lover” he sings about someone he can’t seem to have and his need to find “somebody other than you”.

Kaidi Tatham almost needs no introduction. Hailed by Giles Peterson as the UK’s most gifted contemporary keys player, the multi-faceted producer and multi-instrumentalist, is a key architect and often quietly credited craftsman of the West London / broken beat sound. 

His impact has been immense, whether as a solo artist, a member of Bugz In The Attic, or collaborating with the likes of Dego (4hero / 2000black), with IG Culture in Likwid Biskit and recently with Andrew Ashong. Tatham is currently on another high having released the widely acclaimed ‘An Insight To All Minds’ LP on First Word Records.

Kaidi’s “Lonely Lover” remix is released on April 30th on Inkswel and Erin Buku’s Inner Tribe Records.

Pre-Order

Exclusive Premiere: Rob Edwards "Lonely Lover" (Kaidi Tatham Remix) [Inner Tribe Records]

Second show in the monthly series for Charlie Dark's Run Dem Radio station. Playing a selection of favourites and recent discoveries. Covering a wide selection of genres, from Modern Soul through to rare grooves from Japan.

Run Dem Radio #2

“Gotta Give It Up!!!” is soulful, dancy and riddled with funk. The track is inspired by the soul and funk artists of the 70’s and 80’s (such as Rick James and Earth, Wind & Fire) and modernized with a production style that pays homage to the current funk masters like DāM-FunK and Mndsgn. It features an intricate synth-bass line, a horn section, slick rhythm guitar, and gang vocals (reminiscent of the P-Funk era). The release is the second single off of Alistair Blu’s upcoming 4-track EP, titled Shades of Blu, scheduled for release on October 1st.

@alistairblu: This track was really fun to make. It all started with that synth-bass line that pulses along throughout the whole tune. I think that’s what inspired me to create a whole song around that groove. I had the first three elements (programmed drums, the main synth pad, and the synth-bass) that gave me a solid starting point to make something special. In order to get that big chorus sound I recruited some awesome musicians, including the very talented vocalist Mel Pacifico and my horn player pals from Busty and the Bass (Scott Bevins on trumpet and Chris Vincent on trombone). 

The track has two instrumental solos in there too. The first is a reverse trumpet solo that Scott initially recorded and that I later processed and chopped up. Then there’s that climactic synth solo that I added near the end. I wanted to combine a bunch of elements of various funk styles, from Parliament-Funkadelic and Rick James to the more contemporary producers of Modern Funk. I’m happy to hear how the track finally ended up.

Purchase

Exclusive Premiere: Alistair Blu "Gotta Give It Up!!!"

Here at Studio Funk we are super stoked to have the wonderful Andre Gibson on this months show. The multi talented musician, singer and songwriter of Universal Togetherness Band. As you can expect we have a lot to discuss including the history surrounding the band, how it got started, early memories and performing on the notorious TV show, The Chicago Party at the CopHerBox II (1982). We also talk about Andre’s desire to continue to making music and his recent album ‘Movin On’. Plus the collaboration with The Numero Group to publish the unreleased material of Universal Togetherness Band many years later. It’s a full packed show and if that wasn’t enough we wrap up the episode with a Studio Funk Chicago Party featuring music by Jesus Wayne, Donnell Pitman, Universal Togetherness Band and many more!

Tracklist

S4 EP4 - Andre Gibson

if we lose our way

Hopefully it won’t be too long until we can all meet again en masse in the name of music, love and club culture. Until then, this is for backyard boogies, living room lunges, patio prances, kitchen kick-ons, bedroom bounces and wherever else your makeshift club is. Enjoy x

Nightery Sounds Vol.1

Buy / Stream it here: https://orcd.co/happysongremixes

Following the release of ‘Happy Song’, the first single from forthcoming album ‘Break The Wall’, MF Robots reveal the full extended version of the song alongside remixes from Kenny Dope, Kaidi Tatham and Daz-I-Kue.

It’s only right that Kenny Dope should be the first producer to remix Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph’s new MF Robots project, considering the trio’s shared musical history. Kenny Dope began reworking Jan’s ‘Brand New Heavies’ material back in the early 90’s as one half of Masters At Work, helping the band reach club-land over and over again with a series of iconic remixes, recorded during the golden era of MAW’s output.

It’s no surprise then that there’s more than a hint of that special, Latin sunshine-infused mid-90’s House sound in Kenny’s rework of Happy Song, which showcases Dawn’s impeccable vocals over an infectious rhythm track and ultra-funky horn stabs. An instrumental version of Kenny’s mix is also included for the House purists, as well as the full, extended original version of Happy Song, packed with tight musicianship and more than its fair share of great grooves.

Pioneers of the UK Broken Beat movement and contributors to its most emblematic group, Bugz In The Attic, it seems almost inconceivable that Kaidi Tatham & Daz-I-Kue have never actually worked on a remix together before. As strange as it may sound, it’s true, and their powerhouse rework of ‘Happy Song’ is most definitely worth the wait.

About MF Robots:

Meeting in 2013 while recording and performing with one of the UK’s most commercially successful Acid Jazz bands, legendary UK drummer Jan Kincaid and vocalist Dawn Joseph discovered immediate musical chemistry and began writing songs together right away. They soon left the band to concentrate on their own work, starting MF Robots (Music For Robots) and releasing an eponymous debut in 2018. The album was so well received that the duo soon morphed into a band as they found themselves in-demand at venues and festivals all over Europe.

Forthcoming long player ‘Break The Wall’ represents a new benchmark for Jan and Dawn, reflecting the MF Robots project coalescing and maturing while fine-tuning their material, both on the road and in the studio.

Happy Song Remixes

MF Robots - Happy Song (Kaidi Tatham & Daz-I-Kue Remix)

For the last show of the year it would only be right to celebrate all of the great music released within the last 12 months. With a wide selection of Modern Funk, Soul, Jazz Funk though to reissues of forgotten classics/new treasures - it's a good wrap up to a tough year. Featuring a roster of talented artists and musicians including Andre Solomko, Buscrates, The Funky Drive Band, Soul Supreme, Aldorande, Maya Killtron and XL Middleton to name a few!

TRACKLIST:
Andre Solomko - Recalling You (extended disco version)
Buscrates - How Ya Gonna Do It
The Funky Drive Band - Lost Generation
E. Live - Rollin Steady
Ourra & The Gravity Drive - Underneath The Neon Moon
Max Zuckerman - Airplane Girl
Love Touch Family ft Saucy Lady - I Got Your Back (U-Key Re-Touch) 
Temu - Ready or Not
Joanna Rose - Love Affair
Diamond Ortiz - I’m The One You Need
Leonard Charles & Zackery Force Funk - My 45 (7 inches of love)
High Frequency - Summertime
Premonition - Don’t Act Like a Fool
E.S. Funk - Shake your body (at the disco)
Akira Freeze - Tell me baby
Pepin ft Sauce81 - Galaxy Drive
Soul Supreme - Lyrics to Go
Kamaal Williams ft Lauren Faith - Hold On
Yussef Dayes - For My Ladies
Space Ghost - Girl U Hypnotize Me
Special Touch - That Special Touch (625Mix)
Misses Misty - Mellow Mellow Ride On 
Social Lovers - Love Come Down
Tsuruoka Ryu - Omae
Brainstory - Runaway
Henrietta Thomas - I Want You (Right Now)
Aldorande - Summer Body
Dj Frane - Straight to the Head
Maya Killtron - The Middle (Diamond Ortiz Remix)
XL Middleton ft Zackery Force Funk - Shotgun Lover (12” Mix)

S2 EP20 - Last but not least

Buy/ Stream Album Here:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ksMpzW
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3bDUoXe
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3r1tX43
Bandcamp: https://bit.ly/2NK4Wfp
SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/3dLsxHb

Bad Colours is the moniker of London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Ibe Soliman. With influences of garage from both sides of the Atlantic as well as funk, post-disco, proto-house and rap samples; his debut album ‘PINK’ is set for release by Bastard Jazz on 26th February 2021.

The drive to record an album came about while isolating at home in Flatbush during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by some rough ideas and samples that friends sent him, Ibe focussed his attention on making music. From time well spent soaking up and storing sounds from clubs around the world, Ibe found, now with the time to dedicate towards it, the tracks flooding out. Taking cues from early Trax records and Larry Heard, the UKG musicality of MJ Cole, Todd Edwards’ vocal sampling techniques, the brashness of Bmore, and an encyclopedia of disco, funk and soul knowledge; Ibe got to work and quickly compiled more than enough tracks for a full-length release.

Known for his residencies at some of New York’s top venues, Ibe has been rocking crowds as a DJ for over a decade, and has shared the decks with the likes of James Murphy, Mark Ronson, and Q-Tip. He’s performed alongside Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and Young Thug, to name a few. In high demand as a private party curator, he’s helped set the tone for Jeff Koons, FKA Twigs, Justin Timberlake, Travis Scott, and Usher. When Ibe’s not behind the decks, he’s in the lab, where he’s produced for Kendrick Lamar, Faith Evans, Keyshia Cole, and Rick Ross, among others.

Buy/ Stream Here:

Bad Colours - PINK (Minimix)

Studio Funk - podcast show created and hosted by Aswad. Showcasing his discoveries, music collection, and interviews the leading names in modern funk and soul.