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

Vincent Helbers aka Seravince is an Amsterdam-based keyboardist, composer, producer & mixing engineer. 'Freedom' is a previously unreleased track from the 'Hear To See' sessions between 2010-2011. 

Release date: April 30th
Full article: https://bit.ly/3nuwCT0

Hear To See

★ PREMIERE ★ Seravince - 'Freedom ft Sharlene Hector'

Buy or stream the album: https://orcd.co/takeshot

BBE Music welcomes respected UK funk / soul / jazz combo The Fantastics! to the label for ‘Take A Shot featuring Sulene Fleming’, the band’s long awaited third studio album, nine years in the making.

The Fantastics! story begins back in 2003, when keys maestro and Freestyle Records boss Greg Boraman joined London group ‘Reverend Cleatus & The Soul Saviours’. Officially changing their name to The Fantastics! in 2007, in 2009 the ranks were bolstered by the arrival of prodigious UK vocal talent Sulene Fleming in 2009. Only Greg and bassist Raydn Hunter remain from the band’s original line-up, which now features Mark Norton (saxophone / flute) and James Smith (drums). New member James Byron (guitar) brings yet another fresh perspective on the band’s genre-agnostic approach, which takes Afrobeat, Latin, Rock and Rhythm & Blues influences in easy stride.

The band have been honing this album at gigs and in the studio for nine long years, during which time singer Sulene Fleming has been busy collaborating with Incognito and Leroy Hutson, as well as enjoying a stint as lead vocalist for The Brand New Heavies. The approach of constantly testing material in a live setting has endowed this record with an indefinable yet distinctive, authentic feel; put simply, it successfully transmits the energy and immediacy of a great concert.

The range of sounds to be heard on ‘Take A Shot’ is ambitious, but it feels pretty effortless. From the library music tinged spacey jazz-fusion of ‘Oblique’ and ‘Better Than Dead’, 'Hey Misters'’s intense Hammond driven, risqué sister-funk, ‘Pyramid'’s touching & serene modal jazz-dance, ‘Say You Will’ with its shimmering, sweet & summery soul-pop, the Betty Davis-esque  ‘Can't Decide’ which is a straight up funk-rock monster, the deceptively slinky West Coast smooth ‘Mind Time’ that takes a sharp left when you least expect it, the woozy and tripped out ‘St Tropez Blue’ - and of course the album’s title track ‘Take A Shot’ - not only display the ensemble’s collective and solo abilities, but also frame Sulene’s powerful and versatile voice in a wonderfully wide election of musical settings.

Special mention goes to Mark Ashfield & his youthful sidekick James Nugent, who not only cheerfully put up with The Fantastics! slow and meandering methods, but also engineered, mixed and mastered this album with truly special levels of detail, warmth and musicality.

The Fantastics! - Take A Shot (Album Sampler)

Deeply immersive music for the mind, body and soul from Kofi the Unknown. Hailing from Rotterdam, Kofi taps into the essence of the West London broken beat sound, whilst putting his own percussion-heavy spin on it.

"One For Motet" is dedicated to broken beat DJ and MC, Motet. Kofi shares: ”This song was created as an ode to a close friend Motet, his stories about the Broken Beat movement in West London and my love for the genre.”

Kofi mixes electronic music with heavy percussive rhythms recalling not only broken beat but some of our favourite artists across house and techno whose music exudes groove and emotion. In fact, we recently heard Kofi on the Chicago house inspired "Let Me See You Move", with Steven Pieters.

The multi-talented Kofi balances skills as a producer, beatmaker and composer with a history playing drums for hip hop and funk acts. No doubt this has inspired his approach to making beats on drum machines. Likewise his passion for traditional rhythms and grooves from around the world, from Afro Cuban guaguancó and indigenous chanting, to the more electronic sounds of broken beat and classic Chicago house music. 

It is evident on  "One For Motet" that Kofi brings a wide range of skills to the party so we can't to hear what he has in store. In the meantime, we're very happy to 'bruk out' to "One For Motet", released June 4th on Amsterdam's Wicked Wax.

Exclusive Premiere: Kofi The Unknown "One For Motet" (Forthcoming on  Wicked Wax)

A mix of gospel funk with a late 80s drip!  

Lovingly mixed by Famous Lee during the pandemic.  Many thanks to all the esteemed records dealers whose supply I've been getting high off for the past little while.  

Photo by N.E.P.

Spiritual Flashback

Third show in the monthly series for Charlie Dark's Run Dem Radio station. Once again taking a deep dive into the record collection. Featuring a wide selection of music including Brit Funk, Modern Funk, Modern Soul and a few surprises along the way.

Run Dem Radio #3

First episode of 2022 featuring the wonderful DJ/curator, Sam Don. Those of you might be familiar with Sam Don who is responsible for producing the great Lovers Rock/Soul compilation series — For The Love Of You (Athens Of the North). Sam Don and Aswad discuss the inspiration for the project and how it came to fruition. They also discuss the importance and significance of reggae music, and the influences of soul music into Lovers Rock. To wrap up the show, Aswad provides a tribute mix to give Sam Don and the Lovers Rock genre the send off they deserve.

Tracklist

S4 EP1 - Sam Don

With the jazz-leaning electronic producer Hemai, Swiss trumpeter Bodo Meier finds the perfect remixer to give his Afro Latin inspired jazz a subtle electronic edge.

Hailing from Switzerland, Bodo started playing the trumpet at 8 and very quickly turned to jazz and improvisation. For the last 12 year, he's been touring intensely with a variety of artists across the globe.

In 2012, a tour through Brazil with the rock band Underschool Element in 2009 and in Senegal with percussionist Mory Samb started a deep connection with the Afro-American music heritage . Today, Bodo is involved in many projects and bands with Latin American music.

Bodo moved to London in 2015 and became very active in London's music scene. He started collaborating with guitarist Tjoe Man Cheung. Together they recorded two albums and toured twice in Hong Kong and China in 2016 and 2018. Now back in his native Switzerland, he writes and arranges music for his own band as well as others and released his debut album 'Approaching Change' on Berlin label QFTF. 

Bodo's debut EP, 'Eclipse', follows the release of singles 'Lamento Olvidado' and 'Roadrunner'. Both supported by the likes of Kev Beadle, Soho Radio, Twisted Soul and Jazz FM. It sees Bodo collaborate with electronic sensation, Tru Thoughts signed producer Hemai, for a dancefloor remix of 'Roadrunner' and swiss collective Alma Negra for their own take on 'Lamento Olvidado'.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Louie Hemus AKA Hemai sonically melds soul and jazz with an electronic tinge. “Production-wise I’m experimenting with the concept of space; bringing together my favourite sounds from around the world and the universe and merging them with UK roots”, he explains. 

Born and bred in the UK’s second capital Birmingham, Hemai grew up around jazz culture, music and live musicians, taking influence from the likes of Herbie Hancock, The Gilberto’s and D’Angelo to modern day acts like Zero7 and Corinne Bailey Rae.

His 2019 debut EP “Eyes, Closed” received upfront support from Gilles Peterson, Erica McKoy and Papaoul (Worldwide FM) and from his home station BBC Radio West Midlands. The release was closely followed by Hemai’s official remix of Oscar Jerome’s “Gravitate” and being titled one to watch by BBC Introducing’s Jaguar on her Hot List 2020, cementing the now London-based artist’s place in the thriving UK jazz and electronic scene.

Follow Bodo

Exclusive Premiere: Bodo Maier "Eclipse" (Hemai Remix)

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!

S4 EP4 - Andre Gibson

You & Me

Music by Telmo Trenor
Talkbox by Fran Ruiz
Mixed by Ruben Seco
Mastered by Damian Schwatrz at Lyrebird Sound Madrid
Photography by Cesar Estrella
Talkbox Handmade by Sholo Truth
Art by Elena Sanz
Neon Finger, Madrid, 2021

Telmo Trenor - WLUR (We Love You Roger Part II) - NF20

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