Don’t let the band name fool you, this is straight up old-school funk played by a new generation of young musicians with plenty of tight chops and respect for the masters of the groove; James Brown, Tower Of Power, The Meters, Curtis Mayfield (which is featured on the album in the form of a very nice cover version of “Move On Up”) and many more. While all the members of the group are very competent players, their drummer Adam Deitch deserves special mention, he perfectly nails the funk down on every track.
Posts by: rune
Lettuce – “Rage!” (2008)
March 8, 2010 - posted in Records, Releases.
Jamiroquai – “Mr Boogie”
March 8, 2010 - posted in Releases, Videos.
Their last few studio albums haven’t exactly been stellar, hopefully the new one coming out sometime this summer or fall will be a return to form:
Nils Landgren Funk Unit – “Funk For Life” (2010)
February 26, 2010 - posted in Albums, Reviews.
If you have read some of the previous reviews or other posts on this site written by me, you might have noticed that a majority of it is focused on relatively new artists and music, and that is no coincidence. I truly love funk, soul and jazz music from the 60’s and onward (even earlier with jazz), but one of the reasons I have for contributing to this site is to help spread the word about all the bands and musicians that keeps the music alive and fresh today by creating original material, and Nils Landgren together with his Funk Unit does just that, and they do it well!
Dogg Master sample tracks
February 18, 2010 - posted in Releases, Tracks.
I don’t know who the French person behind the moniker is, but the music he creates is definitely worth checking out. On his MySpace page you can listen to a small selection of tracks, all of them heavily inspired by 80’s electro-funk artists like Zapp, Roger Troutman, Mtume, Atomic Dog era George Clinton and early 90’s hip-hop from the likes of Snoop Dogg. My favourite song (so far) is called “Bedroom Dance”, a bass-heavy boogie-disco tune with vocoder vocals that will make you move!
Rune mix 04 – “Space is the Place to Chill”
February 3, 2010 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
Post number 50 and our third mix in a row, but since we are all about bringing you great music, it’s all good! This one was created for relaxation and reflection while still being funky with an electronic twist to change things up a bit (the playlist and mix download link is available by reading the full post):
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Funky Halvor + Rune – “Made In Tromsø”
January 25, 2010 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
Inspired by the excellent performance of the funk cover band Badass Motherfunkers that was put together by Halvor for the Tromsø International Film Festival 20th anniversary party, we made this up-tempo mix (sorry, no playlist is available):
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Download link: Funky Halvor + Rune – Made In Tromsø (208MB mp3).
Alphonse Mouzon – “By All Means” (1981)
January 18, 2010 - posted in Records, Releases.
With an all-star team of performers including Herbie Hancock (keys), Freddie Hubbard (horns), Lee Ritenour (guitars), Alphonse Mouzon (drums/perc) to name a few, it’s no wonder this album contains some quality jazz/funk tracks, with the 14 minute title song leading the way. Most people have heard it on any number of compilation albums, but with the exception of one out-of-place track called “Space Invadors”, the rest of this record is just as good as “By All Means” and it’s well worth seeking out.
Funky Halvor – “Motherfunkin’ Boogie”
January 16, 2010 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
DJ 
Funky Halvor is back, this time with a pure boogie-disco mix that really kicks some serious ass — enjoy! (sorry, no playlist is available):
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Download link: Funky Halvor – Motherfunkin’ Boogie (142MB mp3).
The Brand New Heavies – “Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol. 1″ (1992)
January 11, 2010 - posted in Records, Releases.
What happens if you combine a highly skilled 
live band with some of the best rappers in the business like Gang Starr, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, Main Source and many more? You end up with an instant classic in the form of an album that has a very unique raw energy and drive that is often missing in much of today’s overproduced and highly polished commercial hip-hop. This one-off studio session pays homage to the roots of hip-hop by taking it back to where it all started; The Funk.
The Nextmen Ft. Dynamite MC – “Round Of Applause”
January 4, 2010 - posted in Releases, Tracks, Videos.
Charlie Hunter – “Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid”
December 30, 2009 - posted in News.
Jazz/funk guitarist Charlie Hunter will release his latest album titled “Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid” on January 12. 2010. Among the contributing musicians you will find Eric Kalb (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings), Eric Biondo (Antibalas), Curtis Fowlkes (Jazz Passengers) and more. A free sample track can be directly downloaded here (5.5MB mp3).
Nils Landgren Funk Unit – “Funk for Life”
December 29, 2009 - posted in News.
“Funk for Life” is the latest album from the Nils Landgren Funk Unit that will be released on January 20. 2010, you can listen to a few sample tracks on their MySpace page. They will also be touring all over Europe this coming spring starting in early April (tour dates), catch them if you can, it’s a live funk experience of high caliber.
Update: A review of the album has now been posted here.
Johannes mix 2 – Eastern Bloc Party Breaks & Grooves
December 11, 2009 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
The title says it all, so please enjoy this eastern bloc party grooves mix courtesy of the finely honed vinyl hunting skills of Mr. Johannes (a visual playlist and the mix download link is available by reading the full post):
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Rickey Vincent – My favorite funk albums of the 2000’s
December 4, 2009 - posted in Features.
Rickey Vincent, the funk guru, author, radio DJ and much more, has been kind enough to let us publish his own personal list of favorite releases from the past ten years and it’s a great read, so dig in and have fun!
Rickey Vincent – “The History Of Funk” radio show
December 3, 2009 - posted in Misc, Releases.
Author of the excellent book “Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One“, Rickey Vincent, has hosted his own radio show dedicated to the funk for a number of years, and you can catch the latest ones through the KPFA.org online archive. You can read more about it and have a look at some of the amazing guests that have visited him in the studio over the years on the show’s homepage.
DJ Afro – Unknown Afroshow tracks
December 2, 2009 - posted in Releases, Tracks.
While listening to some of the earliest DJ Afro shows that are no longer available, I found four tracks that I really like but have not been able to identify because the playlists are long gone (read the full post for audio samples). Please leave a comment if you know any of the artists performing these songs:
DJ Afro – “Afroshow”
December 1, 2009 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
DJ Afro, also known as José Luis Pardo – the guitarist in Los Amigos Invisibles, has his own hourly radio show where he spins some of his favorite tunes from many different genres. On his website there is an excellent archive of his newest shows available for online listening, just follow the link above and check it out because there is a lot of really good stuff in there, although some of his house mixes are not my cup of tea.
Funky Halvor – “Catchin U Fallin”
November 28, 2009 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
Here’s a little something from Funky Halvor to get your party started on a Saturday night (the mix download link and an accompanying flyer designed by the man himself is available by reading the full post):
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Ivo Meirelles & Funk ‘n Lata – “Baile Funk Medley”
November 27, 2009 - posted in Releases, Tracks, Videos.
Swingin Cheese – “Croon Tunes and Kitscherama” (1997)
November 25, 2009 - posted in Records, Releases.
If you ever need a collection of high quality easy listening tunes, and yes, they do exist, this album from Irma Records is fine choice indeed. It covers the period from 1966 – 1972 and the track selections are really good, avoiding the drab elevator music arrangements in favour of solid performances and danceable grooves, making it perfect lounge fare for your ears and feet. Unfortunately it seems to be out of print, so you’ll have to track it down on your own which is probably not that hard.
Funky Halvor – “Wake Up”
November 24, 2009 - posted in Mixes, Releases.
The weekend is definitely over, so I guess it’s time to wake up! (no playlist is available for this mix):
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Download link: Funky Halvor – Wake Up (137MB mp3).
Daryl Easlea – “Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco” (2004)
November 20, 2009 - posted in Publications, Reviews.
“ALERT: Yet another upper working-class white boy from Britain writes about a group and phenomena that occurred in another country when he was only 12″. It may not be the best way for an author to start a book about one of the most well known yet thoroughly underrated (disco) bands in history, and even though that statement is true, it is no way indicative of the content in this finely crafted book about the people behind the name and the music.
Chic live in Norway – “Everybody Dance / We Are Family”
November 18, 2009 - posted in Releases, Videos.
One last Chic clip… It’s really sad that it is no longer possible to see the original line up live with Bernard Edwards on bass and Tony Thompson on drums together with Nile Rodgers, but thankfully their music lives on (click the “HQ” button when the video starts playing to get better quality):
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