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Funk Hunk
Browse the latest digital releases by Funk Hunk
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Played by: Romanto (YSR / DISCO MACHINE), Juno Recommends Disco, MANUEL COSTELA, FRAN DEEPER, Saint-Loup-en-Bray
Review: Two complimentary but contrasting cuts make up this latest offering from Denver disco don Funk Hunk, which is brought to you by Rayko's Rare Wiri label. In the red corner we have the pure boogie vibes of 'Piece Of Candy' itself, which sounds so authentically early 80s that it would HAS to be a re-edit, though we can find no evidence of an original existing anywhere! Meanwhile in the blue corner we have 'Proposition', an altogether funkier affair that calls to mind Zapp or Cameo but turns out to be a (considerably slowed-down) rework of a Bar Kays cut from 1982.
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
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Review: 80s soul and boogie meet extended chunks of sampled movie dialogue on this three-tracker from Denver's Rob Halgren, AKA Funk Hunk, which is brought to you by Rayko's Rare Wiri imprint. The title track loops up a midpaced boogie groove ("don't stop ever loving me") with a bite from 'Dirty Dancing', while the Kimberly Phat-vocalled 'When You Love Me' drops the pace yet further and leads us to the boudoir before more 'Dirty Dancing' bites make their presence felt on male-vocalled soul jam 'Two Passing Strangers'. Boogie lovers will lap it all up, but 'When You Love Me' stands out for yours truly.
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Mark Picchiotti & JKriv - "Cryin' Out For Help" (feat Lisa Millett - Mark's Help Me dub) - (6:00) 122 BPM
Various
Played by: Kraak & Smaak, FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Funk, Jazzman Wax, Joji Chissu
Review: If it's more trad-style, 70s/80s-sounding funk, disco and boogie grooves you're after, then you could do a lot worse, this week, than check for this four-track sampler from And Friends, the Bucharest-based "funk, disco and jackin' house" label headed up by Ezirk. The label boss is joined by Hotmood for the lively lil' roller that is 'Tremendo Boogaloo', before it's over to Ken@Work, who brings us the boogie-tastic 'Sit Back And Unwind'. Lup Ino's 'Secrets Of Your Mind' then brings the authentic crushed velvet suit vibes, before Funk Hunk's dense, percussive 'Freak With Me' plays us out.
Catch YourselfEXCLUSIVE
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Review: Opening with some proficient slap bass, 'Catch Yourself' finds Denver's Funk Hunk paying tribute to the sounds of the 70s with an unusual cocktail of raw funk bass and reedy analogue synths that have something of a kitsch-y, sitcom theme kinda feel. C Da Afro's remix concentrates on the second half of that equation while injecting just a hint of tropical/Latin vibes, before the EP's completed by bonus cut 'Come Get It', a no-nonsense dancefloor workout made up primarily of two fluttering funk geetars playing in a 'call and response' pattern - it's a simple affair, but that riff doesn't half get stuck in your head...
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Played by: Black Hawks of Panama, Alkalino, Juno Recommends Disco, Rayko, Martin Brodin, FRAN DEEPER, Andy Buchan
Review: Rare Wiri's 'Retro Future Disco' series, launched in 2016, reaches its third installment - and with 10 tracks on offer, many of them coming from scene big-hitters like Alkalino, Ilya Santana, C Da Afro, Andy Buchan and of course label boss Rayko, nu-disco lovers will be salivating already! Generally speaking it's synth-tastic grooves inspired by Italo and cosmic disco that lead the charge here - though, given the talent roster, you'd expect a certain degree of stylistic variety, and you'll find such in Buchan's rawer, more funk-leaning 'Family Kings' and the soulful vibes of The Beatbroker's 'Belong 2 Me'.
Review: Rob Halgren is resident DJ at Denver nightclub Neon Baby, and as Funk Hunk specialises in repurposing vintage funk, disco and boogie grooves for contemporary dancefloors. With 22 tracks on offer, there's no space here to identify the source material for every one - it'd also be a fool's errand, because he's dug admirably deep and most would have us beat anyway! But what you end up with is a magazine full of fresh ammo for your funk machine gun, with the emphasis on fat-ass basslines and handclaps while the vocals range from sweet female harmonies to blues-y male growls. Worth investigating for sure.
Solid Gold Edits Vol 2EXCLUSIVE
Review: A second 'Solid Gold Edits' collection here from Funk Hunk, and the Denver, Colorado native has done a great job of avoiding any obvious sources: 'She's Got To Be' bites Jerry Knight's 1982 jazz-funk/boogie gem 'She's Got To Be (A Dancer)' but that's about as much as we can tell you! Across the album's eight tracks, boogie and white-socked 80s soul have clearly provided the most obvious inspiration, but there's room, too, for excursions into rawer funk territory on cuts like 'Plastic Saddle' and 'Jungle Music'. 'I Choose You', with its phat 80s bassline and Janet Jackson-like vocal, is particularly worthy of your attention.
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Played by: Dj XS (FVUK), Julian Sanza, FINGERMAN, Rayko, Soulfuledge, Andy Buchan, FRAN DEEPER, Paul Older
Solid Gold EditsEXCLUSIVE
Review: There's no shortage of disco re-edit collections on the market right now, so props to Funk Hunk for doing things a little differently! Where most re-editors will simply loop up a track's most familiar sections and whack a 4/4 kick underneath, Funk Hunk takes almost the opposite approach, often all but abandoning the original vocal and teasing out the instrumental sections instead. What you end up with are nine cuts that, in many cases, are naggingly familiar before you've quite realised why, with sources including Phyllis Hyman, Frankie Smith, Love & Kisses, Gepy & Gepy, Vicky D and, coming right up to date, Daft Punk. A welcome break from the re-edit norm.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Javi Frias, Jayl Funk, Ash Reynolds, Tonbe, Rayko, SUNNER SOUL, Monsieur Van Pratt, 80's Child, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Andy Buchan, Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco, FRAN DEEPER, Qwestlife
Review: Denver-based Funk Hunk has never been the most prolific of re-editors, though his sporadic releases tend to be decent. There's plenty to set the pulse racing on "Hunk's Got The Answer", his first outing for Danny Worrall's Masterworks Music label. Check first the gnarled disco-rock camp of "Get Up", before admiring the elastic slap-bass motifs at the heart of loopy disco-house workout "Gotcha". "Hunk's Got The Answer" is a languid, tastefully tweaked rearrangement of an obscure, jazz guitar-laden deep disco treat, while "Take A Little More" is a cut-up, house style edit of a bona fide disco anthem. As if that lot wasn't enough to get your pulse racing, "Wot" sees our hunky hero successfully rework a Tom Tom Club style slice of low-slung NYC headiness.
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Review: An 11-track compilation of modern day funk and disco here from Norway's Walking Disco stable. While Rayko and C Da Afro are both represented, the emphasis generally is on lesser-known names, but there's still plenty of quality on offer. Fingerman conjures the classier, jazzier end of 80s boogie nicely on 'Mind Fonk', while equally convincing are the mid-70s velvet-suited disco vibes of Disco Funk Spinner's 'Fascinating Strike'. Funk Hunk apes classic Moroder on 'After Dark', while label owner Saskin S bookends the collection with two slow-moving funk jams, 'Yes, You Know I'm Right' and 'My Pnoop'. Classy stuff.
Review: For their latest foray into party-starting re-edit territory, Handshakes has turned to label stalwart fiend Funk Hunk (he's so dreamy) and Ammo Recordings regular Felipe Avalar. The hunky one steps up first, first doffing a cap to stab-heavy late '90s disco-house and the sparkling "Should Have Known Better", before surging even further towards peak-time territory via the sharp edits, bumping disco loops and Chic style guitar passages of "Wear It Out". As for Felipe Avelar, he serves up the beefed-up, arpeggio-heavy disco-funk of "Lovely" (seemingly a rework of a particularly cool and fresh, early '80s anthem), before joining forces with Dafunkeetomato to turn a Salsoul synth-disco classic into a bumping chunk of cheery house goodness.
Walk On ByEXCLUSIVE
Review: Denver's Funk Hunk may not be the hardest-working man in the re-edit scene, though he's certainly amongst the most productive. Happily, it seems that regardless of the frequency of his releases, the producer's famed high quality threshold remains intact. Certainly, this latest EP contains some real dancefloor bombs. Particularly impressive is his affectionately stuttering, heavily chopped-up tweak of T-Connection disco-funk shuffler "Time is Short", which revolves around the manipulation of a wealth of short, sweet samples. Elsewhere, Raydio's decidedly Balearic, sun-kissed boogie-funk jam "Until The Morning Comes" gets transformed into a rolling chunk of midtempo disco-house, while D-Train's sweet cover of all-time classic "Walk On By" is given a strings-and-synth heavy makeover that wisely emphasizes Hubert Eaves III's original instrumentation.
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Funkier Than ThatEXCLUSIVE
Review: As we've learned in the past the Funk Hunk likes muscle, lots of disco muscle. His edits are never weak. So it's business as usual on Funkier Than That, his latest selection of edits. There are four cuts here to get up and down to. "Funkier Than That" is a snappy, Minneapolis-style majestic funker, "Pushin' On" is perky synth-pop and "Making Love" is fast, sweaty and a thrill a minute. Lastly "YYT Shake (Funk Hunk remix)" is a cool slice of vintage B-Boy hip-hop.
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Ils Sont Parfaits EPEXCLUSIVE
Feelin' HotEXCLUSIVE
Review: Despite the name Funk Hunk is displaying some pretty foxy legs on the sleeve of "Feelin Hot". In fact he's rustled up some seriously sassy sounds here too. Three servings of prime late-70s and early-80s boogie is the order of the day, starting with the Rick James-esque title track, which tightens up the original ever so slightly by adding a few sharper edits and loops. Next "Don't' Stop Believin'" is smooth as a gnat's chuff disco-soul of the highest order and finally "It's Friday Night" wraps things up perfectly with the Junior-style sharp UK funk vibes. Slick!
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Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, MR ABSOLUTT, 80's Child, That Needs an Edit/Pete Le Freq, Gradient Logic
Review: The name Funk Hunk conjures up images of blow-waved '70s medallion men in cream slacks and opulent chest hair. It's only fitting then, that this Denver disco don utilises the very music such funk hunks boogied to. Here he presents three fresh new re-edits that don't mess about: "La Je Taime" is all soft focus loops with slap bass and spacey vibes, "Next To Harlem" boasts a bassline very reminiscent of Fat Larry's Band's "Act Like You Know" and "Heaven" loops prime mid '80s soul grooves at their finest. Finally the tight, minimal funk of the "Labour Of Love" dub really shines here.
Time To Get DownEXCLUSIVE
Played by: Ziggy Phunk
Review: Re-edit specialists Handshakes are back with more surefire disco arsenal. This time presenting Denver's Funk Hunk (again!) another one to watch on the disco re-edit front of late. He lends his midas touch to Grace Jones' 1979 classic "On Your Knees" giving it a good and proper thumping revision for modern dancefloors. There is also another familiar classic that needs no introduction that's given an ergonomic re-rub on "Your Love Is Heaven And Hell (Funk Hunk Re-edit)". Lovers of Late Nite Tuff Guy or Gay Marvine should definitely take notice of this guy.
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Played by: Frankee More, FINGERMAN, Dr Packer, Mr Chombee, Kiu D, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Tonbe, Evil Smarty, DJ P-SOL, Shit Hot Soundsystem, 80's Child, Funky Boogie Brothers, Funk Hunk, Wonkar, DJ Snatch, Bakerman, Bad Barbie, Funk Fusion, Buggin' Out, Mash Masters, ElectroGorilla, Charlie brown superstar
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Night Of The Living Edits Vol 1EXCLUSIVE
Shit Hot Soundsystem - "Psycho Killer" (Shit Hot Soundsystem Patrick Bateman rework) - (7:44) 120 BPM
Played by: Valique, Jad & The, Juno Recommends Disco, Moustache Love, Alien Disco Sugar (Leonidas DeeJay), Shit Hot Soundsystem, Marathon Edits, 80's Child, Funk Hunk, That Needs an Edit/Pete Le Freq, Bad Barbie
Review: To help turn a Halloween house party into something like the Rocky Horror Show or Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, let Nude_isco's Night Of The Living Edits scare those trick-or-treaters away. There's jamming horror P-funk from Swifft Edits, '80s pop, rock and disco from 80s Child, a floor-filling edit of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", and some Afrika Bambaataa inspired electro from Funk Hunk - with plenty more shocks and horrors to devour.
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Tales From The City Vol 4EXCLUSIVE
Played by: B-Jam, DAVE GERRARD, JimmyTheTwin, Vincent Inc, FINGERMAN, YAM WHO?, Superbreak, Voodoocuts, Juno Recommends Disco, Richard Rossa, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), TURNTILL, Jay Ru, D-Funk, Get Down Edits, Dynamicron (Los Grandes/Our Nights), Alien Disco Sugar (Leonidas DeeJay), KS French, Black Amex, VinylAddicted, CHEZZ, 80's Child, Voodoo Whiskey, Funk Sinatra, Editor's Kutz, PHILLY VANILLI (We Mean Disco!!)
Groovin' YouEXCLUSIVE
You've Been ReplacedEXCLUSIVE
Played by: Richard Rossa
Review: It's a real battle here for the winner of the 'slickest name award' with re-edit act Black Amex giving it a commendable shot. However, it's gotta be the Funk Hunk who bags the prize for sheer daftness alone. The music's the real winner though, a draw to be precise, with the tough-love electro boogie of "You've Been Replaced" perfectly complementing the quirky funk of "Wake Up". A win-win situation.
