Denver-based disco and funk re-edit specialists Handshakes have been releasing the grooviest cuts since 2013. Originally started by Matthew Loui, and now run by Rob Halgren aka Funk Hunk, the label has so far twanged out tunes from artists such as: Funk Hunk, Black Amex, SanFranDisko, Oliver Cheatham, B-Jam, T Connection, D-Train, Felipe Avelar and more. Cue up Funk Hunk’s ‘Funkier Than That’ to get a flavour of what Handshakes is all about.
Review: Five solid re-edits here from modestly-monikered Denver, Colorado native Funk Hunk. First in line for the razorblade and Scotch tape treatment is Nile Rodgers' 'Yum-Yum' from 1983, followed by Melba Moore's 'Pick Me Up I'll Dance' from 1978, which gets a fairly radical instrumental makeover. The Hunkster then jumps forward in time to Hercules & Love Affair's 'Blind' from 2008, before blasting us in the face with some full-on 80s nostalgia in the form of Murray Head's 'One Night In Bangkok' and then revisiting Total's chipmunk vox from Ma$e's 1997 hip-hop jam 'What You Want'.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Review: All re-edit labels have their own twist on things and Handshakes' thing is classic funk. After messing around with singles for a while, they've bitten the bullet and delivered a long player. It's been worth the wait too as there's a whopping 19 tracks to choose from featuring a mix of names both familiar and new. Highlights include the touchy-feely throb of "Groove On (IMFROMULL edit)", the grey leather slip on electro-funk of "You Wanna Get Up (Dr Packer Funkout)" and the raw, slap-bass heaven of Jam Master's "Party Lights".
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.
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