Review: Well, thank God for the Tru Funk label, because without them pushing their collaborative mini-comps we'd be living in a world without the sample-heavy side of breakbeat. This is all strictly mash-up material, blending everything from soul to disco and hip-hop in the process. BadboE's "Get Ready Shorty", for example, has got Busta Rhymes' inimitable roar riding over an intricate bundle of funk samples, while "Where's The Party" from Chudy manages to create a deliciously vintage cocktail out of early-era rap and nu-school breaks. Whatever the flavor, you know Tru Funk will deliver. Party-starters, the lot of them!
Review: Hot on the heels of Tru Thoughts' recent Tasty Beats compilation, the firmly party orientated label has rustled up a tenth instalment of their Party Breaks series. Now it's time to shake it up at every house party you can find this summer! Highlights include Bang N Mash's funky old skool Eric B mash-up "I Got Soul", Chudy's "So What?" which intertwines the Tom Tom Club and Destiny's Child to sizzling effect and finally DJ Clairvo who fuses big beat, ragga and vintage organ stabs on "Here Me Now All Massive". Boom!
Review: There's been a gaping hole in the world of cheeky mash up scamps since Australian melodic breaks hero DJ Axe entered radio silence a couple of years ago. Now he has chosen to re-establish his party boogie transmissions through the medium of an LP called City Funk. There are 14 new works to ingest; enough to provide sustenance to a millions house parties for years to come. Highlights include the sunny go-go influenced title track, the blissful cascading synth funk of "Bells" and the totally cool vintage breakdance joy of "Push 'Em Up".
Review: It's a great sign of the state of music when the tenth installment of Tru Funk's Tasty Beats series, which normally features about five tunes, boasts 21 fresh new cuts! It's a veritable feast of party mash-up bangers, with something for everyone. Highlights include the funky Khia/Snoop blend of "Gangsta Lick", the cut-up electro-funk of "Golden Ass" and the hands-in-the-air Stevie Wonder madness of "Party Like We Do".
Review: Heavyweight Hoy returns to Tru Funk with another clutch of instant party-slappers. "Fonkee Muzik" is a game of two distinct halves: the breezy early 90s rave pads and breaks and a deadly JB-style funk hook. It's an interesting blend that works incredibly well. Further on we douse ourselves in glitter for the unfettered disco dynamite of both "Filtered Luv" and "Disco Hood". "The Love We Have" closes the show on a full emotional vocal tip that's not dissimilar to Pilooski's Frankie Valli edit a few years back. Lovely.
Review: Chubby, glitch-riddled bass funk from Italian upstart Tosses: we kick off with RHCP-nodding "Instamind" where attention is paid to the stereo effects of the bass to great effect. "Humeboshi" continues the slinky bass feels while throwing in some well-known classic hip-hop hype shouts. Deeper into the collection we dive as the title track sees gutsy soul vocals gracing a gutter-minded bassline and heavily swung groove (and enjoying a glitch-powered remix from Sharmelfunk) Finally, as a rather generous free download, we get a Led Zep-frazzled twist on the Fugees classic remix of Cypress Hill. Boom biddy badman!
Review: More shady nu-funk business from the Tru Funk crew with a five-track sampler demonstrating their newest wares. Warson's "Golden Ass" is a surefire boogie joint that'll set off the feel-good vibes, no problemo. Tosses & Varvez "Trick Yo Self" is an in your face breaks number that fans of The Freestylers will be all over like a cheap suit. Bang N Mash's "Jump Herbie" re-works the House of Pain's hit "Jump Around" for modern block parties. Cez 14's "No Job, No Drugs & Guns" mashes up an unholy mixture of Whitney Houston, INXS and god knows what else! Finally BMD's "Outta Sight" gives us a nice quantised edit of the Godfather of Soul himself: James Brown.
Review: Should Eminem and Lenny Kraviz appear on stage together there's a good chance Essex Groove's amalgamation of sampled rap and breakbeat rock heard on "Ass Like The American Woman" is what it would sound like. Horror hip hop funk takes over on Witzky's "I'm A Train" while the bassline of El Bomba's cut is as freak as a mother f******. Phased out funk and horns is the Funky Boogie Brothers "My Daddy Funky", while Slugware has more licks of bass than a '60s Rolling Stones LP.
Review: Polish nu-funk and broken jazz imprint Tru Funk comes through with yet another newcomer, and boy do they get it spot-on each and every damn time! CJ Plus delivers five break-ridden, old-school joints packed with enough grit to have your teeth shattered in no time. There's a distinct hip-hop twang about these tracks, particularly on "Make Your Rhyme" and on title track "Bboy's Boogie", two sample-driven piledrivers that wouldn't sound out of place in a RUN DMC-themed evening at your local discotheque. Wet and wild, fresh and mashed-up.
Review: Grub's up! Tru Funk's finest chefs gather and cook up a wholesome funk feast. Green Jesus tucks into the squidgiest synths with an Apache Indian boogie joint while Warson gets tipsy with The Alkaholiks over a loose drum swing. Dessert comes by way of Jayl's super-sweet piano-sprinkled disco funk cake and Kid Stretch's epic string soul sample-soaked shock out. Yummers.
Review: More scrumptious sonics from the Polish party crew, the fourth volume of Tru Funk's "Tasty Beats" series sees old friends and new lay down five sizzling jams that will guarantee unified butt-shaking. New faces Bruno Borlone and Boogie Mike lay down a Spanish rap funk jam "I Like The Party", DJ Axe pays homage to Nice & Smooth and Curtis Blow, ElectroGorilla reach for the lazers with the euphoric breakbeat flexor "Funky Beast" and Rory Hoy and Saxon Scoundrels get busy on a classic rock and swashbuckling drum vibe with "Bouncin & Rockin". Finally The Beat Selecta boldly fixes up the classic Batman theme tune on a D&B with - quite cleverly - Hijack's "Badman Is Robbin" rap originally sampled by DJ Supreme. Holy bootlegs!
Review: More bootleg badness from Team Tru Funk. Warson steps up first and invites us for a ride on his pony. Or rather Ginuwine's "Pony". Complete with a lavish fun backing, it knocks spots off the original in every direction. Next up Chudy takes Destiny's Child down a slinky street jam route with a great rendition of "Bug A Boo". Moving on Warson does the unthinkable and gives Pitbull the booty treatment - or rather Tuxedo's silky chorus from "Do It". Laying it down over a pristine late '90s funky house jam, he's done a fantastic job. Finally Chudy brings the show to a close with the EP's only instrumental. A booty-shifting swinger with purring basslines and organic instrumentation, it's a neat way to conclude an epic release.
Review: Tru Funk are bona fide bringers of beats to soundtrack any good house party and this Essential Selection of Nu Party Break brings together a complete playlist for Saturday night. A whole load of scratching, sampling and cutting comes from DJs AKA, Axe, Kid Stretch and Rudd and Skandi, while it ain't only new school with more traditional funk jams coming from BMD's "Bad Man". There's also some Daft Punk-meets-DJ Shadow-meets-Stevie Wonder action on Funkanomics "One More Headache", while Funky Boogie Brothers bring back the big beat fun with "Street Jam" - and that's not even the half of it!
Review: Every now and then, in between artist EPs, Tru Funk knock out a mini compilation of bootlegs where the original artists get spliced together like Frankenstein's monsters of funk. Highlights of this five tracker include Tom Showtime's fusing of Khia's famously filthy My Neck, My Back with some of Snoops' Gangsta Luv on "Gangsta Lick", Phibe's totally eccentric party smasher "Dig My Bounce" (which mixes Missy Elliot with No Diggity) and Spox's electro funk monster "Roses" which beefs up Haywood's '80s classic of the same name.
Review: New Zealand nu-funker The Beat Selecta (previously known as DJ Nanite) makes his debut with this very cheeky trio of booties. "Hop On The Floor" takes the lead and pays a supremely funky homage to a bona fide hip-hop classic. Maintaining momentum, we quickly find ourselves at the heels of one Nancy Sinatra - handle with care or she'll walk all over you. Finally we hit "Hot Pants Heroes", a golden tribute to all things JB. You really can't get any funkier than this.
Review: Tru Funk have cooked up yet another funk feast, and there's plenty at the table for everyone. Maars kicks off proceedings with a skank-soaked ode to Biggie's "Machine Gun Funk". Chudy, meanwhile, presses the disco button with a series of well-known disco licks and piano hooks. Further on we find Shaka Loves You fusing Stevie Wonder and DJ Kool with infectious results and we get lively to Mako & Mr Bristow's firing Motown jungle flavours. Finally Warson maintains the 170 vibe for the EP climax as "Feel Good" rolls with sizzling soulful charm. Yummy.
Review: Polish producer Warson has been providing funk-minded breakbeat heads with formidable dancefloor fare since 2011. Here, he pops up on his own Tru Funk imprint with another trio of tried-and-tested floorfillers. "Louder" kicks things off in style, lacing cut-up horns, funk vocal samples and bubbling electronics over a bass-heavy midtempo breakbeat-funk groove. "Love Theme" ups the tempo, basing the action around a classic loose-but-tight breakbeat rhythm. Musically, it has a richer and more expansive feel, with bouncy pianos, sharp strings and fluid funk guitars perfectly accompanying the two prominent vocal samples. He really lets loose on "Happy Song", a jump-up drum and bass roller built around samples from a heavyweight '70s funk rock jam.
Review: Of all the kinds of biscuits we've heard of, we must admit to being stumped by this latest species, "Jazz Biscuits". Luckily mash-up man Tom Showtime is on hand to elaborate (if not quite fully explain) with the title track's lazy funk beats and Bootsy Collins pon-spliff-icating on top. Big '70s drums get fused with hazy guitar licks and movie samples on "The Short Mac", "Let's Call This One Funky" is a hypnotic techno pop loop, whilst Showtime's more familiar formula of combining vintage electro-funk jams with hip-hop vocals, returns for closer "Spaces & Places".
Review: Tru Funk unleash yet another spotless funk collection on Tasty Beats Vol 1. Boasting premium party nuggets from some of their most distinctive contributors, it's a non-stop session of genre-fusion and raw funk. Highlights include Funk Efemdzemov's cheeky Rick James and Bootsy Collins references on "1,2,3, Yeah You Got It", Phunk Sinatra's ode to the one and only James Brown and Zamali's insanely obese, horn-heavy workout "Pervitine Groove". Full flavoured goodness throughout, this lives up to its tasty title.
Review: Having previous dabbled in Tupac bootlegs and issued a hefty LP in celebration of his 24th birthday, Polish music producer and DJ Warson returns focusing his populist approach to the breaks genre on the original space opera Star Wars. There's 11 tracks here all marrying familiar, if heavily tweaked, vocal samples with celebratory hip-hop and house production. Guaranteed to keep you partying well into 2104!
Review: The clue's in the title - Essential Selection. Tru Funk's repertoire is so large it now stretches all the way to the sun and back, but this is the label at their most selective, digging deep into their two year history for the very best party gems. Highlights across the 20 track compendium include the psychedelic twangs and infectious hooks of "Mambo No 14", the squishy early-Plump DJs style funk of "Funky Ass Beat" and BMD's ace version of Jamie Lidell's "Little Bit Of Feelgood". No party will be complete without this collection; dancefloor shenanigans guaranteed.
Review: Nu-funk barons Tru Funk commission 15 brand new blends for your party pleasure. Calling up familiar friends and new faces alike, it's yet another reminder of the Polish imprint's clout. Highlights abound but be sure to digest the slap-bass fusion of Funkanomic's Marvin Gaye homage "One More Headache", Morlack's '80s synth smelting of Zhane's "Groove Thang" and Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman" and Roy Hoy / Unknown DJ's mindblowing cauldron of Fatboy Slim, James Brown and Public Enemy on "Xpress Your Big Stuff". Serious floor fire, Tru Funk always deliver.
Review: We can always trust on Tru Funk to deliver fine swarms of sample-ridden breakbeat and they've done it again with their 8th instalment of the Nu Party Breaks series! As per usual, there's plenty of new names and talent throughout, such as Freethinker Funk Essence's "Nu Number Dancefloor" - sampling beauty - and "Street Jam" by the Funky Boogie Brothers. To be honest, everything on here is killer and if you're into your old-school funk breaks, look nowhere else!
Review: Monster debut album alert! Having demonstrated his skills both as a solo artist and in heavyweight co-lab duties with Warson for several years, Polish party jammer Chudy unleashes his first long player. A tight combo of tried and tested bangers and brand new material, Let's Groove On! shows Chudy at his most extensive and flavourful. From the evangelistic "Looking For Somebody" to the softer '80s soul of "In The Club" via block-rocking hip-hop homages such as "Hot Guitar" and filtered funk slammers like "Everybody", no party stone is left unturned, no corner of the dancefloor is left unattended. A highly accomplished long player.
Review: Six massive party flavours from the Tru Funk fam, and six massive reasons to be a very smiley DJ. As always with these collections, the funk gamut is well and truly run by the label's expert team. From slouchy, horn-tickled hip-hop flavours (Fajita Funk's "Edwin's Phat Man") to sprightly, unashamed disco juice (Warson's "Fool Me") via the more current, glitch-inspired nu-funky booty business (Max Revolt's "Ghetto Fever" and Rory Hoy's "Mighnight Pizza"). A spotless set, as always, from Tru Funk.
Review: Two of the nu-funk scene's leading lights go toe-to-toe on this sizzling six-tracker from Tru Funk's Polish party HQ. Axe goes deep on a less-is-more ethos; "Funky Jam" builds with confidence, holding the full House Of Pain rap back to the very last moment. "Bush Tucker" is deeper again with a warped wonk to the groove while "Totally Fried" ends Axe's trio with some very cool use of a talkbox and a well known numerical chant from J Kwon. Morlack, meanwhile, develops his electro boogie rep; "Happy Hip Hop" bubbles with a rich synth bassline, "Summer Lover" radiates sunshine vibes via the medium of slap bass and cheeky Vanilla Ice vocal stabs while "Suspicious" wouldn't have gone amiss on a Paula Abdul record. Unashamedly 80s. Unashamedly funky, too...
Review: Flying the nu-funk flag loudly and proudly, Polish imprint Tru Funk hit number six in their highly collectable bootleg and bass jam series. It's instantly business as usual as we hit Cez14 and Dastardly Kuts' Supremes/David Morales blend "Keep Me Hanging". Elsewhere we find DJ Czech taking Jay Ski and the Quad City DJs and giving them a sexy low-swung bass treatment on "Sky Train". We see Lebroski & Delimentary taking lead from Afrojack with a classic b-boy sample and showing him how it's done properly. Morlack, however, steals the show with a fine rendition of De La Soul and Chaka Khan's "All Good".
Review: Tru Funk have taken the nu-funk ball and run so far with it they're in a stadium four towns over. This debut full lengther from fellow Polish party starter BMD is a fine example; a collection of his previous buzz-rubs and a few newies thrown in for good measure, it's all about the booties and beef-ups. All presented in a bulbous mid-tempo breaks style, highlights include a respectfully muscular reboot of Jamie Lidell's "Feels Good", a heads-down 80s synth funk shuffle ("Off The Catwalk") and a salacious twist on Scissor Sisters with Bootsy-level slap bass freakiness ("Yo Mama").
Review: Polish party people Tru Funk continue to champion the very best of the smile-inducing nu-funk scene with this eight tracker that provides plenty of new party breaks. DJ AKA goes for the fun jugular with "Funky Horns" coming across like KC & The Sunshine band back from the musical gym. Hiphoppapotamus gives Curtis Mayfield a post-dubstep going over in "Curtis Is Dangerous", while elsewhere Dizzee Rascal finds his 'Sirens' welded to some vintage funk in Morlack's "Imagination, KRS-One has his sound of da police beefed up with tough breaks by Tosses & Varvez and Warson provides some heavily filtered and tweaked 80s soul-style fun.
Review: The Polish party vibes keep flowing at Tru Funk as Chudy returns to the stall with another fine mess of well-laced booties and nu-funk nuggets. "Happy Joint" is the perfect opener, fusing Art Of Fighters with a Michelle Wallace classic. "Looking For Somebody", meanwhile, is the perfect heater; jumping and jiving with a more cut-up sound, it takes an L.T.D joint to a whole new groove dimension. "Where's The Party At" rides with more of a playful, sexy swing while "Keep The Beat" ends on more of a b-boy flavour with added pianos. And that's before we even get to the wide range of remixes! Another must-have from Tru Funk.
Review: Got your freak flag? Well fly it high, baby, Tru Funk are kicking off the year with five slick and simple nu funk nuggets that ooze sample magic while riding with their own original flavour. Label newcomer Bezum ignites proceedings with a fruity flute jam while Father Funk follows in hot pursuit on a smoother west coast style attitude and a very sneaky vocal sample. Funkanizer provide the halftime sounds with a wah-wah guitar-snapping block party joint while Robinson Groove and Telephunken bring up the rear, the former boasting a flute-fuelled p-funk homage, the latter a brazen Hammond basher. Each one of them will set your floor off in style.
Review: Po-faced disco and boogie purists should probably steer clear of this five-tracker from the Tru Funk crew. For the rest of us, there's plenty to enjoy. The action is typically floor-friendly, offering party hearty thrills with just enough purist flavour to impress. Agent 86 drops a deliciously synth-heavy stepper in the form of "Sticky Funk", while Jamie Ruz closes his eyes and lets the jazzual guitar solos flow on the soft focus boogie-soul jam "Lovers Delight". Yomakomba's "Hold You" should inspire a few "moments" on the dancefloor with its sinewy combination of '80s soul and Balearic house chug, while Trotter's "40 Degrees" is a slamming chunk of slap bass-heavy disco house.
Review: There ain't no party like a Tru Funk Nu Party! Seriously now, not even S-Club could match the supersize funk flavours this label have been dishing up this year, and this latest compendium is no exception. Highlights include Sammy Senior's overhaul of Nelly's "Country Grammar", Lakeshore Drive's super laidback Q-Tipper "Funk'n Outta Bounds" and DJ Axe's percussion heavy sample-fest "Funky Town". Tru Funk have excelled themselves on this package.
Review: Ah, this is what we like to see: an album dedicated to Kiefer Sutherland's nail-biting anti-terrorist series 24. Can't quite see how raw-assed party bombs, funk bullets and cheeky bootlegs relate to the ongoing mission of keeping the western world safe? It's simple. Take some time to study the dirrty south chants and upbeat Rhodes flavours of "Boogie On Tape", the razor-sharp riddim of the previously-released D&B-driven Tupac dedication "Snake Faces", or indeed the high-flying disco delight of Jenny Burton booty "Number One".... If these don't reflect the same killer instinct and ruthless efficiency as Jack Bauer, nothing will.
Review: What in fresh hell is going on at Tru Funk Towers? Barely six weeks have passed since they gave us the 10-track strong Volume 1 and already we're looking down the barrel of eight more serious funk nuggets! Featuring some of the label's favourite faces we see the likes of mainstay Chudy rub shoulders with DJ Kid Stretch with party-starting glee. The former causes spine-tingle meltdown with his Aeroplane level of synth lushness on "See You Soon" while the latter gets jiggy with a classic Deborah Cox vocal and some full strength bass riffage. That's just two of eight; do you need any more convincing?
Review: Chudy is a funk machine right now! Every release this year has been booty-bashingly addictive. Naturally this extensive EP is no exception. Our highlight? "Hot Guitar". Taking a very well known Snoop tune, Chudy lives up to the lyrics and drops it like it's hot over a slippery funk riff that simply refuses to quit. "It's What I Do" comes a close second... We really never thought we'd see the day when a Limp Bizkit tune can survive a good nu-funk facelift but not only has Chudy done it in true style - he's got his mate Rory Hoy to do an even funkier remix! Elsewhere we find him teaming up with regular studio stable mate Warson for "Everybody", an emphatic slab of party that rolls with just a smidgeon of electro.
Review: There's no-stopping the Tru Funk crew this year; be it booties or original funk cuts, the collective have been dishing out some fine styles of late. This compilation is the current zenith of their achievements; 10 fresh tracks from the likes of Chudy, Jayl Funk, DJ Axe, Dastardly Kuts, Warson, Sammy Senior and more. Low swung slo-mo ghetto is the flavour of the day with dashes of disco, funk, hip-hop and booty bass liberally splashed throughout. Highlights include Nynfus Corporation's ragga-bassline bomb "Weekend In Budapest" (featuring classic Freestylers lyrics if we're not mistaken) and Robinson Grooves' eighties-tastic slap-bass heavy "Bounce". If you've not yet joined the Tru Funk club, now's the time to sign up.
Review: An eight track funk attack from Poland via Spain, this is a picture perfect example of nu-funk's international reach. Calagad's control of squidgy bass shines through at every opportunity as we shake, rattle and roll the day away to his slippery disco grooves, but it's Cez 14 who really takes the spotlight with four solo tracks and collabo with Green Jesus. We haven't got space to list all of his accomplishments, but highlights include the UK rap and hooky sing-along style chorus on "The Beginning" and his insanely cheeky bootleg of the Blues Brothers fave "Rawhide" with Green Jesus. His uptempo dub skank antics on "Fallen In Love" is a very charming party piece, too. Introductions over!
Review: Warson releases two incredible Tupac bootlegs the same week the rapper's been reincarnated into a hologram. Spooky coincidence or savvy business move? You can decide that one. We're too busy fronting and maxing to this entire EP. The Tupac cuts under the knife are "Fuck All Y'all" (horn-heaving party D&B!) and "Baby Don't Cry" (jazzy half-time D&B that builds up into swinging uptempo soul). But that's not all Warson's been up to; elsewhere he finds time to give Jenny Burton's "Bad Habit" (recently celebrated by ATFC) a super fly funk house reversion. Shucks, there's even enough room to make Dutty Bo Dean's misogynist raps sound rather polite and party-starting. Warson's one savvy business cat.
Review: Ghetto sounds abound as Warson & Chudy continue their sterling work. Instant funk spray without the nasty CFCs, the six-track heavy Funkosoul EP is a total party aerosol, compressing a myriad of classic samples into their solo and collaborative pieces. Chudy's work takes a slower, hip-hop style pace, making it perfect for warm ups or wind downs. And trust us, there is no booty on the planet that couldn't resist a wiggle to "Movin' To The Funky Beat"! Warson meanwhile flexes on a more uptempo vibe with both "For My People" and "One Love" taking your dancefloor directly to the freak-o-clock. As for their collaborative work... you can find that one out yourselves!
Review: "A DJ Is Not A Jukebox": Sentiments every DJ can relate to, as expressed in the title of Warson's debut LP for Tru Funk. Mixing boogie-disco vibes with breakbeat production, Warson drops 17 gems including the old-school, '80s NYC vibes of the title tune, the Labelle-assisted "Ghetto Sisters", the dancehall power of "Go Girl" and the power-ballad refix "Banger Joint". Altogether, this is a hugely fun and frantic party-starter of a debut.
Review: Tru Funk's unstoppable 'Party Breaks' series returns with a banging six-pack of funk mash-up's and breaks party pieces for the discerning DJ, including Hardly Subtle's brass-filled cut 'n' paste gem "Brand New Funk", Timothy Wisdom's '90s slacker rock-reviving "Walking On The Sun" and Tonic's excellent bass-monster "The Funky Fish".
Review: The Tru Funk label offer up the latest volume of their mash-up series Party Breaks with gems such as the Aretha and Wilson Pickett sampling "Step Up" by NineLives The Cat & Scott Carter, the 90s pop-fest "Dope 'n' Spicey" by Toastbusters, or the bluesy "Ghetto Train" by Silo Da Funk & Warson, and more mixing the funk with a hefty dollop of breakbeat swagger.
Review: The Tru Funk label is a consistently strong destination for funky mash-ups and breaks-heavy bootlegs, and they've outdone themselves this time on this latest volume of their "Party Breaks". Some highlights include Naughty By Nature getting layered over a silky disco/hip hop hybrid beat on "Clap Your Hands", while '70s Scottish funk stars The Average White Band get their tight sound rejigged by Jayl Funk on "Honk The Funk".
Review: The Tru Funk crew once again come in hard on the mash-up front this month, unleashing the latest volume in their series of breaks, funk and hip-hop bootlegs. CEZ14's "Mambo No. 14" brings some seriously punchy Latin swing to the acapella of Reel 2 Reel's "I Like To Move It", while Myniemo uses sped-up reggae loops and thick snares and scratches to create a sublime hip-hop battle weapon in the form of "The Battle". Warson's boogie-breaks gem "Shake That" is also included, as is his funk-addled LL Cool J mash-up, "Step On The Dancefloor".
