The mid-2000s are as good an example as any of London’s habit of nurturing music’s most innovative and memorable oddities. Nestled somewhere between dubstep’s measured evolution and grime’s rowdy arrival came UK Funky. Not directly related to either of those scenes, its fondness for Afro-Caribbean syncopations and strong, soulful house backbone spoke volumes to the raver in particular. It even whiffed of garage’s classy hedonism, thanks to its strong vocal contributions, healthy obsession with bass and admiration of the champagne-loving lifestyle.
In its prominence, UK Funky sampled the best of Afrobeat, UK garage and a typically British post-rave hybrid of 4/4 and sub-bass. From Apple’s percussion-ridden antics on “De Siegalizer” through Fuzzy Logic and Egypt’s singalong “In The Morning”, there was a glorious series of summers where the sound engulfed the pirate radio airwaves.
The sounds would eventually froth above the surface line into main consciousness – much thanks to Rinse FM’s dedicated support and Katy B’s vocal cords. Meanwhile, the underground slowly fell away as interest moved elsewhere and focus looked beyond Funky’s bongo-driven jams.
Some of its players have moved onto bigger and better things — just as a couple of examples, Lil Silva has contributed to the works of Sampha and Banks, while DJ Champion’s Formula Records is still waving the flag for Funky’s energy too. Later variants such as Beneath’s output for No Symbols house the middle ground between murky dubstep and Funky to this day. Even some of the biggest current Joey Essex house chart-toppers borrow bits from its DNA, but ultimately it was a movement of unrealised potential.
In order to bring us right back to base, some of the movement’s key players took part in a roundtable discussion podcast. Boiler Room prompted points of interest for the four to feed upon, but generally took a backseat to let the guys chat about what is well and truly theirs. The results are spirited, informative and incendiary in equal measure, with grudges being ironed out and dirty laundry well and truly aired.
This is required viewing for hardcore fans and the merely curious alive, and it forms a backdrop to next Tuesday’s UK Funky broadcast where the gathered DJs, with help from MCs and a couple of unannounced live PA specials, will show what the drama and passion is all about. Check out the session page here.
