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Funkerman - House For All
Today heralds the arrival of something truly special. Funkerman’s fantastic new full-length album House For All is out on Flamingo Recordings, bringing with it the serious possibility of a house music revolution.
In an industry that is dominated by singles and remixes and punctuated with the occasional compilation, the release of a full length album is a serious business. To risk a venture of this magnitude you need an inordinate level of skill and supreme confidence in your own ability. Backed up by these qualities it can be within your power to create something that captures the zeitgeist and cements your place in musical history in the process. Luckily when it comes to skill, Funkerman is right up there with the legends of house music. His new album, House For All promises to be a career-defining record that will help to shape the evolution of the musical landscape.
For this internationally recognised and renowned DJ, producer and label chieftain the release of an album was perhaps the next logical step. His career so far has been something of a charmed one. Headlining at some of the world's biggest clubs and festivals, topping the charts and accumulating a serious amount of airplay hours in the process, Funkerman has earned the right to be known as one of the scene's biggest players.
It would be easy for someone of Funkerman's stature to slip into the trap of creating an indulgent, egotistical record. But whilst it is true that House For All represents all that he loves about house music, it is also indicative of a desire to take the genre he is most passionate about to a wider audience. Whilst house is and will probably always be his true love, it is not a monogamous relationship. Dabbling in a wide variety of musical styles including pop, rock and funk, Funkerman has brought all these influences to bear on his album. The result is an accessible, memorable record that demonstrates perfectly why music is often at its best when it pushes the boundaries of genre and style.
To create House For All Funkerman has corralled an impressive mix of vocal artists, each bringing something fresh and adding some unexpected dimensions to the record's overall ambience. Those involved invariably pride themselves on their eclecticism and their ability to perform and create music across a range of styles, an ethos that fits perfectly with Funkerman's overall vision for the album.
Take Mitch Crown for example. A jazz-educated pianist, an MC and a producer, on Slide he provides some seriously sexy pop vocals that should seem at odds with the understated aggression of the beats beneath. Yet in Funkerman’s skilful hands the juxtaposition works more than perfectly. Sibling duo Shermanology, who wilfully avoid pigeonholing, have also demonstrated their versatility on three separate tracks including Automatic, a track of truly magnificent proportions that is already destined to become a true anthem.
Rapper Jay Colin also scores a personal hat-trick, moving seamlessly from the downtempo A Place They Call The Heart through to the impossibly catchy Jumparoundsound together with MC Gee before taking it up another gear to spit hard and fast on Speed It Up. Funkerman has also recruited the formidable vocal talents of I-Fan on two separate tracks.
But perhaps the most startling collaboration of all is with 3FM Serious Talent band LEFT, who feature on the final track of the album. Speed Up Once More pushes the listener in a whole new direction, fusing the band’s guitar stylings and gravelly vocals with Funkerman’s dance production. Surprising even amongst such a varied and unique mix of tracks, clearly he wanted to leave us with something to think about.
Collaborative brilliant seeps from every track. It’s undoubtedly a house record, yet it is one that is tinged at every step with nuances that result from a variety of influences.
House For All is one of those rare albums that has the capacity to build connections across musical boundaries. Funkerman's visionary approach means he has achieved an improbable thing - the creation of an album that will not only satisfy the house purists amongst us, it will also thrill those who are open to seeing diversity in the genre.
Funkerman - House For All is available from today in stores, on http://itunes.apple.com/nl/album/house-for-all/id363111980, https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/240100/House%20For%20All, http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=show&fc=tpage&cr=titles&cv=53683 and all other online retailers.
Tracklist
1. Alone – Funkerman ft. I-Fan
2. Blaze It Up – Funkerman & Shermanology ft. Jay Colin
3. Slide – Funkerman ft. Mitch Crown
4. Automatic – Funkerman ft. Shermanology
5. Remember – Funkerman ft. I-Fan
6. A Place They Call The Heart – Funkerman ft. Jay Colin
7. Jumparoundsound – Funkerman ft. MC Gee & Jay Colin
8. Unconditional Love – Funkerman ft. Ida Corr
9. Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love – Funkerman ft. I-Fan
10. Everything – Funkerman & Tara McDonald
11. Reload – Funkerman ft. I-Fan
12. No More You And Me – Funkerman ft. Shermanology
13. My Word – Funkerman ft. Ultimate Sound Benders
14. Speed It Up – Funkerman ft. Jay Colin
15. Speed Up Once More – Funkerman ft. LEFT
Funkerman ft. Ida Corr - Unconditional Love (Radio Edit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcHbXTdcMQM
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