Supercharged DJ duo The Funk Hunters bring their upbeat and diverse funk/hip hop/house/drum ‘n’ bass show to Traverse for a high-octane weekend show coinciding with opening day at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. The popular Vancouver DJs are Outlier (a.k.a. Nick Middleton) and Dunks (a.k.a. Duncan Smith), who are known for their high-energy audio-visual combinations and audio mashups. Shambhala vets will remember their sets from the past few years. On top of a 100-plus show touring schedule, they also manage ReSoul Records and new label Westwood Recordings. Their show will be Traverse’s first Revelstoke Mountain Resort opening weekend since making the trek from their old location at the Regent Inn. With the resort kickoff and another big early show on Saturday, expect a packed venue for one of biggest shows before New Year’s Eve. The Times Review caught up with Outlier for a quick Q&A interview.
Aaron Orlando: You’re known to incorporate diverse musical styles and sets that vary greatly from show to show. What can we expect at the Traverse show in Revelstoke on Nov. 30?
Outlier: A good mix of upbeat funk, electro-soul, hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass, maybe even a lil’ jackin’ house all synced up with our own custom visuals!
AO: The Funk Hunters played Shambhala Music Festival. How was that and what wisdom did you gain about the electronic music scene in Southeast B.C.?
O: We’ve played Shambhala the past four years but have been going for over 10. We’ve always been involved in the festival whether we were working, volunteering, or performing and it’s definitely one of our favourite places on earth! The Kootenay music scene is incredibly unique and strong thanks largely in part to Shambhala. It’s helped expose so many people to amazing artists from around the world and has also been a key factor in building vibrant scenes in nearby towns like Nelson, Kelowna and even Revy!
AO: Who and what inspires you through the creation of your audio/visual shows?
O: There has been a number of audio visual DJs over the past 10 years that helped to show us what was possible in an A/V set, but I don’t think anyone in particular has really influenced us. It really adds a whole other element to the show but for us the music is first and foremost. Because we are creating something to compliment the music that is also completely in sync, it’s that particular song or sound that we are working with at any given time that inspires the visual content.
AO: What releases are coming up on ReSoul Records and Westwood Recordings? And what is the must-have recording so far from 2013?
O: ReSoul just put out an incredible Glitch Hop EP last month from a Hungarian duo we are really loving named Cervendos & Freakvent Flote — go check it out if you haven’t heard it yet. Super funky, big bass, and very unique! We’ll have more from them in the future. Also, our homie Jayl Funk from Germany just dropped his new two-track EP on ReSoul last week, so those are both new releases doing really well on ReSoul right now! Over on the Westwood front, we’ve got a bunch of stuff in the works, but just been taking it easy until 2014 really, next year will be the big focus on Westwood, some new original music from us, as well as some close friends. First up will be two new singles that we produced with our friends CMC & Silenta, we’ve been playing them for a while now and they go down a real treat, so can’t wait to get those out on Westwood. The rest is all still a secret at the moment!
AO: What’s on the horizon for The Funk Hunters in 2014?
O: We’ll be kicking off the new year in New Zealand! And then staying down under for a two-month tour throughout Australia and New Zealand, hitting up all the big summer festivals down there! So that’s gonna be a real exciting way to start the New Year. Following that we are actually hoping to spend a large portion of next year in the studio, which is really exciting to think about. We’ve basically been on the road 24/7 for the last four years, which has been great, but it’s also meant that music has always been something we’ve struggled to fit in between tour breaks, so next year it’s time to change that. Rumour has it our debut full-length will finally be produced next year. It’s looking like a a studio/writing schedule split between the spring and fall, with a whole bunch of North American summer festival dates sandwiched in between. So we’re pretty darn excited about what’s ahead!