Introduction
Funkonami: Globetrotting EP
Artist: Funkonami
Title / Release Page: Globetrotting EP
Release Date: 2015 Jan 1
Genre: instrumental Hip-hop
License: CC BY-NC-ND
Media: MP3
Pricing: Free / Donation
Label: Dusted Wax Kingdom
Rating: ★★★★★★★
One this release we turn to a more multi-culturally influenced mix of R&B with hip-hop breaks from Funkonami: Globetrotting.
Funkonami: Globetrotting EP
Funkonami is a producer, DJ / turntablist and drummer. On this release he has partnered with some first class musicians to produce a four track EP that wanders the globe. The other musicians he has collaborated with include:
Bass: Thanos Bekas
Flute: Julia Price & Alice Patselli
Guitar: The Nylon Brothers & Apostolis Kyriakos
Scratches: DJ Souma
This release stars with the glimmering ‘Globetrotting’ a piece that features a vocal that encourages all listeners to “don’t stop” set to a grinding backdrop that features Indian style sitar and percussion. It’s a push to keep going, around the globe keep moving with the beat.
‘Vietnamese Roses’ merges a Vietnamese vocalist with a drum groove that drives forward through the breaks. The flute solo acts a perfect melodic counterpoint to the vocals. The Asian influence with the western hip-hop break style make for a good pairing.
With ‘Dream Of Me’ we turn to mixing a more lute and violin based folk style with an R&B vocal style. This has something of a curious sounds. It almost feels like merging The Grateful Dead with R&b from the 70’s. It’s an unusual, but interesting piece of work. The guitar and violin lines paralleling each other give a slight more ragged feeling to the proceeding, and serve as a distraction from the hip-hop rhythm beneath.
The final track, ‘Gloom’ is the weakest fit for the Globetrotting theme of the works on this release. Once again, we have a 70’s style R&B vocal, set over a strong saxophone based line, with a shuffling beat underneath. While certainly this is a different setting for an R&B vocal, the instrumental portion of the work lacks the juxtaposition quality found in the other tracks.
Conclusion
Funkonami: Globetrotting is another fun release from Dusted Wax Kingdom. The first three tracks have a strong transformational quality to them that make them interesting to listen to. The final track isn’t as strong as the first three, but it is still a well produced and excellent work.
