Funkagenda

Groovedigital, Pop Pop, Toolroom, Big Love

05.03.2007 ::: Words by Andrew Reid

If you havent heard of Funkagenda by now then where have you been hiding? Over the last 18 months, Groovedigital's in-house engineer has become a name synonymous with quality house music. Already having featured on labels as prominent as SUBLIMINAL, POSITIVA, BIG LOVE and TOOLROOM, his production and remix skills are highly sought after worldwide. In fact he is now fixed firmly in the 24 Management stable, home to NIC FANCIULLI, STEVE MAC, SEB FONTAINE and CHRIS LAKE amongst others. And production is not the only string in his bow. His DJ talents are also becoming a permanent fixture in clubs around the globe, with 2006 seeing him travelling to NEW YORK, RUSSIA, TUNISIA, ROMANIA, POLAND and many more.

Starting his career at the age of just 13, helping to program backing tracks for his father's club act, he quickly got a taste for music and life on the road. He formed his own bands at high school and became a multi instrumentalist, locking himself away in his home 4-Track studio for days at a time. Then as he hit his late teens, amidst fronting a soft rock band, he was lured into the charms of dance music by the legendary VOODOO RAY. From this point on it was a love affair, and whilst he continued to learn the more conventional side of music at college, with his A levels etc, he was burning the midnight oil in his home studio crafting Drum + Bass and Techno works. In the late 90s during the house explosion it was here that he found his home.

The hypnotic rhythms of ROGER SANCHEZ, DAVID MORALES and MAW were a perfect fusion of musicality + dance floor sophistication, and institutions such as WOBBLE and the mighty GODSKITCHEN were a Mecca for clubbers across the UK.

He began to learn the delicate art of DJing, although after years of manually timing beats on bargain basement samplers, this was not as difficult as he thought and soon he was picking up bar and small club residencies.

But his true love was production and at this point, with the price of a Dub Plate being about £50 it was not cost efficient to play your own material

Enter the CDJ! Thanks to the wizards at PIONEER, many a bedroom producer now had the ability to play their own works out, and Funkagenda became a regular user. Always re-editing and remixing tracks into his own style, his sets had a unique sound, and began to catch the ears of many promoters around him.

Soon gigs were a plenty, and his tracks were the flavour of the moment and this brings us to the present.

Currently producing with the likes of MARK KNIGHT, ATFC, TROPHY TWINS and DJ EXACTA to name but a few, and with two very healthy record labels [GROOVEDIGITAL + POP POP] under his belt, Funkagendas name is a driving force in house music today...

So we say again Where have you been hiding?

Nocturnal: How did you first come in contact with electronic music? Was there a pinnacle moment that made you realize you HAD to do this for a career?
Funkagenda: I have always been into electronic music. I started my production career by programming backing tracks for my father + grandfathers club act, using basic sequencers etc, so any music that pushed the limits of that was interesting to me. Voodoo Ray was the first track that really made me sit up and listen though. The career came as an accident though! It was something that I considered second nature [writing tracks] but then I realized that not many DJs were doing it!

Nocturnal: You really made your mark producing and reeditting tracks into your own style. What advice would you give to a young DJ and or producer on getting started and getting yourself noticed?
Funkagenda: It's basically about being yourself. You will ONLY get noticed if you sound like you. There is no point doing what other people do because you will sound like an imitation. You get this a lot now in cubs, with DJs all playing the same tracks and its like, why bother playing at all? Just put a CD on! LOL!

Nocturnal: What releases and/or remixes should we be expecting from you in the near future?
Funkagenda: Well my current hot ones are my remix of Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink [with production + DJ partner Paul Thomas], my remix of Lustral's Everytime for their forthcoming album. Both heavy weapons in the club.

Nocturnal: What are your production weapons of choice? Mac/PC, software/hardware?
Funkagenda: Hah! Well anybody who knows me will tell you I am a Mac MANIAC. I have three now [Intel G5 Macbook, G5 PPC Dual Core Power Mac + G5 iMac] and I love them all equally! My studio is based on Logic 7.2 pro and Focusrite hardware. I also recently bought a Virus TI Polar. Thats a beast!

Nocturnal: In your opinion what other producers out there are really pushing boundaries or making a big impact on our scene?
Funkagenda: Well for me at the moment I think Martin Buttrich is the man. His productions sound incredible and he has a great sense of drama in his music. Also really feeling Shlomi Aber at the moment. Great techno / house crossover stuff that works brilliantly in the club.

Nocturnal: As the digital revolution continues to grow, how do you see it impacting our industry going forward?
Funkagenda: The digital revolution is an odd one to comment on. I mean its great because it allows bedroom DJs + Producers a worldwide stage to showcase what they do, but with prices having to drop and file sharing being rife its also killing the scene. People who use Emule or Soulseek et al, don't realize that their actions are theft. Everyone thinks that music is free and its killed most indi record shops, and is forcing labels into the red. It's a double edged sword.

Nocturnal: As have most, you're hooked up on MySpace. How have you utilized that community to further your reach? Have you stumbled across any old faces you had lost touch with?
Funkagenda: Myspace is an amazing thing. I cant believe the impact it has had on the world. Now fans can talk directly to artists, you can follow a producer's tours just by knowing their page name, and you can promote what you do to a database of millions! But a word of advice... STOP GIVING OUT YOUR DETAILS! If I get any more viagra spam in my inbox I will shoot myself.

Nocturnal: You're also behind the labels Groovedigital and Pop Pop. Why did you get into the label game?
Funkagenda: Labels are a great place to show people the music you feel. Whether I am putting out originals on my labels, or I am signing tracks that I think will be big, both labels represent my visions of how good house music should sound.

Nocturnal: Lastly here are some quick shots:
Nocturnal: CD, Vinyl, or MP3?
Funkagenda: CD + MP3.
Nocturnal: What's more likely... vinyl making a comeback or a non-trance DJ being rated #1 in the DJ Mag poll?
Funkagenda: Hah, well I don't see either happening... Option 3: Owls take over the earth...
Nocturnal: Favourite travel destination for vacation?
Funkagenda: Jamaica.
Nocturnal: Favourite travel destination for performing?
Funkagenda: New York.
Nocturnal: Favourite venue in the world?
Funkagenda: Stadium - Jakarta or Pacha - New York.
Nocturnal: Most indispensable item you travel with?
Funkagenda: My Macbook + Moistened fresh wipes.
Nocturnal: Sex or music?
Funkagenda: I'm married so I only get music... [FNARR!]
Nocturnal: If you weren't a DJ, you'd be a...
Funkagenda: Probably a teacher. I used to teach when I was younger.

::: Related Links

::: www.funkagenda.moonfruit.com

::: www.myspace.com/funkagenda

::: www.groovedigital.net