T.H.E Interview – The Funk Hunters

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Funk Hunters

The Funk Hunters were born when Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith met while attending film school in Canada, and has been both a studio project and live juggernaut ever since.

In a sea of carbon-copy producers, the duo has cultivated their signature sound by creating forward-thinking electronic music that is influenced by old-school soul, funk, and hip-hop.

Recently, the duo released the next single off their much anticipated upcoming album, and it wasn’t one to be missed.

We caught up with the duo and spoke to them about their upcoming album, and loads more. Check out our chat below.

T.H.E – Congratulations guys on the release of your single – Turn Down the Silence. How did it come about, and what can you tell us about the song title?

The Funk Hunters – Thanks! This song was originally a sketch idea we had for a remix about 3 years ago but we moved away from that and it got put on the shelf for some time. In 2016 we had Dirty Radio come on tour with us and beagn to collaborate on music. Nick was showing them some potential beats we had and when they heard this one, they were stoked! Shaddy (from Dirty Radio) wanted to write some lyrics that were super chill and feel good! Like hanging with that one person that you are most comfortable with who lets you be who you are without feeling self conscious …. go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do and be loud about it , hence “Turn down the silence”

T.H.E – We hear that it’s also the first single from your upcoming album. Could you tell us a bit more about the album – title, collaborations, what can fans expect from it?

The Funk Hunters – The album is called Typecast based on the fact that we are often ‘typecasted’ as DJ’s who only play a certain style of music which I guess is understandable when you have a certain genre right in your name. We really strive to push the boundaries outside of any given genre and showcase a lot of different kinds of music through our project. So I’d say this album is really an exposition of all the styles we are into; Future Funk, Bass music, soul, disco, drum&bass, hiphop, glitchhop, etc. There are a lot of featured artists and vocalists including Liinks, Dirty Radio, Def3, Wanz, Paul Brenning, Dynamite MC, Leo Napier, Sugarbeats, & Steven Beddall. I think fans can expect something new from us but also music that and styles they would know us for.

T.H.E – Tell us about the timing of it. How long has the album been in the works?

The Funk Hunters – Its been a long time coming! I think one of the songs was written about 4 years ago so it has been a long process and we are are just so excited to get it to the ears of our friends & fans.

T.H.E – What are your thoughts on the current state of dance music? Which five artists do you feel we should look out for, in 2018?

The Funk Hunters – There’s no denying that dance music has exploded in the past few years. When we got into DJing over a decade ago everything felt a lot more underground so its been very interesting to see things go mainstream. Obviously there are some negative consequences with that kind of growth and exposure but at the same time if that means our music will have a chance to connect with more people, that is what we are striving for. With everyone being a DJ these days, I’d say the most important thing is to create something that is unique and original. You need to set yourself set yourself apart a develop your own style. That’s something we’ve been trying to do with our project from day one and at the end of the day that is our main goal; To create original music & art that we are proud of.

Artists to look out for in 2018 (in no paticular order) – Defunk, Opiuo, Stickybuds, Megan Hamilton, & Marten Horger.

T.H.E – Outside of DJing and producing, what do The Funk Hunters like spending time on?

The Funk Hunters – We are both pretty athletic and try and keep active and outdoors as much as possible when we are off the road. Nick plays a lot of soccer and I keep to my Canadian roots with Ice Hockey. We also both have music projects outside The Funk Hunters. Nicks label, Westwood Recordings has really blown up in the past year which has been amazing to see. There’s so many talented artists involved and they have been consitantly releasing good music, including our own :) And In 2015, I formed a live hiphop project called Lazy Syrup Orchestra which I have toured to a bunch of festivals across North America since… Its much more chill / downtempo vibe and has been a great creative outlet from The Funk Hunters.

T.H.E – Time for some fun questions. What is the sexiest and least sexy name?

The Funk Hunters – Sexiest : La Roux; Least Sexy : Carl

T.H.E – What is something that everyone looks stupid doing?

The Funk Hunters – Taking a selfie

T.H.E – If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done?

The Funk Hunters – Gone Streaking

T.H.E – Thanks guys! And can’t wait for your album. Look forward to March.

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