Review: Freestyle serve up 2 James Brown tributes as a sampler for the recent Modern Funk compilation. It has been argued that 2007
was the year that the underground funk movement finally started to make its presence known in the mainstream. Huge selling
artists such as Mark Ronson, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse spearheaded a movement towards a more organic and authentic
sound, selling thousands of records in the process and whisking bands, who have been gigging in small sweaty clubs in the UK
for years, off on world tours. The music itself harks back to the golden years of Motown, Watts and Stax, as well as hundreds of
unknown smaller labels, but given the all important production values of the 21st century, making it perfect for the dancefloor -
hence the tag 'Modern Funk'. The a-side finds The Fantastics (previously known as Reverend Cleatus and The Soul Saviours)
getting busy with The Godfather's 'Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose', sticking pretty close to the original but slapping their unique style
all over it. Over on the flip Speedometer and Ria Currie take on 'Answer To Mother Popcorn', originally a Vicki Anderson number,
giving it a update for the dancefloor in 2008.
… Read more