Here’s an album for you dance lovers out there and you are in for a real treat as soon as you press play. The Funk Hunters have been making waves in the music industry recently and they’ve finally dropped their debut album “Typecast” and we are beyond excited about it.
So who are The Funk Hunters? Well, they are a duo from Canada, consisting of Duncan Smith & Nick Middleton. They have done official remixes for a bunch of popular stars including Selena Gomez, Gramatik, Big Gigantic, and Imagine Dragons. Not only that, but they’ve collaborated with Chali 2na and DiRTY RADiO and have toured with these artists as well as Defunk. We have really been loving their music and what they are doing right now. Their music is very current with a twist of funk on the side, remixing it to a whole new level, turning it into something we can’t help but adore.
The Funk Hunters have released a total of four singles from this album, these are “Hands Up (Raise Your Fist) [feat. Leo Napier]”, “Say Something (feat. LIINKS)”, “Turn Down The Silence (feat. DiRTY RADiO)“, and “Party Rockin“. During our exclusive interview with Nick Middleton about “Typecast”, he said that they’re very excited about the release of the album, “It’s been so many years in the works, so kinda feels long overdue.”
We completely agree with that statement, but it’s finally here and we love all 11 tracks. We’re excited to review each of the songs. Here is our track-by-track album review of The Funk Hunters’ “Typecast”.
Hands Up (Raise Your Fist) [feat. Leo Napier]
What a way to open this album. “Hands Up (Raise Your Fist)” is the perfect track to present to the world what The Funk Hunters are all about. It’s a very current track with Leo Napier impressing with brilliant vocals, amazing riffs, and soulful uttered lyrics. The track infuses current house music, with funky beats, and a soulful R&B edge; this is what The Funk Hunters have been doing to create a brand new path in the music industry. They’re doing something no one else is doing and this is what will make them known around the world. This track is The Funk Hunters in every way and it excites us for the rest of the album. We’ve got our hands up, ready and prepared for the next 10 tracks; with our fist raised – we’re all set.
Searchin’ (feat. Paul Brenning)
This jumps right in with some vocals, with Paul Brenning stunning us from the get-go. The Funk Hunters bring a mixed backing track that is so very new and fresh we really can’t get over the astronomic beats coming to our ears. There’s a brilliant drop that’s full of electronic funk, while Paul Brenning’s falsetto is switched up to give a robotic sound, whilst the verses and chorus are sensually pleasing to listen to.
Party Rockin
We simply adore this track. “Party Rockin” is the song we all need in our lives to get any party fully started. We’ve already in a partying mood thanks to the previous tracks, but this one fuels the fire of the rest of the album. If the previous two tracks didn’t ignite you, this one certainly would. It’s giving us Daft Punk and Justice vibes all the while giving us The Funk Hunters’ signature sound – this is one of our favourites on the album purely because it puts us in a party mood.
Say Something (feat. LIINKS)
This brings a bit of tropical house which certainly takes the whole album down a notch, especially after “Party Rockin”; although they do bring a drop we absolutely adore. LIINKS’ Georgia Murray has a completely gorgeous voice that really works with this song; she blows us away with “Say Something” to the extent where we completely forget about the track as a whole as she makes us focus on the words to the song. This is a total perfect collaboration and we’re excited to see more collaborations between The Funk Hunters and LIINKS; and, there’s another one later on in this album, titled “Come My Way”, which we cannot wait for now.
Ready To Go (feat. Dynamite MC)
The Funk Hunters have already shown us their versatility with this album, they are definitely not typecast when it comes to this collection of songs, that’s for sure; and, this song certainly switches the album up as a whole. This is not something we expected, The Funk Hunters match Dynamite MC’s fire on this track; it’s groovy, beaty, and totally on point. Dynamite MC brings hip-hop to this funky electronic music and gosh does it work more than we ever thought it would. Concept and on paper, this shouldn’t work, but The Funk Hunters prove their amazing ability to produce and mix this surprising track. This one stands out on the album just because it shows that this Canadian duo can do something different, yet still, make it their own.
Turn Down The Silence (feat. DiRTY RADiO)
This track is our favourite out of the singles that were released. The Funk Hunters and DiRTY RADiO are the perfect collaborative team-up. Both artists impress in every way and we can’t deny how flat-out amazing this is. They both manage to deliver, the vocals are perfection, the backing track is perfection, and the collaboration as a whole is perfection. It’s the only word we can use for this song, it deserves to be a worldwide hit; instead, it’ll be a treasured track amongst many.
Soul City
With a title such as this, we expect some soul, and that is what we’ve got. There’s soul in the slight vocals that are displayed but mainly there’s soul in the track. It’s deep, it’s heavy, and so so so clever. We’ve still got dance music but with a lot of lower tones. We have been taken to soul city, that’s for sure.
Come My Way (feat. LIINKS & Wet Paint)
Now we understand why “Soul City” preceded this track. The Funk Hunters switched up this entire album and teleported us to soul city just so that this collaborative track can fully shine, and that’s exactly what this track does. LIINKS again impresses, Georgia Murray’s voice is pure perfection in every single way, each and every word is amazingly sung. The track is technically brilliant, with The Funk Hunters proving why they’re a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
Revolution (feat. WANZ, Def3 & SugarBeats)
Keeping with the soul-like funky electronic sound, “Revolution” brings something different to the table. At first, it sounds like an early 00’s trance track but we shouldn’t have been shocked when it gets switched up with a rap – say what? We swear that The Funk Hunters can choose any song and make it a killer track; this just proves how incredible this duo are. This song is sure to get anyone moving; it’s very current, it’s very new, and it’s very real, all the while bringing something totally new to the front of music as a whole. We need this track to go viral.
Till AM (feat. DiRTY RADiO)
Bringing back the funky beaty and the full-on electronic rhythm, this track stands out after the soulful tracks we’ve previously heard. Once again, DiRTY RADiO proves why they should continue to collaborate with The Funk Hunters because they’ve, once again, created a perfect track between them that we can’t stop listening to. It’s groovy, intricate, and emotional. How can we not like this? Just wow!
In The Right Spot (feat. Steven Beddall)
The final track on the album, so we should expect a killer song that makes us want to listen to the whole album again. “In The Right Spot” does exactly that, it brings a funky relaxing house style that is totally sensual. It’s got this sexy spin to it that we haven’t heard on the rest of the album, with Steven Beddall matching the track with his teasing voice that works amazingly with the lyrics. What a way to end this album.
It’s undeniable that The Funk Hunters have a gem of an album right here. It’s been a long wait for a debut album from them, but they’ve nailed it in every way. Considering this is a debut album without one single bad track just proves that this duo is going places. Keep your eyes on The Funk Hunters because they are on the verge of becoming an artist we’re all talking about.
“Typecast” is available to download and stream right now through Westwood Recordings. It’s a total must-listen-to album; one we adore from the very first few seconds. We also urge you to check out our interview with one-half of The Funk Hunters, Nick Middleton, who chatted with us about the album.
What do you make of The Funk Hunters’ debut LP “Typecast”? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix.
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