Funkommunity

Welcome to Funkommunity, a new group founded by kiwi soul producer Isaac Aesili and singer Rachel Fraser, proving yet again that the waves of New Zealand music just don't stop. Alongside acclaimed names such as Fat Freddy's Drop, Electric Wire Hustle, Ladi6, Mark De Clive-Lowe and MPM's Sola Rosa, Funkommunity make sure that its evolving all the time. MPM first hooked up with Isaac - who is also a horn player, producer and DJ - last year when he released his dark electronica project Karlmarx. Most certainly a man of many guises, Isaac's eclectic musical preferences perfectly mirror his upbringing between various cultures. With his birth father being Guyanese and his birth mother from Thames, New Zealand, Isaac got adopted into a mixed Maori and Pakeha (NZ European) family. Isaac's musical vita includes Opensouls, Solaa (a group he formed in the early 2000s with Electric Wire Hustle mastermind Taay Ninh) and Eru Dangerspiel. Besides his own musical endeavours, Isaac has co-written tunes by the likes of Ladi6, Mara TK and Julien Dyne. Isaac and Rachel first caught up as members of the Recloose Live band and clicked right from the start. After collaborating on Isaac's solo album 'Eye See', they set up Funkommunity, in January 2011, a project that eventually grew from a prolific pair into a five piece band. "Rachel and i have a strong bond that grew during the making of the album. We eventually came to a point where we were able to be completely honest and from that point the music flowed very fast. We are like music soulmates and this allowed us to be more free with our ideas", says Isaac. 'Pass It On', the first single taken from 'Chequered Thoughts', saw the light of day in January 2012. The full album was initially released in Australia and New Zealand in October 2011 to raving reviews. Now it's time to spread FKM's very own version of modern day soul music r reflecting the Aurora Australis to a worldwide audience. With their distinctive mixture of future soul instrumentation and sassy vocal performances, ranging from old school jazz to contemporary r&b stylings, Funkommunity have created a soundscape that is just as surprising as it is persistent. Though there clearly is an authentic, analogue feel to the production, Isaac kept sufficient space for his obsession with 80's boogie, humongous basslines and computer beats. The outcome is no less than outstanding – from the rump shaking uptempo grooves of "Pass It On", and "Sorceress" to highly emotional synth-gospel jams like "Dandilion" and "Make It That Way". According to the enviable density of talented electronic-soul heads in New Zealand, the credits of 'Chequered Thoughts' read like a mere who-is-who of kiwi soul visioneers - with Julien Dyne on drums/percussion, and Christoph El Truento aka DJ Truent and Taay Ninh (Electric Wire Hustle) on the controls. Thus, 'Chequered Thoughts' turned out to be the quintessential kiwi soul manifesto the down under scene deserves. "New Zealand is lucky to have such a healthy soul music community, we are like one big family", says Isaac with regards to the special chemistry New Zealand musicians seem to have. "My soul bro Taay from Electric Wire Hustle already knew Rachel from when we were working with her in Solaa, and Christoph El Truento is one of the most exciting new producers here in New Zealand. He sent us some demos which included a beat that we eventually turned into 'Dandilion'. And Julien Dyne is one of my mentors, i have been collaborating with him for years so it was dope to get him on cymbals, percussion and synthetic textures. His parts were like the icing on the cake." Funkommunity's full-length debut Chequered Thoughts was released on July 20th 2012 on MPM. From July to October, the whole band will be based in Berlin to spread the Funkommunity vibe all over Europe. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.