Customer Reviews

Nufoundfunk

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What an underrated album this was. King Kooba are Charlie Tate and Matt "DJ Shuff" Harris, a couple of vinyl junkees out of the UK. The label for KK is Om Records, the same label that features the successful Om Lounge series, Mark Farina, Kaskade, Soulstice, King Britt and several others. In fact, listening to this makes me want to pop in one of my favorite Om Lounge CD's right now. For whatever reason, and I know it's probably misguided, but this label reminds me of a slowed up Naked Music.

This cd has a more dark feel to it. It's got the effects, but has a sort of urban vibe to it with the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) effects. The CD starts out cool with "Feel the Colour", folowed up with a street twinged tune in "The Antidote", a track with limited speaking over broken beats. "Fooling Myself" is probably the most popular song on the album - it's been done up and remixed by loads of other artists; the most notable of which being the Easy Access Orchestra remix and Fauna Flash's Batucada inspired mix. The original has a more old-school hip hop flavor to it - think mid 90's sound, yet it's not particularly dated. Following the mold is 'Lexy's Drop', a quick track with some scratch's. Other tunes that I dug were "Cosway Street" and "Koobesq". This CD definitely has some funk to it, and while King Kooba are big fans of Gil Scott Haron and James Brown, IMO it isn't that type of funk at all... it really is nufoundfunk.

All in all, I'd recommend this if you're looking for something with a slower pace and slightly ominous urban feel. For me, it really is a soundtrack to the city - the first time I heard "Koobesq" was on Om Lounge 3 while driving through the back-bay during winter some four or five years ago. But not all the cuts got me and admittedly, this is NOT an album that will cheer you up or put you in a sunny mood. However for the broken beats, neat ibes and value - I definitely dug this. And if you do have this and like it, check out a few of the Om Lounge records, King Britt, and definitely Mr. Scruff's "Keep it UnReal" and works by Fila Brazilian, Kruder/Dorfmeister (especially Tosca), DJ Cam's "Mad Blunted Jazz" and "Liquid Hip-Hop" and Fauna Flash.

It took me a while to come across this album, but I'm glad I did. At first listen I wasn't sure if I liked it, but there are a lot of subtleties that I missed. This is great Trip-hop with a trist of funk. The last track alone is enough reason to buy the album.

This is perfect eletro-funk as far as I'm concerned. A healthy blend of jazz, funk, and hip-hop. I first discovered King Kooba while listening to an Om Lounge album and it really stood out especially because a lot of the Om Lounge stuff kind of sounds like porn music. Nufoundfunk is really chill and relaxing the vocal tracks are soothing as well as blissfully mind numbing. If you like this you might also want to check out DJ Swingsett.Enjoy!

A lot of times when musicians get together and try to blend different genres, the product is inconsistent and awkward. This is a glaring exception. This is future music. NuFoundFunk has some of the best grooves I've ever heard. King Kooba does a perfect job of mixing electronic effects into skillful organic instrumentation. To make the package complete, Melissa Heathcote's vocals are absolutely blissful on tracks like "Feel the Color," "Fooling Myself," and "Koobesq." Om records always puts out quality stuff, and for the new-school funk connoisseur this album is a must.

King Kooba abandons the jazzy breaks and drum 'n' bass that marked their first two albums for more of hip-hop feel on NUFOUNDFUNK. And while it's not a bad album per se, it doesn't quite have spark that made their other albums memorable. The cuts on the title track aren't convincing, and while the vocals on "Feel the Colour" and "Fooling Myself" are acceptable, they don't necessarily add much feeling to the tracks themselves. But as texture on the slow and dreamy "Find A Way," it achieves a graceful feel. The downtempo jazz of "Cosway Street," however, showcases what's good about King Kooba. "Space Jam" rather convincingly combines both the hip-hop and jazz tendencies. "Sans Filtre" delivers some easygoing house, and the final track, "California Suite" is summery funk. So while King Kooba has found a new direction, they haven't quite yet found their way.

This is a great disc. It is well worth adding to your cd collection. I heard of them on many different compilations I have and finally acquired a copy a la Amazon. I would have given it five stars but sometimes it gets a little "out there" which isnt a bad thing but just not a complete five star outfit.