In Pursuit of ‘Wonky’ Within the midst of bass heavy music genres today, the recurring word has and still is to an extent, ‘Wonky’. The last few years have seen some of the dance scenes most notable producers in search of the so-called ‘Wonk’, and that definitive ‘Wonky’ sound. And as the dance floors of our nation became persistently more Wonky as the days rolled by, with help from mass insurgences of white wonky powders shaking bodies from the waist below. It wasn’t going to be long until our nation were just wobbling along through one big underground Wonkathon.
But it’s not just the martyred bassline skankers of the four to the floor nation who have been pursuing the wonky way of life. You can see it everywhere. Go to Tesco’s and your once white collared city boy neighbour, who was driving his Porsche last week and reminding you to “keep off his lawn”. Well now he has inadvertently swopped his collar for an apron, his Porsche for a Scoda, and now calls you “sir”. So as the natural forces take their toll against my neighbour’s will, and his lawn is transformed into my private five a side pitch. The only complaints now within the vicinity are that of who’s winning and who’s not, I’m winning by the way.
So has the spectrum well and truly been Wonked for good? I sincerely doubt it has. As this wonky climate will eventually be substituted for something else, maybe a more ‘straight’ one, just for a slight but radical shift in perspective. And due to the dance scenes super fast evolving nature, one of the latest and more unfortunate derivatives of the ‘Wonk’, is supposedly a musical ‘Donk’. Shouts to the Blackout Crew for pushing things forward yeah, maybe I’ll do a post for those boys soon called ‘Donkey’, or maybe just the word ‘Ass’ will suffice.
But this summer has a more than a wonky bandwagon to board. With the summer breeze and shine gracing us with its presence every now and then, we arrange ourselves into our specific sub genres of scenester splendour, wearing the colours of our chosen tribes. But no tribe would be complete without their own war dance. And with the likes of Dirty Bird Records providing us with tip top tribal rhythms inspired by the world music scene, and with the deep pulsing African sounds of the emerging U.K Funky scene, we might just be able to dance the rain Gods out the sky and bring on the sunshine. Soon I’ll be doing a comprehensive post on the tribal sounds that have been causing a stir this summer. But if you can’t wait check these guys on myspace: Solo, Renaissance Man, Stimming, Zombie Disco Squad, Hugo (Italy), Nick & Danny Chatelain, Terrence Dixon……our boy Pelski has been blogging these guys for time, so if you didn’t get on it last time, get cracking!
However without being sidetracked any further, here is a relatively wholesome and reasonably comprehensive array of ‘wonky’ tunes, some old and some new; ranging from the well and truly wonked, over to the more squiggly end of the spectrum. So straight out of the kitchen, here’s a side dish of deep battered wonk with some flash fried donk, and a sprinkle of funk for good measure.
Black Rabbit – What’s Up Earthlets?
Formed in October 2006 by Kelly Love, Chris Bones, Justin Robertson and Guy Williams, these guys have been smashing the London underground since 2006, pushing out all sounds from the Techno, Electro and House scene. This ones got a wobble bassline of highest order, and will scare any rabbit out it’s hole.
The Latin Kings – Quiero Saber (Club Mix)
Chilled house sounds with Latino samples, and old school vocals mashed into a gently acidic bassline. I’m trying to pass this one off on a wonky post but it really isn’t, so apologies if you’re allergic to bullshit. Just really wanted to post this track!
These boys have been pushing house tunes forward for a while now, with their techy and fidgety infused snippets added to their productions, raising the bar for the average house set. ‘Head Tricks’ in 2008 saw a lot of plays, and I really think bounce was underrated. Although that shuddering deep electro infused chorus, does herald much similarity to Mujava’s Township Funk. But let’s be honest that 4 chord wonder has been rinsed by everyone, cos it’s timeless.
Calvertron – Doo Doo
Another not particularly new piece of wonky house but a tune I just keep coming back to. It’s got a really fun vocal sample to play with on the fly, and a booming drop, which really winds and grinds the floor. Calvertron has been receiving much attention of late, with an interview on The Chew the Fat blog, and being part of the dynamic duo Twocker. Definitely worth a look in.
Ed Kane’s alias Kanio has been smashing it since 2006 with several of his releases tearing up the Beatport Minimal charts. This one’s a bouncy, bleepy, clickity piece of minimal goodness, with a subtly powerful wonky bass keeping the flow.
Hope You Enjoy the Beats.
Darkly.
