Funk Mundial #3

Since it’s inception in November 2006, the Man Recordings series Funk Mundial has pushed the boundaries of what is called „Brazilian Music“. The tracks by Stereotyp feat. EDU K + Joyce Muniz (Man 010) as well as Sinden+Count Of Monte Cristal feat. MC Thiaguinho (Man 013) illustrated that club music inspired by Brazilian music elements doesn’t necessarily have to feature a samba beat or a bossa nova reference to bring European, Japanese or North American dancefloors to the boil. Rather the opposite: The series is not about an emulation of Rio’s hillside beats + bass culture but aims to establish a new hybrid musical form. It uses baile funk both as an energy as well as lyrical blueprint to develop a unique new style: The Funk Mundial style. Now Man Recordings is proud to present the #3 in the acclaimed series. It comes from the Milan, Italy based duo Crookers. This duo are certainly a hot ticket: With only two 12“es out (on On Da Brink Records UK, the other one on Italy’s Big Sur), and a few remixes (Steellord) and mashups (Kelis) recorded, these two Italian B-Boys have stormed the hearts, blogs and dancefloors around the world with their crunky booty house sound. When producers cite both J Dilla and Matthew Herbert as their main musical influences, the artistic effort can do nothing but sound exciting. The Crookers deliver a Euro crunk definition of baile funk: Nasty basslines, irresisitble uptempo grooves and jaw dropping breakdowns, all mashed up with the unique and raw rhyme extravaganza of baile funk MCing. For their Funk Mundial contribution, Phra and Bot a.k.a. Crookers teamed up with two original Rio funk MCs: The EP opens up with „Para De Graçinha“, with MC Leka on the mike. Leka is a former Proibidão MC from the Rio community Parque São José which is known for it’s weekly street bailes, most notably the ‘Caldeirão’ baile. With „Para De Graçinha“ („Stop making fun of me“) she straightforwadly tells a playboy that his moves don’t impress her, nor the size of his ****. „Para De Graçinha“ is followed by „Atomic Baile Boy“ which is a non vocal approach to Rio’s baile funk culture. Fired up by a fuzzy bassline and dirty breakdowns it’s a hell of a monster instrumental track. The flipside of the single contains „Soca Ali Baba“, a heavy jacking dancefloor smasher which features MC Dandão from the favela Vila Lagé, a Rio community considered to be one of the original hotbeds for baile funk. Reknowned for his biggest hit „Dança da Lombriga’“ (Dance of the roundworm) Dandão delivers a joyful double entendre word play on sexual intercourse in true traditional Rio MC tradition: His verse could be interpreted as a Soca rhyme for Ali Baba or the straight forward demand for „pushing it hard like Mike Tyson till it drools“. Bonus tracks are the acappella’s of Leka’s and Dandão’s rhyme extravaganza. Funk Mundial #3: A hot Italian-Brazilian collaboration and another sure shot club hitter.