Studio Funk

A special collaboration between Studio Funk and Prime Time Records & Tapes, an episode featuring multi talented musician, songwriter and performer from Rochester New York, who is also one of the founding members of the Jazz Funk collective, Cabo Frio — Curtis Kendrick! 

Curtis and Aswad discuss the beginnings of Cabo Frio during the late 70s and the groups progression throughout the 80s. The numerous albums, collaborations and opportunities along the way. Together they also discuss about the elusive 1982 side project album — 3rd Degree. An album which is referred to as a holy grail amongst many collectors. The rare album which was only released on cassette is now currently being worked on for a full remaster from the original session tapes by Prime Time Records — who also recently released the single ‘Heartbeat’ from the forthcoming album.

Carl Moore, is what we call a true definition of a working musician. A person who’s continuing to have an expansive career spanning over 4 decades. From the late 70s being part of funk group ‘Split Decision Band’ through to the early 80s and working in Japan. Aswad and Carl discuss the makings of his elusive limited EP ‘Chance’ released in 1984, and celebrating the music 40 years later as see the reissue of ‘Carter Lake’ and It ‘Must Be The Beat’ via Sam Don's new record label adventure — Sweet Free Association.

Another piece of footage released from the vault! Some more insight into the wonderful career of Isy Martin. The Budweiser Showdown competition, additional songs he wrote, reflecting on life and sharing wisdom - all to share!

Released from the vault! Mr Big Happy shares the time he connected and linked up with some of the members of 'Sparkle City Band' to work on a collaborative project to reissue their ultra rare 45 'Day By Day'. Alongside that we discuss the origins of his DJ crew - 'Parish Council' and how they form together like Voltron!

With a warm welcome, and a swift return we have the multi-talented Teddy Bryant in the house. Showcasing and highlighting his sophomore album…’Dinner For Two’ — Aswad and Teddy get into deep discussion about how the album came to fruition: the influences, collaborations and worldwide reception. An album which tells a ‘romantic adventure’. They also discuss the process and emotions of closely being nominated for R&B album of the year via the Grammys and reflect on what it truly means to be an independent artist in these challenging modern times.

To celebrate the recent release of their self-titled debut album - 'Milk Talk', we have some unreleased footage unlocked from the Studio Funk vault. In this episode, Milk Talk share some insight of the makings of the 'Ah Be Rue' music video, discuss the process of mixing Japanese and English lyrics...plus more!

Welcoming back to the podcast, we have Sam Don to share and discuss his latest release, Just A Touch (Athens of the North, 2023) — the new compilation focusing on underground U.K Soul. Together, Aswad and Sam discuss the term ‘Street Soul’ and what it means to them, the culture, the impact it created in a short space of time. Sam shares the inspiration behind the project, working closely with artists to resurface these rare, and sometimes lost and forgotten music.

As promised, the second half of the special two part episode with Mr Static King - J Scienide. We continue our conversations regarding the Hip Hop honours - 50 year’s milestone, but we also go into J Scienide’s discography to discuss the releases and collaborations of the past few years. The buck doesn’t stop there…with records to burn, Aswad shares plenty of favourites from the collection to round things off in good fashion.

The hiatus is over! Aswad comes out of podcast retirement (for a very good reason) as we welcome talented MC, Producer, owner & founder of Static King records from Washington D.C — J Scienide 

Together they celebrate and reflect on the key milestone — 50 years of Hip Hop and discuss J Scienide’s discography, recent releases and people he’s worked with including D-Styles (Producer/DJ, Beat Junkies) and Body Bag Ben (Producer).

As you can expect there is a lot to digest here, so much we decided for this special occasion that this will be released as a two-part mini series.

In this first episode — they discuss the humble beginnings of rap and take a nostalgia trip through their childhood memories and reflect what it means to them in modern day. The important connections tied to Hip Hop - the funk, soul, jazz music which became before it.

No Studio Funk show is complete with a great track list — you can expect to hear many genres on this episode, as we expand from notable Hip Hop favourites and low-key gems through to artists which impacted their lives forever…

Join us on this exciting episode featuring Cool Raul, a DJ and record collector hailing from Oakland, Bay Area. Known for his keen eye for unique and rare records, Raul takes us on a thrilling journey as he unveils some hidden Gospel 45s from his prized collection. As a part of Studio Funk, we are thrilled to have him on the show, where he sits down with Aswad for an exclusive showcase of his rare finds.

These gems are not to be missed, and it's a special treat as this episode was previously available only to our loyal Studio Funk Patreon supporters. Consider it a complementary bonus episode to the Tone B. Nimble show.

A special show which was sitting in the unreleased folder until now. Towards the end of last year, Aswad caught up and sat down to talk with Pittsburgh’s finest producer — Buscrates. On the show they go to great lengths to talk about his forever growing career. Starting with the earlier days through to what’s next on the horizon. Together they take deep dives to discuss hardware and software and how Buscrates approaches his workflow when working in the lab. Alongside that they talk about other activities which keeps him busy — Twitch and Serato Kitchen.

Last show of the year and it’s a special one. Aswad sits down and catches up with Earl McKenzie and Clive Gardiner about their latest release on CQQL Records — Timestamp. The definitive edition and collection of their cherished and beloved music recorded from the early 80s. Remastered and reissued with love is how we describe it. As tradition dictates, the last show is a recap highlighting music of the year. Expect a good dose of new releases alongside favourites from the year.

Milk Talk and Aswad have discussions about sampling and how Japanese City Pop within the 80s may have been inspired by western music around that time. On the show they go through several rounds of trying to guess which music tracks influenced some of the great City Pop tracks from the 80s (which might be kind way of saying that 😅)  How good is your music knowledge? Can you guess all of the samples?

Breaking the record for having the longest running time of recording an interview — 3.5 hours! Two of Aswad's favourite people, Hair Kid and Q.I who are behind the amazing modern funk duo from Japan — Milk Talk. Their first ever interview which goes over and beyond! Over the last few years, Milk Talk have been consistently releasing incredible modern funk, synth / city pop music. On the show they go to great lengths to discuss about their chemistry and collaboration. We go behind the scenes to discuss how their records are put together, and talk about their recent tour in Tokyo. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as there is plenty more uncovered. And knowing how much we recorded, let’s just say this is part 1 of their feature 😊

This month on Studio Funk we welcome curator, DJ, the man of leisure — Miche. Over the past years Miche has been contributing heavily to the funk and soul scene in the U.K. From being a leading music programmer of London’s number 1 listening bar Spiritland, through to working and collaborating with various artists, musicians and DJs he is now entering his next chapter — releasing his new compilation on world renown record label, Mr Bongo; With Love Vol.1. Here on Studio Funk we get an exclusive preview and insight behind the highly anticipated project.

Notoya is the brains behind Tokyo Condition, a record label and online web shop operating from within Tokyo. In the last few years, Notoya has reissued private press records and focuses on lesser known artists from the past and modern day. He recently collaborated with french label We Want Sounds, to create a compilation highlighting artists from record label Nippon Columbia, the wonderful project - Tokyo Glow. On the show we welcome back Ryan Erik Williams, who joins Aswad in conversation with Notoya to discuss the inspirations of Tokyo Condition and the current impact of City Pop within modern day. They also highlight some of the releases from Tokyo Condition and discuss the partnership with HMV Japan.

This month is all about the sounds of Japan. In these celebrations and discussions, we have founder & owner of Tokyo based label, City Baby Records — Ryan Erik Williams. Ryan has been a resident in Tokyo for the last 20 years, and has a lot of knowledge when it comes to Japanese music, whether it will be City Pop, Jazz Fusion or Kayōkyoku — he’s our guy! Together Aswad & Ryan discuss what they love and admire about 80s Japanese music, whilst sharing music from their collections.

Mr Big Happy is one the great collectors on the scene who is actively seeking under the radar, obscure and lesser known funk and soul music. He pro actively does this whilst gathering insight directly from the artists and shares behind the scenes information related to the release. On the show, Aswad and Mr Big happy talk about why it’s important to him, and what drives his passion for collecting and sharing these relics of great music. Together they recorded nearly 2 hours of conversation — so let’s just say it’s been a long time coming for them to have a good chat. As you can expect the show is curated with music, and includes a soul 45s tribute mix for our special guest = the perfect summer podcast.

One way to sum up Teddy Bryant is a very talented individual. Singer, songwriter, arranger & producer are some of the many labels which can be associated with him. In this episode, together Aswad and Teddy go to great lengths to discuss his recent and past musical events. They talk about his debut solo album, In the Beginning — which was released last year on Nothing But Net Records. An album which appeared on many 'Best of 2021' lists. They also discuss his recent efforts and collaborations with super producer, Space Ghost — The Heaven Sent EP. The show features new music from a highly talented roster, and wraps up with a tribute mix bow on top.

On this months show we have author, producer, Grammy Award nominee — Jon Kirby. Jon Kirby was the Associate Editor at Wax Poetics (2007-2010) and currently provides A&R, Research and Development for The Numero Group. On the show we go to great lengths to discuss the first discoveries of UTB/Andre Gibson and how their friendship led to an on-going partnership. Plus the beginnings of the ‘Ultra High Frequencies: The Chicago Party’, history and experience surrounding Chicago and what it truly means to be working for a great organisation like the Numero Group. To wrap up the show, a tribute mix is included showcasing some of the great music featured on the Numero Group releases where Jon’s direction is applied.

Here at Studio Funk we are super stoked to have the wonderful Andre Gibson on this months show. The multi talented musician, singer and songwriter of Universal Togetherness Band. As you can expect we have a lot to discuss including the history surrounding the band, how it got started, early memories and performing on the notorious TV show, The Chicago Party at the CopHerBox II (1982). We also talk about Andre’s desire to continue to making music and his recent album ‘Movin On’. Plus the collaboration with The Numero Group to publish the unreleased material of Universal Togetherness Band many years later. It’s a full packed show and if that wasn’t enough we wrap up the episode with a Studio Funk Chicago Party featuring music by Jesus Wayne, Donnell Pitman, Universal Togetherness Band and many more!

Gospel Disco, Boogie & Soul special with collector, DJ and curator - Tone B. Nimble. Aswad and Tone get together to discuss his passion and the stories behind his latest music series ‘Soul Is My Salvation’. A series that showcases private press Gospel records that’s he’s discovered over the years. We take a deep dive into Gospel music, sharing music from Tone B. Nimble compilation series, Soul Is My Salvation and other notable artists & musicians from the spirit lifting genre. The show features a full roster of great artists and musicians including Mary Love Comer, United Spiritual Singers, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Mckinley Sandifer, Fay Hill and many more!

Aswad sits down with the wonderful talented Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Producer and Arranger — Isy Martin. Isy has an extensive history and story regarding his beginnings as a musician. Performing from a very young age, Isy Martin has worked with many artists including Marvin Gaye, Willie Hutch, Ray Charles, The Jackson’s, The Gap Band, Rufus, Norman Whitfield and the list goes on! Together, Aswad and Isy discuss and reflect on his past and also modern day activities with his latest release of ‘Rug Burns’ on Prime Time Records and Tapes and working with XL Middleton, Zackey Force Funk on the Modern Funk rework of his 80s cult boogie funk hit. As you can expect it’s a packed show with gems of story telling, new music, notable classics and a tribute mix to tie the bow.

First episode of 2022 featuring the wonderful DJ/curator, Sam Don. Those of you might be familiar with Sam Don who is responsible for producing the great Lovers Rock/Soul compilation series — For The Love Of You (Athens Of the North). Sam Don and Aswad discuss the inspiration for the project and how it came to fruition. They also discuss the importance and significance of reggae music, and the influences of soul music into Lovers Rock. To wrap up the show, Aswad provides a tribute mix to give Sam Don and the Lovers Rock genre the send off they deserve.

Last show of the year, and as tradition dictates it’s another episode to look back over the year but this time doing something a little bit different. Aswad sits down with Walla P (Voyage Funktastique/Prime Source), as they host an end of year review. Together they talk and share their favourite records covering LPs, 12", 7" and reissues. As you can expect there was a lot talk about, so expect plenty of music covered from the rich sounds of modern funk through to the classic signature grooves of British Jazz Funk. 

Exclusive interview with the man from Chicago, Head & Founder of Star Creature Universal Vibrations — Tim Zawada. Aswad and Tim discuss the beginnings of Star Creature, the memories and releases over the years. Including recent projects such as the 2020 compilation; Attack Of The Chicago Boogie — how the project came together, the passion and drive to work with Chicago legendary artists. They also talk about recent releases including the new album by M Hook - New River, and share some insight of releases that’s yet to come! Alongside the interview, Aswad serves a tribute mix for Tim & Star Creature — 45 min set of 45s of the Star Creature imprint, featuring personal favourites & classics from the forever growing discography of 7” records. Also included in the show, new releases from Maya Killtron, Format-440, Fantasy 15, Lucky Mereki and many more!

For the very first time to appear on a podcast are the 80s Brit Funk legends, McKenzie & Gardiner. Together they discuss to great lengths about their background, friendship and the insight around their cult record 'From Time'. Working with Streetwave Records, and the creation of the sub label ‘The Sound Of London’ and the recordings of the wonderful lost demos which surfaced many years later! Plus an exclusive preview of their up and coming music coming out on CQQL Records & Avant Garde Records. Also on the show, a catch up with Montreal’s favourite Walla P, to discuss the latest with Prime Source. Aswad also plays some new releases which is currently in heavy rotation, and a tribute mix for our guests to wrap up the show in Studio Funk tradition.

Latest show of Studio Funk features Mofunk Records first lady, Moniquea. Aswad and Moniquea get together and discuss her recent releases and album, Los Robles & Washington. They also talk about her recently launched show on Dublab - Jammin’ Croquettes and the fantastic tribute mix, Speaking From Experience. The show also features new music from Soul Supreme, XL Middleton, Amalia, Frankfurt Funk, ALINA to name a few!

Late last year Toby Glider a.k.a Liquid Pegasus released his phenomenal album; Novelty on CityBaby Records . This was listed as one of Aswad's favourites of 2020 and was one of the most notable releases across the board. On the show Aswad and Toby Glider get together and discuss about the makings of the album, influences, Japanese 80's culture and even the notorious artwork created by Chris Hopkins + more! The show also features new music from a talented roster including Frankfurt Funk, Madd3e, Big Jacks, Kutcorners, Angela Apigo and Soul Supreme.

Aswad and Soul Supreme get together to talk about his debut album and the great releases coming from his record label including the notorious 7” vinyl record release - Huit Octobre 1971/Raid. They also talk about the beginnings of his musical journey; the b-boy and hip-hop upbringings. Alongside that Aswad catches up with Walla P about Prime Source. Together they reflect on the past month releases (March was probably the busiest so far this year!). Overall the show is full and packed with great conversations and music - expect to hear from many talented artists including Soul Supreme, STR4TA, K-Maxx, Ivan Makvel and few surprises along the way!

Another instalment of Studio Funk features the dynamic duo Saucy Lady and U-Key from Star Creature records. They sit down and discuss their new EP Delirious and cover some of the great releases in the past, including Honey Sauce Band and the Supanova album. A show full of great conversations, music and even some beatboxing. Aswad, also catches up with Walla P about Prime Source, they reflect on the past month and give a sneak peek at some of the exciting things to come!

Featuring special guest Ivan Makvel from Italian Modern Funk label, The Sleepers Recordz . Ivan and Aswad sit down and discuss his forthcoming album, A Family Affair (out 15th Jan 2021) and drop an exclusive play of the new tracks from the album. They also talk about the many great releases from his label which occurred within the past year. Alongside that Aswad chats to Walla P about his ode and passion for his collaborative new project with Albin (Boogie80) - Prime Source. As you can expect the show is filled with great music and includes an all star cast featuring Ivan Makvel, Garrett, K-Maxx, I,Ced, Temu, Mofak, XL Middleton, Maya Killtron, Moniquea and the list goes on!

In this special episode, Aswad sits down with the multi talented Sally Green. They talk to great lengths about Sally's background within music and the artists that were an influence throughout her life. They also discuss the recent and future collaborations with modern funk producers including Buscrates, Kazzey and Mofak. The show also features an exclusive look of her brand new single ‘Deja Vu’ produced by B. Bravo (an absolute monster of a track!). The show is filled with a ton of great music featuring a talented roster of artists including Sally Green, Stevie Wonder, The Brand New Heavies, Buscrates, Mofak, Rojai, Kool Customer and the list goes on!

In this episode Aswad hosts the show with Star Creature's front man...the magician on the keys - E. LIve. Together they talk at great lengths about what inspires E. Live as a musician, his first releases on Star Creature and the recent well established and celebrated Boogie for Life EP. The show is filled with great music curated by the hosts and includes music by Bayonics, The Pendletons, Sally Green, Donnell Pitman and of course the man himself - E. Live.

Aswad is joined with Montreal’s number one; Walla P from Voyage Funktastique! Aswad and Walla P talk at great lengths about the beginnings of Voyage Funktastique, the releases on the label, the shows and tours, his number one fan (momma P 😊), hip hop classics, Music is my Sanctuary and much more! For your listening pleasure the show is also curated with a tight selection of music including talents from Buscrates, Lee Funksta, The Antilles, LJ Reynolds and many more.

Aswad is joined with special guest Albin, co-founder of Avant Garde Records and Boogie80. Aswad and Albin talk about the past music releases on the label and working with legendary artists such as Bobby Nunn and Heather Haywood. They also discuss about record digging and Albin even shares a few records from his collection. The show is filled with great music from many musical talents including Nickee B, Joanna Rose, Heather Haywood, The Cool Notes, Creme De Coco, Savanna and many more.