Funke and the Two Tone Baby

Funke and The Two Tone Baby is the stage persona of one Daniel Turnbull and these six songs take us on a journey through the land of the – for the most part anyway – one man band. It seems to be a pretty interesting place to visit too as our Mr Turnbull turns out to be an emotional performer whose worldly tones neatly complement the looped musical accompaniment.

As we are talking about a one man band here, it is perhaps no surprise that Funke and The Two Tone Baby start off with an exercise in simple repetition in “Cecile’s Song” and it was equally unsurprising - to me at least - that ordinariness was avoided by a confident and emphatic vocal performance that reminds me of early David Bowie in style. The drama, in the performance at least, further increases with the melodramatic “Ghosts” whilst rather more conventional in terms of one man band expectations is “Ready, Ready” but even that is distinguished by a set of smart lyrics. Adding in some musical assistance seems to relax Mr Turnbull somewhat and allows him to walk the walk and talk the talk as the front man in “Tomorrow Brings A Better Day”. It would seem that Mr Turnbull can play well with others too.

I hear promise in these six songs. Of that I am certain.

4/5 - Bluesbunny - Bluesbunny Independent Music Reviews

This is the second release from the one man blues band from Kent, who uses a loop machine to provide his own backing band. Featuring six tracks, the EP opens with brilliant live favourite 'Cecile's Song', the only track where the use of technology is obvious. Elsewhere, 'Ghosts' showcases the incredible strength of his voice but it's the dark, regretful 'Tomorrow Brings A Better Day' that really stands out. Not afraid to be experimental, with the blues and his trusty harmonica never far away, the multi-instrumentalist reminds me of an English Jack White. Keep an eye on this boy!

4/5 - Mark Cousens for Artrocker Magazine - Artrocker Magazine

Funke and the Two Tone Baby has been booked to appear at some of South-East England’s finest folk and blues festivals, including Rochester Sweeps Festival, Leigh-on-Sea Folk Festival, Broadstairs Folk Week, Sandwich Folk ‘N Ale Festival and also a main support for the grandaddy of modern one-man blues, Bob Log III, at his only UK date this summer at The Chambers in Folkestone.
Following on from the momentum generated from his debut single, ‘Darkest of Days’, which was featured on The Hype Machine, thanks to Jess at NMC (http://hypem.com/search/Funke+and+the+Two+Tone+Baby) and by RockKent in April 2011 (http://www.rockkent.com/2011/04/funke-and-the-two-tone-baby/) his second EP, ‘Injustice & Queen’ is due for release on February 27, 2012
Once again enlisting the production talents of ex-Death in Vegas guitarist, Ian Button, Funke has built upon the foundations of the blues and put a contemporary, technological twist to a traditional genre.


Funke and the Two Tone Baby

BIOGRAPHY:
A one man, psychedelic, blues-based, loop-induced musical journey. He will give you dat Harp Boy and you’ll be blown away!
Funke and the Two Tone Baby performs original material as well as the occasional cover from the old and new blues scene with a Funke twist – a unique blend of overlayed and looped guitar, stompbox and harmonica; sometimes spine-tingling, sometimes heart-wrenching, but always awesome!
Funke is a unique act and has been reported in local and online media as being ‘like a magician pulling props from a trunk to create some incredible sounds’. Through borrowing inspiration and influence from traditional blues, Funke and the Two Tone Baby is a stompboxing, beatboxing, loop-induced contemporary bluesman for the 21st century. Although still reliant on the traditional, Funke presents a modern technological twist to engage blues fans old and new.
Always gaining recognition, and often admiration, for his power and passion – this is one artist not to miss!
All photography and videography is courtesy of Anastasia Miller-Kurakin, a final year photography student at Canterbury Christ Church University. - Rock Kent

Once every couple of years, a song comes along that makes you sit up on your tatty old swivel chair and ask yourself 'what the f*** was that??', and this is one of those times...believe me when I say this, anything that shocks me into swearing before my self imposed 6pm watershed must be pretty damn awesome (or pretty damn terrifying, that works too) and the song at the bottom of this page is that and then some...awesome I mean, not terrifying.

Big thanks to kate's sunshineCast for pointing me towards one of this years 'great things', and he's called...Funke And The Two Tone Baby!

I know what you're thinking though...It's only frickin February, right? So how in Gods name can I honestly say that this multi-talented, hat-wearing, toe-tapping, soulful-sounding bastich is one of this years best things already when we're barely a month in? Well, to that I'll simply have to say that you'll be hard pressed to find better, so unless a transit van full of (big breath) multi-talented, hat-wearing, toe-tapping, soulful sounding bastich's pulls up outside my house and begins to serenade me, while simultaneously swallowing fire and shooting moonbeams out of their arses, then I'm pretty sure that I'll be saying the same thing come December. You can hold me to that! All in all Hellfire are honoured to have this guy on our blog and Facebook page, and we can't wait to see him play live one day soon!

The Official Line

A one man, psychedelic, blues-based, loop-induced musical journey. He will give you dat Harp Boy and you'll be blown away!

Funke and the Two Tone Baby performs original material as well as the occasional cover from the old and new blues scene with a Funke twist - a unique blend of overlayed and looped guitar, stompbox and harmonica; sometimes spine-tingling, sometimes heart-wrenching, but always awesome!

Funke is a unique act and has been reported in local and online media as being 'like a magician pulling props from a trunk to create some incredible sounds'. Through borrowing inspiration and influence from traditional blues, Funke and the Two Tone Baby is a stompboxing, beatboxing, loop-induced contemporary bluesman for the 21st century.

Although still reliant on the traditional, Funke presents a modern technological twist to engage blues fans old and new.

Always gaining recognition, and often admiration, for his power and passion - this is one artist not to miss!


Here's our little Q&A with the man himself...enjoy!


If you could choose one band or musician that has influenced your own music the most, who would it be and why?

I would have to say Led Zeppelin, due to their diversity and also the sheer wall of sound they create, which I aspire to achieve when shaping my own sound. I've always appreciated the way they evolved from heavy, full-on rock to a softer, folkier, bluesier side; for example I make comparison between 'When the Levee Breaks' to 'Bron Y Aur Stomp' in the way in which the band are very adaptive, almost chameleon like in the change of style, yet still retaining their own distinctive sound. I also take influence from a lot of electronic music with regards to the loops and rhythms I lay down.

If you were only allowed to listen to one album for a whole year, what album would you choose and why?

I can't choose one; it'll either be 'Holy F***' - 'Latin' or 'Black Moth Super Rainbow' - 'Dandelion Gum'.
'Latin' is f****** brilliant, f****** stunning... ahhhh, I literally can't stop swearing at how good this album is. I re-listened to it after having two months off and it just blew my mind all over again. 'P.I.G.S' is just a vast piece of music, with the filthiest bassline and the catchiest melody; it takes you up and down and up and down. A musical rollercoaster... But not as cliched. More like being hit in the face with something. A spade.
I think 'Dandelion Gum' is one of the most original albums I've heard in such a long time. Everything is intertwined in such a beautiful manner. The way in which the rhythm section is such a focal point for me is something just indescribable. Taking the album at face value, the composition appears so simple, but the more you listen, the more complex and intelligent the album becomes.

In your opinion, what's the best gig or venue you have ever played at and why?

Hands down, at Harper's Bar in Broadstairs at Broadstairs Folk Week in August 2011. It was a floor stage and the place was beyond rammed and I was encircled by so many people, most of which had never heard me before. As Folk Week brings in thousands of music lovers to an otherwise quiet seaside town, everyone there was well up for a party and there to actually listen to performers. People shouted, screamed, clapped, cheered and danced for the duration of my set; after each song, hearing the audience cheering so loud almost knocked me off my feet. It's one of the best experiences you could ever hope for.



What would you say is one of the main things that sets you apart from the current crop of unsigned bands out there?

The Two Tone Baby, obviously.


What are the mains themes/topics for your songs, and do you see this changing over time?

It varies from the pirate ghost witch (which also draws parallels from David Jason's ghost boat) that haunts my house to getting clamped. I normally write about topics that spark an emotion and convey that feeling in a sentence or a phrase and then expand on it from there. Sometimes I form stories that as they develop, don't necessarily end up reflecting the initial thought or feeling that ignited the whole process. For example, I'll let Line A run to Line B, and then Line B independently run to Line C.

There's no real set pattern for my writing - I'm not a methodical writer - so perhaps you could say that the way in which a song comes to me is continually changing over time.
- New Hellfire Club

"Canterbury Christ Church University's student-run label, C3U Records, is to release the debut single, ‘Darkest of Days’ by Funke and the Two Tone Baby.

Funke, otherwise known as Daniel Turnbull, has been carving a name out for himself through relentless performing in the South East of England. His eccentric and occasionally erratic character is reflected in his debut single, 'Darkest of Days', released on Monday April 25 2011, through the University-run C3U label.

The lead single taken from the upcoming EP, 'Pushing You Back', 'Darkest of Days' is already a classic throughout Funke's native Kent, where he is a regular on the Blues, Folk and Roots scene, gaining fans from regular appearances in the seaside towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate.

The single was produced, mixed and mastered by Ian Button, of Death in Vegas fame. “I really enjoyed the songs and the live ‘performance’ aspect that he wanted to retain,” he says. “It was fun to try and work out how to record the loops, beats and vocals, separate out some elements, and then decide on a mix approach – in the end it proved easier than we’d thought. I’m very pleased with the results – a mix of organic and technological, but hopefully not always easy to tell where the dividing line is!”" - Safe Concerts

"Looking for something new? Maybe something a little different? Look no further. Deep in the lands of Kent the one-man band known as Funke and the Two Tone Baby has been born and he has brought with him his new EP Pushing You Back.

The EP was produced, mixed and mastered by Ian Button (Death in Vegas’ guitarist), who has helped Funke and the Two Tone Baby create a unique sound that will no doubt capture the hearts of many.

Pushing You Back was digitally released on 25th May 2011 and can be found on many digital retailers. Funke has since released a video of his single, ‘Darkest of Days’, which is the first track to be released from the EP. With the distinctive vocals, beat boxing, harmonica solos and contagious guitar riffs, many are sure to enjoy listening.

As you move through the tracks in the EP you can clearly hear a mixture of all kinds of genres and influences. There’s an almost country feel to ‘Free Flow’, an emotionally acoustic sound to ‘Now You See Me’ and then ends with what is no doubt influenced by the blues; the title track ‘Pushing You Back’. With so many genres to the artist it’s hard to place him anywhere in particular, which may not be such a bad thing. There is surely something here that just about everyone will be able to appreciate.

Funke and the Two Tone Baby has managed to create something special and has placed himself onto the music grid with an explosion of sounds. Great things are expected to come from this artist. Funke and the Two Tone Baby is here and creating new sounds just for your ears. Turn up those speakers and let Funke take you on a trip you’ll never forget."

5/5
Written by Rob McGee - SouthSonic

"Here is a gravely harmonica fueled song from the UK's Funke & The Two Tone Baby, which despite the lengthy moniker, is just one man. I'd be interested to hear it without the harmonica which I think is too overpowering at times, especially when there is such a powerful and interesting voice being obscured by it. But I did enjoy listening to the rest of his music, especially considering a lot of it is produced by looping the guitars. The sound could be classified as some twisted experimentation blending blues, alt-country, and americana, so if that's what floats your boat dig in." - New Music Collaborative

“Funke’s performance went down a storm at the Rochester Sweeps festival, prompting us to invite him to the annual Pig’s Ear Folk Ale, where he certainly livened up a wet Sunday! Funke is a breath of fresh air on the local music scene. Some might say, ‘what has that got to do with folk?’ - well, it’s got everything to do with live music performance and keeping it real. To me, Funke and the Two Tone Baby is a highly-skilled modern day equivalent of a one-man band.” - Sue Rule

“Funke brings something new to the table – not only incredible musicianship, but a modernity which is rooted in the old-school tradition of proper songwriting. His live shows create a furore you wouldn't normally associate with a one-man-band. His music is exciting, original and destined for bigger places.” - Nicola Riches