Phat Phunktion

Bands on the Rise: Phat Phunktion - horn driven tour de funk. - Rolling Stone

Wisconsin-based Phat Phunktion has a horn-driven sound that draws inspiration from '70s funk, and on "You and Me," (Nardis), ... producers Tim Whalen and Al Falaschi demonstrate a talent for crafting strong, danceable tracks. "Rocco" is an infectious band jam powered by a bass rhythm so irresistibly funky that it's practically impossible to listen to it and not move. The catchy "A Little Bit" is propelled by a looping groove and, in a change of pace, the slower, soulful "Always" features gospel piano. - Jazz Times

Lets pretend for a moment that I am dead. Believe me people have imagined that before. Anyway I am dead and as this is a fantasy world things will be a little bit different. In reality the funeral would probably consist of about four people, one of whom is lost and one who is a religious man of undetermined denomination who kicks some dirt my direction while mumbling, "well at least he didn't molest Goats". In this fantasy world it would be a grand old affair, where women cried and men told stories and the wake would come complete with a top notch, kick ass funky as hell band who would shake the rafters, in other words Phat Phunktion.
Phat BandYes this is the band I want to play out my mortal soul as it ascends to wherever and tries to laugh off that whole atheist thing. Phat Phunktion are just a good old fashioned funk express train, grooving and moving their way down the track. A band that once again proves a real rhythm section can out funk any drum machine and sampler combination you care to mention. Add a Grade A horn section, a collection of fine tunes and a decent vocalist and you have something a little bit special by any standards. The album has a real live feel to it, particularly in the latter stages, and one has to assume that they are excellent live, they damn better be if they are going to play my fantasy funeral. They are a band who have a sound that should enable them to booked everywhere from major venues to backyard bar mitzvahs. In fact they can lay claim to having played with The Temptations, WAR and Cameo! Wow are they still going, do they still wear the codpieces? Anyway I assume Phat Phunktion are being booked into the ground, if not then there is no God, which would clear up at least one of my earlier problems. Check out their website, listen to the tunes, find your sad old ass a grooving like it hasn't in years and then buy the CD. Oh yeah and you are invited to the funeral, it should be a blast. - indiemonkey.com

If Madison is funky, then a lot of it is thanks to this ensemble, which includes a quartet of horns layered with some extreme bass and guitar, and fronted by some excellent vocals - Unlimited Magazine - Published by Phillip Morris

When genres from different planets meet, flirt, and at last, make their own offspring, it is often a good and needed thing for the dried-up, chlorine-rich musical gene pool already stagnant with radio waste. The is the kind of genre courtship that opens the door for endless creativity and some diversity, thank you! That idea is a HUGE understatement for this band. Audible elements of funk, hip hop, jazz, and even a little bit of rock and world influence have set a course for the part of you that really wants to cut a rug. Now it might seem that it could get a little confusing when so many distinct characterisics of so many types of music are brought in, but believe me when I say that this music is so stylized and oh-so smooth, that you will know exactly what to do; bust a seam or two with those moves - CDBaby.com Magazine

Phat Phunktion
You and Me
Nardis Music

Remember Jamiroquai? You know, the white Brit who sounded black and had a clever music video where he danced with furniture? To my knowledge, Jamiroquai only had one hit in the U.S. In some ways Phat Phunktion remind me of Jamiroquai, but this nine-member group from Madison, Wisconsin, have a stack of potential radio smashes.

Whether or not Phat Phunktion are fans of Jamiroquai -- or if they even agree with the comparison -- is not known. If anything, they probably listened to the same Stevie Wonder records from the '70s. However, Phat Phunktion are easily more entertaining and versatile, reaching into the retro calendar for huge slices of bell-bottom funk. Yes, the band's sound is a throwback to the pre-disco days of club pop, when real instruments and not synthesizers drove the beats. But Phat Phunktion aren't just mining nostalgia; they're throwing hip-hop into the brew, producing a juggling act of Philadelphia soul and old-school rap.

These are not songs created to make you think, and Phat Phunktion do not seem to exist to revolutionize rock & roll. That's not the point they're trying to get across. To put it bluntly: they just want you to shake your ass. Forget about your problems and crank these guys up. - Ink19

'Phat Phunktion'
'You and Me'

- Label: 'Nardis Music'
- Genre: 'Hip-Hop'


Our Rating:
Fasten your seatbelts, and that's no exaggeration. Madison, Wisconsin's Phat Phunktion (http://www.phatphunktion.com) is a melting pot of urban beats - funk, hip-hop, ska, jazz, soul - hot enough to make your speakers perspire.

Before I listened to the CD, I expected something along the lines of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but that's not the case at all. You can really hear the punk rock aesthetic in the Peppers and how it contributes to their overall groove. Phat Phunktion, on the other hand, while sharing many of the Peppers' influences, take a more classical approach.

Horns play an important role in this nine-piece group, which must torch stages with firecracker intensity in their live performances. The funk is delivered raw, crackling with sweat-soaked enthusiasm. The first track, "Untitled (Weekend Special)," gives you a taste of what to expect from the rest of the album - party-time '70s flavors in the snappy rhythm section, elevated by blazing horns and some seriously stomping raps. Phat Phunktion are no toned-down corporate baggage; they keep it to the streets, lusty and drunk with a fierce desire to get down all night.

"Higher" is a Top-40 single in the making, a club-ready starlet that injects massively addicting hooks. Vocals are soulful and silky smooth throughout, especially on "How Do I Get To Your Heart."

On "Never Be the Same," Phat Phunktion switch gears a tad, recalling Steely Dan at their most nocturnal and loose. Phat Phunktion can speed it up or slow it down, but the result is the same: You can't turn the damn stereo off.
- Whisperin & Hollerin UK

Phat Phunktion

I was looking for music to groove to, something that would go one step better than Calgon™, and really take me away. I found it with the cd You and Me by Phat Phunktion. I’m not always a big fan of the throwback 70’s “funk wannabe” type bands, but Phat Phunktion features funk with a modern edge. This nine-piece band hailing from Wisconsin put together a cd with horns and drums that blew me away, but, as always, it was the lyrics on songs like “Red Carpet” that really had me. In fact, if you don’t listen to anything else, you have to listen to “Red Carpet” a sweet jam combining traditional funk and a hard hitting rap lyricist who asks, “what happened to our music?” ... You know that music/ is a sad affair/ when the owner of Seagram’s/ tells you what to play, write, & wear... I’m not askin’ for no symphony/I’d just like to see/ a boy band write their own cd...” Rolling Stone Magazine was quoted to have called Phat Phunktion a “band on the rise” in 2003 and I have to echo the sentiment. This is a band I can’t wait to hear live and I’ll be the first to buy tickets when their tour rolls into Atlanta! (And here’s hoping they hear that big SUGGESTION!)
(phatphunktion.com) - Unsigned Music Magazine