"Soon as My Eyes See the Sunshine"

Just what we all needed, some 70s funk baked into a fresh EDM track. Leave it to Pretty Lights to dig up a classic track from The Brothers Johnson and flip it into something more modern. Strawberry Letter 23 was produced by the legendary Quincy Jones and released back in 1971, well before even I was born. Check the original below for reference...



Hard to hate on the quiet R&B vocals, twinkling synths, and funky guitar of the original. As far as Pretty Lights version is concerned, there's a screwed and chopped element to the slowed vocals that sucked me in from the start. The "soon as my eyes see the sunshine vocal sample is catchy af too. My guess is your parents will freak out when you play this for them because it'll immediately dust off a chapter of music that had long forgotten. Plenty of replay value on this dusted off antique, so iTunes or Spotify if you're as smitten with funkiness as I am...#RainbowsAndWaterfalls

BONUS: The video for the track just dropped!!

Pretty Lights - Rainbows & Waterfalls

"I'm Waiting for it That Green Light, I Want it"

It doesn't matter who is responsible for the original, when Chromeo remixes a track it's game over. The layers of funk they're able to impart on any form of music is exemplary. Take for example their new-ish remix of Lorde's Green Light. They took the quiet embers of the original, upped the tempo, and gave it a second life with some steady guitar riffs. Truth be told, I haven't seen Chromeo in concert, but I already know I'd be dancing myself clean because their brand of music is fun af. I can't say I was a huge fan of Lorde's original, but you'd be hard pressed to get me to skip through the remix...#GreenLight

Lorde - Green Light (Chromeo Remix)

"And You Can't Beat That With a Baseball Bat"

It's been years since a new Fatboy Slim single came across the radar. That being the case, I couldn't help but press play when Where You Iz surfaced last week. I'll say this, you can't ever question the amount of raw energy Fatboy Slim packs into his music. Sure, the vocals on a lot of his tracks walk a thin line between being catchy and annoying, but there's a kitschy element in his brand of funk that I have a hard time resisting. Maybe it's because it reminds me of the music I grew up with, but as long as you don't take it too seriously, you may find yourself humming it along to yourself hours later. At the very least, I have mad respect for Norman because he's one of the few 50 years olds that can probably still get a crowd of teenagers moving at a festival. We'll see if this warning shot leads to a full scale EP in 2017, but for now I'm cool jammin' out this for a bit...#WhereYouIz

Fatboy Slim - Where You Iz

Chance the Rapper Delivers Uplifting Knock Knock Jokes

Damn...it's been a while since I've heard some smooth, vocal driven R&B. No synths, no build up and drop, just a funky bassline and some stellar vocals. That's what you can expect from John Legend on his new one Penthouse Floor. It's an uplifting ballad that takes a turn for the silly thanks to Chance the Rapper who detours around the 2:48 mark straight into a knock knock joke. It was one of the most random segues into a verse that I've ever heard, so you've got that novelty to look forward to if you have the patience to give it a full listen. For those true John Legend fans, and I know you're out there, you'll be interested in knowing his new Darkness and Light will be landing on e-tailers in about two weeks on December 2nd. Until then, you'll just have to continue wondering what his collaborations with Miguel and Alabama Shakes' own Brittany Howard are going to sound like...#PenthouseFloor

John Legend feat Chance the Rapper - Penthouse Floor

Arona Mane Goes Retro Funk on Teardrops

Tracks that are hard to put in a nice neat box genre wise tend to be the tracks I enjoy most. Call it freshness or uniqueness, it's that original sound that pulls from other styles to create a new vibe is what lure me in. Cue up the new one from Arona Mane that pulls in funk samples, House rhythms and even some Hip Hop bass. Teardrops has a throwback sound, but the retro vibe is far from stale. The rolling bass break down around the 2:45 mark hits the spot and takes the track from a fun listen to a must listen. Down with the vanilla music you're listening to right now, give this one a shot...#Teardrops

Arona Mane feat Quinn - Teardrops

Falling in Love Never Felt So Funky

Evidently the GoldLink and KAYTRANADA connection runs much deeper than we imagined. You want to talk about a funky way to start a week, the conversation starts with Fall in Love. That rolling baseline and spitfire flow from GoldLink is not to be trifled with. Add in some vocals from Ciscero and a production assist from BADBADNOTGOOD and you've got yourself a throwback sounding, new school funk anthem.

Songs like this make me feel remorse for being so checked out on the evolution of Hip Hop. If artists like GoldLink are going to bring funk back into the equation of Hip Hop, you might see this durable, one-song a day ship that is the GWDJ blog switch it's course back toward the island of beats and rhymes. Such a fun tracks, give it some Spotify or iTunes love if you feel so inclined...#FallInLove

GoldLink feat Ciscero - Fall in Love (prod by KAYTRANADA & BADBADNOTGOOD)

Plenty of Soulful Funk to Go Around on GRiZ's Before I Go

What a great week for funky new EDM! First we got a new one from Big Gigantic, now its GRiZ's turn to let loose his new single, Before I Go. Featuring some soulful vocals from Leo Napier, the new single has a distinct live band feel to it that is downright infectious. Don't work though EDM fans, there are a few build ups and saxophone drops that will make you feel right at home along the way. If you were to describe to me smooth dance music, this is the type of song I'd envision. The line it walks between funk, dance and jazz is something that makes the music GRiZ puts out special. Feel free and add this one to your latest Spotify playlist for your upcoming Dolores Park day...#BeforeIGo

GRiZ feat Leo Napier - Before I Go

Big Gigantic and GRiZ Show Why Funky Horns Are Saxy

It doesn't get any funkier than a Big Gigantic and GRiZ collaboration. They'd been doing a lot together lately, including bringing George Clinton on stage, but their new one takes their talents collectively to a different height. The way they're able to go big and small on horns and layer them over a steady stream of bass is such a good look. In particular, their synth, guitar, and saxophone combo lays the foundation for energetic, danceworthiness. It's awesome that their music requires little to no vocals because they're able to add so much intrigue with their use of instrumentation. And of course, the best part about it is that all you'll need to do is opt in on Big Gigantic's email list to download C'mon for free. That's highway robbery from where I come from, so hop on it before the prices goes up to iTunes rates...#Cmon

Big Gigantic feat GRiZ - C'mon

GRiZ & Big Gigantic Let the Good Times Roll

If you haven't caught onto this big sexy saxophone revolution, here's your perfect chance to hop on the bandwagon. Hands down, the two artists in the game that use the sax best are Big Gigantic and GRiZ and they just so happen to finally collaborate. They didn't just collaborate, though, they knocked it out of the park. Led by soulful, "take-em-to-church" vocals and a fun call-and-response toward the end, Good Times Roll wins on so many levels. Also, if you're into free stuff and have a Spotify account, then you get to enjoy the track for free. While you're at it, don't sleep on catching them while GRiZ and Big Gigantic are on tour too because there are plenty of reasons why they sell out shows on the reg...#GoodTimesRoll

GRiZ x Big Gigantic - Good Times Roll

"I Spit it For the Love"

I'm a bit late to the party, but this whole electro-soul movement is pretty dope. Lead in large part by GRiZ, it's as if someone said, "Hey Hip Hop, funk and soul, you're invited to the electronic party, come on in." The tone is grown and sexy for the max, like that type of music you can probably share with your parents in a last ditch effort for common ground on a long road trip. Between this song and Snails/Big Gigantic's recent song Funk With Me, it's becoming abundantly clear that a concerted effort is being made to expand electronic music in a way that welcomes with open arms the use of the saxophone. It's all about dat sax man!

It's been a while since I've heard a Talib Kweli verse, but when you combine his powers with high quality back up vocals and funky live instrumentation vibe, it's hard not to dig. For the Love is one of many new ones on GRiZ's third studio album, Say it Loud. You'll have to wait about a week for it to drop, but that give both you and me some time to catch up on his past two albums. With GRiZ leading the way, I'm really looking forward to this futuristic direction of funk...#SayItLoud

GRiZ feat Talib Kweli – For the Love

"Cause It Feels So Classic"

As funk continues to make a push back into pop music, I'm finding myself really enjoying a lot of these carefree summer themed tracks. The cover art sums up the vibe of Classic really well with an image of a couple underneath the sunset. The Knocks came correct from the start with a funky guitar riff that blends really well with an infusion of piano during the hook. Powers deserves quite a bit of credit for her vocal contribution too, putting her own stamp on the catchy lyrics. Overall, I see this as a step in the right direction toward the NY duo's demo album Endisco...#Classic

The Knocks feat Powers - Classic

"Like a Gust of Wind You Hit Me Off Sometimes"

The Pharrell and Daft Punk train is downright unstoppable. Even though their new collaboration off Pharrell's upcoming album Girl sounds like an extension of Get Lucky, the level of funk is still undeniable. There's a touch of old patented old school auto-tune with plenty of strings on top of a groovy bassline. This one speaks for itself, here's to hoping Skateboard P's entire album is littered with gems like this one...#GustOfWind

Pharrell feat Daft Punk - Gust of Wind

Funk is Alive and Well in 2014 Thanks to Chromeo

2013 brought with it a new album from the electro-funk legends, Daft Punk. Random Access Memories has had a tangible impact on pop music in that funk has jumped back into the mix of cool again. That can only help Chromeo's chances of success with their upcoming album, White Women.

Their crisp new single enlists the vocals of Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick in what amounts to smooth dose of funk. Come Alive is an easy listening, repeatable track that yo momma and yo daddy would be proud to jam out to. What I'm here to tell you is that just because they would like it doesn't mean you have to throw shade at it. Funk is alive and well in 2014, don't fight the movement, just roll with it...#ComeAlive

Chromeo feat Toro y Moi - Come Alive

I'd Buy Kenna's Brand of New School Funk Any Day

New school funk that compares to retro funk of decades past is hard to find theses days. That's why I jumped up out my seat when I heard Kenna's new one Relations. The Chad Hugo produced beat showcases 80s synthesizers that compliment a funkadelic beat. The sheer fact that the word relations is used speaks to its throwback nature. Check the original below for reference...

Don't expect the remix below to be markedly different, but do pay attention to the Childish Gambino verse. With his new Because the Internet album due out in a month, he seems to be rounding into tip top lyrical shape with the bars he let loose on the remix below. Do me a favor and throw this on the next mix cd you burn your dad (does anybody still burn cds? maybe cloud it to him?). You heard it here first folks, your parents might even enjoy this one...#Relations

Kenna feat Childish Gambino - Relations (Remix)