During a year that saw the majority of the music industry rightfully struggle due to the unprecedented pandemic, Canadian producer duo The Funk Hunters took time to reflect and grow. Now, kicking off 2021 on the right foot, the acclaimed duo joins forces with Defunk and Akylla for their first release of the year in “Warn Ya,” out now via Westwood Recordings. With The Funk Hunters status as a premier electronic name in Canada, the partnership with two of their vaunted fellow Canadian peers makes this a release of great pride for all the artists + label involved.
“A few months before Covid hit we got to see Big Gigantic play this tune live at Red Rocks during their set at the last Rowdytown. We had played it in a few DJ sets ourselves earlier that year while we were still finishing the production on it, but experiencing it alongside 10,000 other people when Big G dropped it was pretty surreal and this song has been a special one for us ever since. I feel like we've been waiting to release it forever! So I'm super excited to have this finally come out and with Defunk & Akylla on the track too it actually makes this release 100% Canadian which is something we're also really proud of." - The Funk Hunters
“This song is about a magnetic love that can’t be broken or understood. We all have one of those (; The Funk Hunters embody peace, love, unity and most importantly...the Funk! I’m always honoured to be in their vortex.” - Akylla
“Warn Ya is an epic, dark and mysterious journey that pulls the listener in with its long vocal builds and its stomping drops. It's a song that fans have always asked about in my sets, and now its time has finally come.” - Defunk
Prior to the pandemic and after a successful 2019, 2020 was shaping up to be The Funk Hunters biggest to date. They had just finished touring with GRiZ, who handpicked the guys to be direct support for his Ride Waves Season 2 tour, helping work on the Big Gigantic album, and collaborating with and mixing/mastering several others. They were the first electronic act to receive the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) Road Gold certification for selling over 25,000 tickets domestically in 2019. Defunk, having collaborated with Gramatik and performed at several of the biggest festivals in the country (Shambhala, Electric Forest, etc), flexes his skillset in this collaboration, showing an innate ability to mold his sound in any setting. Akylla’s influence can be heard throughout the track as well, with a distinct vocal prowess that has seen her nab massive collaborations with bass music superstars ranging from Excision, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE. With the imminent return of the music industry, this trio of artists are readier than ever to show their fans their evolution of sound.
In a sea of carbon-copy producers, The Funk Hunters have cultivated their signature sound by creating forward-thinking electronic music that is influenced by old school funk, soul and hip-hop. As longtime friends, collaborators, and multi-dimensional artists, Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith’s chemistry is perfectly aligned. Middleton steers the band’s studio efforts, having produced, co-written, and mixed their debut album, TYPECAST. And Smith anchors the project’s live show with an indefatigable charisma that compliments Middleton’s thoughtful production. Together they combine their powers as DJs, resulting in a brilliant technical display of creative collaboration between 4 turntables.
Their vision has resonated with both listeners and industry tastemakers alike, with their music amassing over 10 million track streams across their catalog of original productions, remixes and collaborations. Winners of the Electronic/Dance Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards, The Funk Hunters also reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Chart last year, with an official remix of U2's "Love Is Bigger." Their catalog also includes other official remixes for Big Gigantic, Gramatik, Selena Gomez, and Imagine Dragons.
In addition to studio work, The Funk Hunters enjoy a vibrant global touring career with major festival plays at Coachella, Life Is Beautiful, Lightning in a Bottle, Electric Forest, Osheaga, Outside Lands, Burning Man, and Shambhala. They consistently play to the biggest dance floors in the world - frequent collaborator Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 fame has called them "the selectah's of the century."
Stream/Download: https://wstwd.io/warnya