Funked Up with Defunk - Shambhala 2016

Defunk @ Shambhala 2016

Noize.FM was fortunate to get funky with Defunk at Fractal Forest this year, what a set! Lights beaming, and smiles, feet walloping the floor of Fractal Forest… it was a little something like that. Defunk’s inaugural appearance at Shambhala Music Festival lived up to the hype as he dropped many of the tunes off his June 2016 album Stepping Out, along with older hits and new unreleased material. We were lucky to catch up with Defunk following the unforgettable set, discussing his set, Shambhala Music Festival, Bass Music Culture and what the future holds. Check out the fresh release of the set here and the details of the Noize.FM exclusive interview below:

3:30AM Saturday August 6th Defunk dropped a funk bomb on Shambhala Music Festival’s Fractal Forest stage, a setting no less stunning than that of his 2015 appearance in Red Rocks, and back to back appearances at Costa Rica’s Envision Festival. With such major international appearances as those it was highly anticipated that this would be the year Defunk would grace the stage at Shambhala.  Faithful followers were out in full force to get funky for this one. Here is what Defunk had to say when we caught up with him after the set…

Defunk – Funkbot 2016 (Photo: Marss Photography)

“It feels amazing, it was my main inspiration for starting to make this music, this is what kicked it all off.” Defunk spoke highly of Shambhala Music Festival as we began the discussion.  He went on to explain that after visiting for the first time he actively became more involved by joining the Shambhala family as a volunteer, and eventually a crew member. The discussion progressed to the subject of Shambhala as a musical stronghold for the broadly used ‘Bass Music Culture’.  It was agreed that Shambhala showcases musical artists and performers that are pushing the boundaries, and that the event acts as a catalyst in spreading the Bass Music Culture rooted in Western Canada. International attendees and artists have become more common as the festival matured. As time goes on these newcomers are introduced to the nuances of local bass societies and returning Shambhala visitors. “We get spoiled by the bass and we get spoiled by the quality of sound at our shows ” Defunk commented in regards to the strength of Bass Music Culture stemming from Shambhala.  We went on to talk about how this statement holds true throughout Western Canada and how it perpetuated from Shambhala and PK Sound.

Together Shambhala and PK have grown alongside one another and are the cornerstones of the regions Bass Music Culture. Defunk went on to praise PK noting, “I know it’s going to sound awesome”, when asked about the experience of playing on PK’s legendary setups. PK, as a Calgary based company, was critical in the carving out of Bass Music Culture in the company’s home city, at Shambhala and now across North America.

With Shambhala under his belt, Defunk hopes to continue to tour while sticking to a regimented studio routine. With this year’s festival season coming to an end, Defunk will next visit UpNorth Music & Arts Festival along with some other shows before taking a studio break to work on the next album.  The new album will be the followup to Defunk’s June release Stepping Out, he hopes to continue to explore the sounds of funk and bass music, expanding on his past works. Keeping true to the sound that defines him while also satisfying creative and exploratory urges were identified by Defunk as important factors in his studio work and live act.  Defunk warned of some new collaborations on future releases, be ready to get funked up once again!

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