Funkagenda’s outspoken Funk Farm imprint is back this month with a long overdue injection of progressive house talent. Last found flaunting the sound of London’s underground club scene, British breakout-turned-Ministry-of-Sound-resident Nathan C takes the reigns of the label’s latest compilation, nodding to the spirit of Ibizan club land whilst testing the waters of one of the industry’s most falsely labeled sub-genres to date.

British heavyweight turned Ultraviolet label head Paul Thomas kicks off the label collective with considerable force, uniting with Israeli duo Weekend Heroes to unveil the synth heavy styling of “Kimura” and formally set in motion Funk Farm’s apt re-imagining of the peak time experience. Whilst Nathan C’s own original offering “Armageddon” taps into the firm yet melodic principles that have reigned throughout Funk Farm’s dotted discography, British peers and Maquina Music forbearers Threesixty & Dirty Harris offer two tracks to the compilation’s progressive artillery, using the juxtaposition between the euphoric “Geist” and darker offering “Nerve” to showcase the sheer extent in sound still available to this often understated genre. It is Max Freegrant’s “Learning To Fly” that marks a definitive climax in the compilation’s original material. An epic closing nod to the heyday of Balearic clubbing and the outspoken euphoria that once formed commonplace throughout its hallowed nightspots, the track rounds off one of the more definitive examples of Funk Farm’s sparing yet quality ear for purebred progressive offerings.

With almost two years away from the compilation format, Nathan C’s accompanying mix was always to be sure fire asset to Funk Farm’s Ibiza Sessions installment. This masterful streak of programming offers a modern epiphany to what remains one of the more compositionally unique sub-genres to be so carelessly disregarded within the modern market. Never rushing and increasingly testing of the barriers between various underground spoils, the rhythmic digressions and constant plugging of sounds from across the musical spectrum makes for an engaging body of music from start to finish that at no point feels like a cramming exercise for the compilations exclusive material. Climaxing with select cuts from Save The Robot, Sydney Blu & Damaged Goods, Nathan’s Ibizan tribute opts for fluid maneuvers over mindless chart favorites to seal a seamless journey into the unlimited dimensions of his craft.

Whilst the keyboard warriors of this world continue to set the world to rights over the genre’s coinage, Nathan and this like-minded imprint lead with affirmative aural action over the mindless industry rambling to assert that for all the muddied waters surrounding the genre, Funk Farm looks like the force ready to reclaim the spirit of progressive house indefinitely.

Purchase: Beatport

 

Tags: Dirty Harris, Funk Farm, funkagenda, Nathan C, Paul Thomas, Threesixty, Weekend Heroes

Categories: Music