With EDM reaching the peak of its popularity over the past few years, something interesting happened- the most buzzed about acts started changing from the iconic DJs behind decks to a slightly more traditional setup, fusing the synths and computer rigs that typified the genre with analog instruments. Beyond making for richer-sounding albums, these new approaches have resulted in far more dynamic and exciting live shows, swapping beat-matching and knob-twisting for a more visible musicianship and even theatricality. This trend has given a well-deserved popular resurgence to the soulful sounds of funk. From the saxey goodness of Big Gigantic and Griz to the perfect tuned cheese of Chromeo (who are finally getting the attention they deserve), groups in the electro-funk sub-genre have been almost inescapable in the blogosphere and drawing massive crowds at venues and festivals worldwide.
One of the most exciting entries in this niche is The Floozies. A brotherly team up, the duo has Matt Hill on guitar and production and Mark Hill on drum duties. From their excellent original tracks, which take traditional funk structure and throw in gloriously hard-edged synth work to their hilariously-picked remixes, which create festival-worthy bangers out of everything from Toto’s “Africa” to infamous viral hit “Lemme Smang It,” Floozies’ material is consistently entertaining and immaculately produced. Their live shows take things one step further, with the brothers displaying an infectious energy while laying down unrelenting rhythm and awesome improvisation over their established tracks. Embarking on the Back On It tour, their biggest headlining stretch to date, the duo seemed poised to pop off in a big way.
AP chatted with Mark in advance of The Floozies’ 9/19 show at The Sinclair:
Allston Pudding: To start off, a few weeks ago you tweeted a picture of Matt in the ER. Is he doing alright?
Mark Hill: It’s fine man, all cleared up. It was basically just a bug bite that got infected and went into his blood stream, so after the antibiotics went through him, he’s all good. We even made it back in time to play Somerset.
AP: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never listened to you?
MH: I’d describe it as funk, nothing more. We’re just using modern tools to make sick funk.
AP: Have you guys always been playing around with the funk genre?
MH: We’ve played a lot of stuff. We always listened to funk growing up, but we were both in rock bands. I was in a punk band for awhile and Matt was in a 311-type rap/rock band for a long time. We haven’t always played just funk, but its definitely always been a part of our lives.
AP: When did you add the electronic edge to your sound?
MH: Four or five years ago. It kind of just happened naturally. Matt was doing guitar stuff, playing in coffee shops, and we talked about adding drums to it. It sounded cool but it just needed more sound to make it like a funk orchestra, so he started using a microphone through a Korg, and we just kept evolving from there and getting new equipment when we could afford it. Then we incorporated the computer to unlock all those new sounds that we got to use.
AP: What’s your process like in the studio? Do plot everything out on guitar and drums before adding samples and synths?
MH: There’s not really any one process. Everything starts when Matt gets an idea. Sometimes it starts with a vocal sample, sometimes it starts with a guitar riff that he’s playing around with, and then we kind of just build from there. I wouldn’t say there’s any one way that it’ll happen. We just run with it whenever we get an idea.
AP: You guys are part of this great movement, along with everyone from Big G to Mount Kimbie, in bringing analog instruments back to live shows. Would you say this is sort of reactionary to press-play DJ sets?
MH: You know, I’ve never really thought about it. We kind of just do what we do. I was a drummer first and Matt was a guitarist first and we just are incorporating modern instrumentation into a genre we liked. Maybe the popularity is a reaction to people that are tired of press-play type DJing, but I think a lot of it is just that people are always going to like fresh music. Bringing instruments back into electronic-type music is getting the best of both worlds.
AP: You guys have had great collaborations with Griz and Dom (from Big Gigantic). Would you say there’s some good camaraderie in the electrofunk sub-genre?
MH: Definitely. They’re just some of the best people I meet on the road. Those guys are all soulful, and that’s not just musically. Most of the time when a person is funky, or good at music, they’re an enjoyable person to be around. Touring with Griz was amazing, though. He’s just one of the nicest people that you’ll ever meet. And Big G has always been really nice to us, even when we were really small on the totem pole. There’s definitely good camaraderie.
AP: What’s going to set the Back On It tour apart from previous shows?
MH: We’ve got a whole bunch of new music and we’re running new lights. We’ve got a whole team of light designers on this one. Also, this is our biggest headlining tour to date so we’re just doing our own thing more this time. We’ve got good openers throughout the whole tour and we’re just pushing to make these shows as awesome as we can, because this is the big one for us.
AP: You played a lot of festivals this year. Did any of them stand out to you guys at a favorite?
MH: They’ve all had different reasons they were my favorite. Electric Forest is just so beautiful and we had just a huge crowd there. The weather was just perfect. And Waka[rusa] is kind of our hometown throwdown because it started in Kansas and we do really well in Arkansas. Hudson was cool too, and we were one of the only bands that got to play Sunday. I went and did a bunch of mudsliding later that day, so I had a good time.
AP:What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen happen at a Floozies show?
MH: Probably this crazy naked girl who got onstage at Wakarusa a couple years back and started knocking my drums over during our set. That was pretty wild and she just wouldn’t listen to reason so someone had to carry her offstage. Pretty crazy, man!
AP: Can we expect any new Floozies material soon?
MH:We haven’t narrowed down an exact release date, but we’re pretty deep into a new album. It’s starting to look like its going to be finished soon, but we just don’t want to rush it. It’s honestly the coolest stuff we’ve ever done; I’m really proud of it. It’s got a little bit more content than a lot of the stuff we’ve put out. It’s always been good, in my opinion, but we’re stretching a little further on this one and I think people are really going to like it.
If you like the sound of The Floozies, you can download entire discography for free. You’re also going to want to catch their show this Friday at the Sinclair.