Thank nufunk it's Friday: Sssssssmokin' with Stickybuds (fresh, free mix inside!)

Country Cockney returns with his latest delivery of news and views from the fast-growing mid-tempo funky breaks scene

Canada is a country famed for mooses, mounties and scary looking ice hockey players. Oh yeah, and that little water feature in Niagara. Well forget about all that because now it's more commonly known as one of THE places in the world to enjoy nufunk, thanks to the annual Shambala Festivals and the huge pool of talented DJs and producers emerging from there. One such artist is young Tyler Martens, aka Stickybuds. This is a guy that I had seen pop up on the Nuskoolbreaks forum a few years ago and always felt he had pretty good taste in music but never quite knew just how switched on and talented he really was. My bad. It's oozing out of every pore. He's got a ridiculously good ear for music and knows how to mix and blend better than so many DJs out there on the circuit, and mark my words when I tell you here and now that he is gonna blow any time soon. And no, not like that you filthy buggers. There are other ways to make it to the top y'know. Tut.

I caught up with the sticky one and asked him a few questions in order to learn a bit more about him, his releases on two of the best nufunk labels, his globetrotting DJ sets, and how he invented his own genre...

Where did the name Stickybuds come from?

Haha I still don't know how to answer this properly. I came up with it just after "high" school. My friends and I liked to enjoy BC's finest greens, so the name just stuck in my brain one time. I thought it represented myself well and the part of the world that I come from. The PG answer is that it's all about being close. "sticky" with your friends or "buds" ...

Tell us about the path that led you to smashing up the nufunk scene. What brought you here?

Well I've been DJing for close to six years now, and been producing solidly for about three. Back in the day I used to play mostly nu skool breaks and drum n' bass, but even within those genres I always tended to lean towards the funkier side of things. I guess it was Fort Knox 5 who first got me into the slower funky breaks, then A Skillz and Featurecast. The 100 - 110 BPM "banger" genre has been really exciting to me the last few years, so I've tended to lean towards that tempo region when writing tunes. Actually the whole reason I started writing tracks in that area was when I got to open for A Skillz in my hometown a few years ago. I wrote two tracks that were inspired by the tunes he was making (like his Strawberry Fields remix) and gave them to him - he ended up playing one of them (Bass Now Whatca Gon Do') in his set at Breakspoll the next year. It was massively inspiring and just pushed me to write more songs like that. I'm still learning and working on making quality jams, but I'm happy with how things have been progressing. Being a part of Goodgroove Records has been a huge push in connecting me with all sorts of wicked producers and like-minded funk hooligans.

What have been the highlights so far?

Hmm I'm lucky I guess but I have a few ...

Playing at Shambhala (Fractal Forest Represent!) the last five years in a row, most of which with my bro jpod. Going on tour in Brazil last year and playing 11 shows in three weeks. Big shouts to Funk The System and Bart Breaks. Having three vinyl releases out now, two with Goodgroove and one with Baffin Island Beat Brigade, all of them hitting the top of Juno's breaks charts, which is pretty sweet. Getting to travel all over the world doing what I really love, making some awesome friends along the way, I couldn't ask for more.

Who inspires you to do what you do?

That's a hard question and I would have to list like 200 names so I'll just say... Making people dance, spreading good vibes and giving people big smiles when they hear a rad tune is what inspires me. I have gotten a ton of joy out of my life through music, and that's what I want to give back.

What the hell is Whalestep?!

Whalestep is a genre I made up to make fun of dubstep a few years ago. It all spawned from this awesome T-shirt I bought off the internet that said "dubstep sounds like whale noises". I used to wear it to the dubstep shows that were gaining popularity out here, no thanks to my friend Excision. I was playing a show at one of his nights so I decided to turn the shirt into a song just to take the piss a bit. It turned out pretty funny, the whole thing was just a big joke, but people seemed to like the tune and idea behind it. It's funny if you go onto YouTube these days and check out all the videos people have posted for it, and all the arguments about what it is, hahaha. You can download the session recording for it on my Soundcloud page.

Why do you think the funk is so prominent in Canada? Or is it just a small, tight-knit scene?

It's not gigantic yet, but it is definitely growing. There are a lot of like minded people out here who are stoked to push the funky sounds and a great scene. Earlier in the year we had the first Regrooved Canada party in Vancouver and it went off super hard, people are ready for it. I think funk just has that natural ability to connect people together and have fun.

What's your best groupie story?

She will probably read this, so I plead the fifth ...

What's in store for Stickybuds?

Well I am heading to Europe to play a few shows in July, I have a couple dates left open on the tour. Also probably heading back to Brazil at the end of the year, and I'm hoping to make it out to Australia and New Zealand at some point as well. Plus another round of Shambhala in August where I get to open up for A Skillz on Saturday night, (boo yah!)

I have an upcoming remix for Fort Knox 5 that should be released soon. Kingston Funk will be released on Big M in a month, and my remix of the Rootsellers will be out on Pop N' Lock real quick. In the future I'll be doing some collabs with Basement Freaks, Skanky Panky records, Slynk and Kool Hertz. Not quite entirely sure what is on the agenda, but I will be working hard at progressing things more for sure.

And lastly, when are you gonna get me booked for Shambala? ;o)

Haha good luck bro, you better talk to Chewbacca.

To coincide with this feature and interview, Stickybud's also just finished a whopping 65 track mix, which I was lucky enough to get whilst it was still steaming hot. This is literally a couple of hours old and is one of the best I've heard this year for sure. Raw fusion with a multitude of styles, genres, acapellas, quick mixes and mad skillz. The tracklisting will give you some sort of idea of just how good this is but even that doesn't do it any sort of justice. This has to be heard to be believed. Truly inspirational. In his own words "this mix that you're featuring is the first really big mix that I've done in a while. It's a wide variety of music all mashed up together using acapellas and other neat tricks. I'm a big fan of multi-genre sets so this mix will give you a good idea of how I get down. I put a lot of work into my mixes and sets by figuring out harmonic combinations / transitions, making new edits, changing arrangements and coming out with something pretty different. Hope you guys enjoy!"

Get on this badboy right now and apologise in advance to the rest of your mix collection because they're not gonna get a look in for a good while. Check it...

Stickybuds - The Wookie Shuffle

01} Intro – Ft. Chewbacca, Dumbledore The Wizard and Senor Elgado
02} Basement Freaks – Here Comes Our Dilla
03} Lack Of Afro – International (Acapella)
04} Eagles – Life in the Fast Lane (Acapella)
05} Mashed Up Funk – Change my Bucket (Sticky Edit)
06} Outkast – Skew It On The Bar-B (Acapella)
07} DJ Wood – Turn Me On (Sticky Edit)
08} KMC – Am Not Drunk (Acapella)
09} Stickybuds – Kingston Funk
10} Stickybuds – Ass Cramp
11} William Breakspear – Hanky Skanky (Sticky Edit)
12} Jon Ohms – Bitches (Stickypod Edit)
13} Mr. Benn – Police (Acapella)
14} South Rakkas Crew – Mad Again (Acapella)
15} Funkanomics Ft. Badkat – Mission (Acapella)
16} Capleton – A Nuff’ A Dem (Acapella)
17} Parker – Western Soul (Acapella)
18} Nick Thayer Ft. Sporty O’ – Gimme Some More
19} Nick Thayer Ft. Sporty O’ – Gimme Some More (Acapella)
20} Skee-Lo – I Wish (Slynk Remix)
21} Stickybuds – Do What You Want To!
22} Kool Hertz – Cost of Living
23} James Brown – Mind Power (Basement Freaks Regroove)
24} Sista Widey – Prime Time (Kool Hertz Remix)
25} Beatconductor – Can’t Go For That (Sticky Edit)
26} John Legend – Used To Love You (Acapella)
27} Jungle Brothers – Brain (Acapella)
28} The Gaff – Get Up Stand Up (Sticky Edit)
29} Manmade – Party Block Rocker (Da Wiesel Remix / Sticky Edit)
30} Rodney P – Riddim Killa (Acapella)
31} Breakage – Hardcore Music (Skit)
32} Smov – Quality Soul (Sticky Edit)
33} Jurassic 5 – Quality Control (Acapella)
34} Unknown – Crazy Jerk
35} Fab Sampari – Listen Up (Sticky Edit)
36} Aphrodite Feat Deadly Hunta – Ganja Man (Sticky Edit)
37} Wicked Lester – I Go Now
38} Clipse – Last Time (Acapella)
39} Wicked Lester – Come On (Sticky Edit)
40} Alozade – Smoking Trees (Acapella)
41} Bro Safari – Amazon Rock (Sticky Edit)
42} Dj Vadim – Soldier (Glitchapella)
43} Pyramid vs. Specimen A – No Games (Sticky Edit)
44} Killaqueenz – Bitches (Acapella)
45} Stickybuds – Bass Now VIP (Acapella)
46} DJ Kid Stretch – Horny (Sticky Edit)
47} Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer (Acapella)
48} Slynk + Dj P – Lovely One
49} DJ Kid Stretch – Horny (Acapella)
50} Crank Yankers –Ft. Special Ed – Do You Know That Song? (Skit)
51} Mooncat – Love Rockers
52} Fort Knox 5 – Uptown Trix (Shimon Remix) (Acapella)
53} Fort Knox 5 – Uptown Trix (Shimon Remix)
54} Wideboys – Girl Dem Shaker Ft. Jlc (Glitchapella)
55} Mooncat – War In A Babylon
56} Rodney P – Riddim Killa (Acapella)
57} Deekline + Ed Solo – Top Rankin
58} Bob Marley – Is This Love (Glitchapella)
59} Rox – My Baby Left Me (DC Breaks Remix)
60} Greasy South Vs. Les Garc?ons – Tambour Battant
61} Crooklyn Clan – It’s About Ta Get Hot (Acapella)
62} Pretty Lights – Sunday School (Slynk Edit)
63} Illesha – The Grande Slam Dunk (Sticky Edit)
64} Cecile – Changez (Acapella)
65} Outro – Chewbacca

I feel like I should write some more but to be honest I'm just getting over my first listen of this mix and am just a bit astounded so I think i'll leave it here so that you guys can have a go for yourselves.

Before I do go though I just want to remind you that if you're on Facebook then there's a few things you need to check out.

First is the thank nufunk it's Friday group which has links to various pieces of nufunk goodness which doesn't always make it into the blog. It also ensures that you'll be one of the first to know as soon as the blog goes up so you can check it out.

Next up is the launch of Supafunk. TNIF in association with Supatronix are launching a Nufunk night in London, the launch being on the 18th of this month with Featurecast, Mooqee and Pimpsoul headlining. More info can be found here and you can join the Supafunk group by clicking here. There'll also be more info on the blog next Friday.

That's all for this week. Hope you have a good one and once again, thanks for reading.

Gerry.

Tags: countrycockney, featurecast, funk, jazz, mooqee, nufunk, nuskoolbreaks, pimpsoul, reggae, shambala, More…