The U.S. has seen its share of house producers that go between deep, tech, minimal and micro; but not too many have gone the funky route lately. Aside from Marlon D and some of the Dirtybird crew in San Francisco, funky house has been quiet in the States, while in the UK, genres are popping up faster than newborns in China. Through the massive onslaught of dubstep and its subgenres, house made a comeback in the UK with the aptly titled genre “UK Funky.” With this, pop hits came and went, producers went to and fro, travelling from the genres of eski-beat to house, grime to funky and dubstep to the controversial title of “funkystep.” Overall, it’s been tough to gauge a concrete grasp of what’s artistically and creatively fruitful in the genre of UK Funky. However, certain DJs and producers are giving the genre a backbone along with the pop cheese. Producers like Roska (or Mentor Roska, as he’s affectionally referred to), Cooly G, and Geeneus have all been pivotal in the shake-up of UK Funky, providing intrigue, depth, and necessary weight to a genre dominated by percussion and diva vocals. Former grime producer Leon Smart (formely Scratcha DVA, now DVA) is also part of this group of producers at the forefront of exceptional and taste-bending funky, providing a balance between grime vibe and funky rhythms, while establishing a feel in every track that’s solely his own. The future is already looking bigger and brighter for DVA, as his upcoming 12″ on the prolific Hyperdub label, “Natty/Ganja” is due for release this month. URB was lucky enough to get an exclusive mix from DVA, as well a bit of banter.

URB: You’ve been heralded as a UK funky king by many, which bears wondering… how and why is your upcoming release coming out on Hyperdub, a label known to think outside parameters?
DVA: [laughs] That’s some nice people who said that but it’s definitely not the case. I only know about Funky by hearing production or dubs from producers like Geeneus, Supa D and Fingaprint. They are the real kings and queens. Becoming a single release for Hyperdub is a big deal for me and it all came from Cooly G, actually. I was at her house playing her a couple things and she heard somthing she liked. She was like “Lemme play dis?” I said no cause it wasn’t finished. It was just the beats to a song I was working on. She was like “Gimme dat! I’m playin it! And you should call it “Natty.’” So, she actually named it as well. From that Kode9 heard it and said he wanted to play it. I thought, “Great, because I previously e-mailed this and got air.” So, I went from air to him signing a 12″ to Hyperdub. That’s what one good track can do. I did say to Kode9 I wasn’t sure about this because Hyperdub in the past has been really “out there” and experimental, but then other DJs would say to me after playing “Natty” or “Ganja” in a dance “What the hell is this music?!’” So, then I suppose it does fit with what Hyperdub does. Kode9’s earholes are different but yeah, it just sounds like normal funky to me.

What brought you to making music?
I’ve only ever been interested in two things in my life: football [soccer for us Yanks] and music. Food, smoking and girls eventually cancelled out football, so l was left with just music.

The UK funky explosion has kind of went the way of dubstep and split into a number of subgenres. Do you see yourself in any particular style of funky or is it all the same to you?
There is clearly a division in the sound and club scene already, but I play and like all styles of house and funky. I do prefer to play in clubs where I can get properly experimental and grimey on them. I’ve turned down a few migraine skank bookings before.

Who are your greatest influences?
I always hate this question because I like way too many different sounds, but from back in the day Roni Size as a producer has always been a favorite of mine. These days there’s a a guy called Nicolay who made the Foreign Exchange album, Leave It All Behind. I heard it in my friend’s car going to a gig and he never saw that CD again. [laughs] It has inspired me to make all diffrent kinds of music even though it is mainly a soul album. Infact, it inspired me to make “Natty.”

What were you trying to show with the selection and flow of this mix ?
All the tracks in this mix have been produced by myself or are a co-production or a remix. It’s the first time I’ve put a few of my tunes together in one mix. I’ve done a few online mixes and CDs and I never put enough of my own production in them, so this is a first.

TRACKLIST

Geiom feat. Siobhan Lynch – Halfway (DVA Remix)

DVA – Sunrise DVA – Ganja DVA – Nasty Nasty Nasty (Roska Remix)

DVA – Natty DVA – Natty (Soule Power Dub Mix)

Cooly G – Dis Boy (DVA Hi Emotions Remix)

Speech Debelle – Spinnin’ (DVA Remix)

Cooly G & DVA – Oi’ Dirty

We’re happy to highlight the first solely DVA mix exclusively on URB. For more info on DVA check him out at Myspace.

Original photo by Shaun Bloodworth

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