Music & microbreweries await us this Friday & Saturday as Fusik jams out at a couple of our favorite spots for music and brew! Friday night Brotherly Love Productions brings us to  The Funky Buddha to warm the stage up for electro-jam heavyweights,  Dopapod,  who are in the midst of their Fall tour. It is sure to be an epic musical experience, with the added bonus of enjoying a unique menu of micro batch beers brewed on site at the Funky Buddha! Try the Red Dawn Red Ale or Hop Gun IPA!

Dopapod performing “Bubble Brain” in 2011

The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery
2621 N Federal Hwy
Boca Raton, FL 33431
$8 adv/$10 dos | 9pm | 18+

Directions

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After what’s sure to be a killer show at Funky Buddha, we’re heading across the state to Dunedin Brewery;  a charming and intimate family owned, fully functional brewery and restaurant that has become known for having  spectacular original live music along with amazing beer and food!  Dunedin was a phenomenal experience for us during our initial show a few months back, and personally,  I can’t wait to enjoy their one-of-a-kind Bière de Café or Apricot-peach ales! Fusik plays all night starting at 9pm! See you there!

-Sanchez

Dunedin Brewery

937 Douglas Avenue
Dunedin, FL 34698
9PM | All ages

Directions

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Today we want to share with you some drummers that inspire us.  The drummer is the backbone of a band. Some even say a band is only as good as its drummer, so having someone rocking the beat right is really important.  These drummers are on the top of our list!  They played on some of the best, funkiest and coolest music ever recorded.  These guys definitely know how to hold it down!

Bernard “Pretty” Purdie

Bernard “Pretty” Purdie is one of Fusik’s favorites!  One of the world’s most recorded drummers,  the bulk of his  work was recorded throughout the late 60s and 70s. The demand for his drumming is due largely in part to his impeccable timing and incredible groove that he calls the, “Purdie Shuffle”. He has recorded on some of the greatest funk and soul albums in history including James Brown’s, “Cold Sweat”(1967), “Say it Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud!”(1969) and “Get on the Good Foot”(1972). He also worked as Aretha Franklin’s musical director from 1970-75 and laid down the beat for the classic, “Rock Steady” from Franklin’s album,  “Young, Gifted and Black”(1972). Other notable associated acts include Steely Dan, King Curtis, The Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, Joe Cocker,  Herbie Mann and Dizzy Gillespie to name a few.

Listen “The Purdie Shuffle”

Clyde Stubblefield

Clyde Stubblefield played the groove for , “Funky Drummer” which is considered to be the worlds most sampled record.  Public Enemy’s, “Fight the Power”” and Sublime’s version of, “Scarlet Begonias” are some popular examples. The “Funky Drummer” groove is undeniably funky and will make you move no matter who you are!

Stubblefield drummed for James Brown in the 60s and 70s. He played on funk standards, “Cold Sweat”, “Mother Popcorn” , “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”, “I Got the Feeling” and the album, “Sex Machine”.

Listen “Funky Drummer Mix”

Al Jackson Jr.

Al Jackson Jr. was the co-founder and drummer for Booker T. & the MG’s and a session player for Stax Records. He recorded in countless Stax sessions for incredible artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd and Wilson Picket.  He also did some work with the great Al Green, laying down the super soulful beat for “Let’s Stay Together” and one of the best slickest intros of all time on the track, “I’m Glad You’re Mine”.  Al Jackson Jr.’s life was cut short by a robber in 1975. He was only 39 but he managed to record a lifetimes worth of music.  He was a true talent and gave us all a ton of grooves to move too!

Watch “Melting Pot”

The three gentlemen listed above were not only the backbone of their bands,  but of Funk and Soul music all together.  Their grooves have and will continue to influence and inspire musicians, music lovers and dancers worldwide.

-Fusik

Fusik is proud to be back at Catalyst WPB for the 3rd installment of Preserving The Scene! We are very grateful and appreciative of all the support we have gotten from both Catalyst Miami and Catalyst West Palm Beach. Preserving The Scene is an event catered to Florida’s Bboy community bringing good music, cyphers, and raw battles for all to enjoy! There will also be a work show by Miami Legend, Bboy Lego!

Fusik will be rocking a live set showcasing some of our newest unrecorded tracks and mixing in some of our classic material. We will also be providing LIVE MUSIC for the Battles as we have done in other events such as Freestyle Session , Hip Hop Connection(Italy), Hip Obsession (France) and many more.

If you are in town don’t miss out, come get down and cypher with us!!

Felix
FUSIK*Unique Styles Crew

Event info

Friday, September 21st, 2012

3 vs 3 Bboy battles for $300 + Trophies

Judges:
- Lego [Flipside Kingz]
- Fantum [Raw Miami/Universal Alchemy]
- Dwelz [Floor Lords/Flava Squad]

BBOY WORKSHOP BY LEGO from FLIPSIDE KINGZ
$20 [Includes admission to jam]
7:30pm – 9:00pm

$5 General Attendance
Doors open at 8PM
Battles start at 09:30pm

Catalyst West Palm Beach
5217 S Military Trail
Lake Worth, Florida 33463

MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

This week, we dedicate our FUSIK blog to you vinyl heads out there…..you analog babies that go crate digging hours and hours in dusty warehouses and the tiny record shops that have the right mix.  Albums have become the new “old school” hip thing for a couple years now, and everyone in this band loves it! Albums are packages of art that are meant to grab you and explain, without words, what music and concept lies within…..before music videos….before MP3 downloads and annoying blogs…?   Without further adieu, here’s some of our favorite album covers of all time.

 1. Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd  (1973)

This image, an actual picture of a prism taken by album artist Storm Thorgerson, has become embedded in music culture on all parts of the globe.  Simple, dark, inspiring….it is an instant eye grabber for its natural beauty (who doesn’t like some color in their life??) and an instant brain tease as to what music was within the album…and WHAT an album it is! As mysterious and colorful as this very prism….see you on the dark side, my friends.  :)         

Listen  “Time”

- Antonio

2. Malo,  Evolution (1973)

Every time I pull this LP from the shelf I spend some time looking at this cover art.  The indigenous people of Mexico, the volcano spiting the color in the sky and so much more.   That’s not even the half of it,  the art continues on the back cover creating a Gatefold of pure art.

-Felix

3. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis (1970)

I like this cover a lot because of its afrocentric black power message. There are a bunch of great colors and psychedelic aspects that appeal to me as well. The cover tells its own story. The music is phenomenal too!

-Quinto

4. Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin (1970)

One of my favorite Zeppelin albums!  Zeppelin III’s eclectic cover was innovative in that it could be altered by spinning the “volvelles” behind the cover. A “volvelles” is a card disc with different pictures on it.  The cover has holes in it and when you spin the disc, the cover changes.  Much like it’s cover, the music on this album represents a transitional period in Led Zeppelin’s music. All and all…it’s an amazing record!

Listen “Immigrant Song”

-Chip

5. Axis: Bold as Love, The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

This memorable album cover is based on a famous Hindu painting, Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam. You can see Jimi and the rest of the Experience super imposed in the middle of this super colorful record. Very cool!

Listen “Bold as Love”

-Mack

Well, those are some of our favorite album covers. Leave a comment below and tell us some of your favorites!

Saturday September 15th 2012
Guanabanas is a tropical paradise / restaurant and bar in Jupiter, FL. Come enjoy a night of great music, food and drinks in this beautiful outdoor setting!

8:00pm
All Ages
No Cover

Fusik ALWAYS has a great time on the Guanabanas stage!

Guanabanas
960 N Hwy A1a,
Jupiter, FL 33477
(561) 747-8878

Directions

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Today we celebrate the birthdays of soul legend Otis Redding and Fusik’s keyboardist, Chip Gardner. Chip’s favorite Redding track is “Security” from the album, “Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding”

“I like the upbeat tempo and powerful horns on the track. I’m generally into his down tempo stuff like “I’ve been loving you too Long”, Chip says.

Born September 9 1941. Otis Redding is known mainly for his worldwide hit, “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay”, but his music catalog goes way deeper. He is considered to be a pivotal part of soul music, R&B and helped to create the “Stax sound”
He was an American soul icon who created a timeless body of work in only 5 years, inspiring generations of musicians and singers to this very day.

-Felix

What’s up Fusik fans! Today I’d like to share my love and life long quest for great guitar tone. Those warm, vintage, snappy guitar lines renowned in such tracks like “Sex Machine” and “Give it up, Turn it Loose” by James Brown and the JB’s…or how about the fuzzy, swirly sweetness of Issac Hayes on the classic track “Hung Up On My Baby”…or the Isley Brothers masterpiece “Who’s That Lady?”…UGH! The list goes on and on!! Each of those wonderful recorded tones, from clean to distorted, have left an imprint of color, if you will, in every Fusik members’ palette. (ask Chip about some classic organ/synth tones…he knows some GEMS!).  Chasing or emulating those tones whenever we cover ANY artists’ song is the best way to give homage to the artist, and to truly FEEL how it’s supposed to fit. The most rewarding part is using these tones in our own songs, adding that touch of familiarity and funk that we all love!

So in my playing career, like every guitarist, I’ve gone through my share of trial and error…good amps and crappy amps…playing too noisy…playing too soft (more of the former lol )… I’m happy to say, I’ve learned what the basics are for having simple, effective and versatile funk guitar performing tones:

1) Nice CLEAN amp : Funk guitar is primarily a rhythm style, meaning you are riding with the percussion and bass..lots of sound when you’re all together, so to stay heard, CLEAN guitar (remember James Brown!) strokes will get the funk engine rolling smooth….

2) “Bom Chicka Wah Wah”…enter the WAH WAH pedal. The most effective tool for guitarists IMHO..the wah pedal simply moves the sound envelope from bassy, woofy tones to sharp, trebly tones within the sweep of your foot..Curtis Mayfield was a MASTER of sounding oh-so-sweet with the wah, as well as practically ever guitarist from the early-mid Seventies…Wah is the retro cool sound that NEVER fails to get bootys movin.

3) One…I’ll say it again…O-N-E good fuzz/distortion pedal:  Now this sounds strange coming from me if you’ve ever seen my pedal board antics live (and if you haven’t, then shame on YOU!) but in all honesty, I use one distortion pedal (a BOSS Blues Driver, and still recommend it regardless of your playing level) and a Jimi Hendrix Wah pedal for about 6 years with out fail! I mention Hendrix, because he is one dude that left an EVERLASTING imprint on guitar using a Fuzz Face Pedal and Wah on all his work, and if you need a testament of his funkiness, I suggest the “Band of Gypsies” era of his work “Changes” …Jimi, along with countless other guitarists, showed distortion can be a beautiful thing in contrast to clean rhythm guitar….and every guitarist needs to SOLO right?!?!

My pedal board circa 2010. Notice the “Boss Blues Driver” on the left and the Wah pedal on the right!

Well gang, hope you enjoyed my insight into the fun world of guitar tone. I’d love to hear your comments and experiences too! I’ll be sure to post some sound clips and more pictures of my guitar setup in the near future….Bless!!!

-Sanchito

What’s up Fusik fans! Last week we had a great performance at the always classy Loews in South Beach. Every Thursday the hotel hosts “Live From Loews” presented by our friends at “The Stage” in Miami. This event showcases some of south Florida’s finest live acts! Since opening in 2011, “The Stage” has done an amazing job supporting and promoting great live music at various venues throughout south Florida.

Get connected with The Stage
The Stage