Funkoars

Funkoars
Origin	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Obese Records Peepshow Entertainment Golden Era Records
Website	http://www.funkoars.com
Members	Daniel Rankine (aka Trials) Adam Baker (aka Sesta) Matt Honson (aka Hons)
Past members	Daniel Yates (aka Reflux)

The Funkoars are an Australian hip hop act from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.^[1] The group is part of the Certified Wise crew of hip hop artists from South Australia (including the Hilltop Hoods, Pegz and Vents), who also collaborated on various recordings.^[2] Funkoars are signed to the Golden Era Records label.

Biography

Formation

Consisting of MC and producer Daniel Rankine (aka Mr Trials or simply Trials), MCs Adam Baker (aka Uncle Sesta or simply Sesta) and Matthew Honson (aka Sketchy Hons or simply Hons), and DJ Daniel Yates (aka Reflux), Funkoars was established in Adelaide around the year 1999.^[1] According to Trials, a "Funkoar is the dreg of society. It is the funnel in which all morals and conscious are drained into the river Styx."^[3]

In March 2014, Sesta explained that at the time of the band's formation, notions of fame or success were not a significant factor in the creative process, and he thinks "that’s what gave the local scene such a strong foundation. There was no promised light at the end of the tunnel that your average band would dare to dream of." Sesta further explained that artists at the time were driven by a love of hip hop culture, unconcerned by market trends, and they "enjoyed the process of making the songs" most of all. In addition to Gravediggaz and Akinyele, Sesta also identified Centrelink as an early influence of the band, as bandmate "Hons would come to my house on check day [welfare payment day] and we’d finish a case of imported (from Melbourne) beer and a hot chicken. We passed it back and forth on a body board in a small wading pool we got from Cheap As Chips. Came up with a lot of ideas there, sort of."^[4]

Music

Funkoars' debut album, Who's Your Step Daddy, was released by Peepshow Entertainment in 2003. The band then released its second album, The Greatest Hits, in 2006 on Obese Records, an Australian hip hop label. The production on the second album is mostly credited to Sesta and Trials, both of whom have also produced for the Hilltop Hoods. The Greatest Hits featured guest appearances, such as the Hilltop Hoods ("What I Want"), Vents ("The Symphony") and Pegz ("Meet The Family").^[5]

In 2008, Funkoars left Obese Records and returned to the Peepshow label for the release of the group's third album, The Hangover, on 29 November 2008. The first single from the third album, "Black Sally", features samples from single, of the same name, by Human Instinct, a psych-rock band from New Zealand—Human Instinct's vocalist/drummer, Maurice Greer, appeared in the music video for the single.^[6][7]

As of February 2013, the group is signed to Golden Era Records, a record label founded by the Hilltop Hoods.^[1] The group was first signed to the label in November 2009—as part of the deal, the Funkoars re-released its album, The Hangover, as The Hangover: Premium Edition.^[8]

"Larry Emdur" was a single released in early 2013, included on the 2013 Golden Era mixtape,^[9] and was a parody of the Australian television personality Larry Emdur, using a sample from the Larry David cable television program, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). The music video for the single featured clips of Emdur from TV shows including The Price is Right.^[10] Emdur posted the following update on his Twitter profile: "hey @funkoars, by your "Larry musical piss-take" and he's done his own tribute .. Wanna hear it????"^[11]—the tribute was published on the ItsTheWrongChannel YouTube channel and is entitled "The Price Is Wrong B****".^[12] Emdur then appeared on an Australian radio station, Nova 969, with his son Jye, to discuss the single.^[13]

On 9 June 2013, the band announced that DJ Reflux was leaving the group to move onto other projects.^[14][15] Golden Era Records producer and DJ Adfu has performed with the Funkoars emcees in subsequent live shows.^[16]

The Funkoars released the Dawn of the Head EP in February 2014 to build momentum for the release of their fifth studio album, In Case of Emergency. In an interview in March 2014, emcee Sesta described the effect that the changes within the band and its environment have had on the recording of the EP:

From a production point of view, we used less samples and focused more on playing instruments ourselves, while still processing anything we played like we would if we had sampled a record, so we didn’t sacrifice the sound that we have. It led to a much more enjoyable and dynamic chemistry in the studio.^[4]

Sesta compared the EP to the forthcoming album by referring to the former as "six heavy, sweat-dripping pockets of nervous energy, tightly duct-taped together, and pressed really hard onto wax", while the forthcoming album "is like an aggressive foot rub from your neighbour, you’re kinda familiar with how it’s going to go down, but the closeness of it makes everyone a bit uncomfortable."^[4] However, Sesta did not confirm a release date for the album, stating:

Things have never felt better in the Oars camp, not just at home in the studio, but the last few tours we have done it has been really cool getting to meet all the people who come to our shows, both veteran fans and a stack of people who only know us from our last album. There always seems to be a real positive vibe at our shows, which has got us super keen to finish more music and just get back out there touring.^[4]

Sesta did assert that listeners who enjoyed the EP will appreciate the album.^[4]

Touring

Funkoars have performed throughout Australia, supporting or playing alongside acts such as the Hilltop Hoods, Milkbar Stars, Koolism, Def Wish Cast, Cross Bred Mongrels,^[17] Gangstarr,^[18] Apathy & Celph Titled,^[19] and Public Enemy.^[20]

Following the release of The Greatest Hits, Funkoars embarked on a national tour, between July 2006 and August 2006, supported by Awbs & Maundz and Cross Bred Mongrels.^[21] In 2007, Funkoars performed at the Adelaide Big Day Out, as well as the 2009 Big Day Out in Sydney, Australia.^[22]

To commence 2014, the band completed an east coast Australian tour over January and February to promote the Dawn of the Head EP. Supported by Australian duo Mr Hill & Rahjconkas, the three emcees received live DJ support from Adfu and the Adelaide launch show ended in a 20-emcee performance.^[4][16] The Funkoars were also announced as part of the Big Pineapple Music Festival in December 2013 that will occur in May 2014 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.^[23] In regard to touring in 2014, Sesta explained: "We (kinda) drink a lot less on the road these days, which means people don’t avoid us nearly as much, so yes, anything’s possible. What we can guarantee is you’ll see four humans go from ice cube casual to monster mash in 30 seconds or less for the duration of our set, fun for the whole family."^[4]

Side projects

In June 2005, Mr Trials released a solo EP, entitled For the Ladies, which received distribution through Obese Records. Trials has also undertaken production for other Australian hip hop recordings, such as Vents' Hard to Kill,^[24] a remix of the Hilltop Hoods single, "Clown Prince",^[25] and Drapht's albums, Brothers Grimm^[26] and Life of Riley. In relation to Life of Riley, reviewer, Shane Scott, proclaimed, "If you don't recognise Trials as one of Australia's finest producers by now you are a sleeping motherfucker, but in the end it's you who loses."^[27]

Discography

Albums

• Who's Your Step Daddy - Peepshow (2003)
• The Greatest Hits - Obese (2006)
• The Hangover - Peepshow (2008) AUS #57
• The Quickening - Golden Era Records (2011) AUS #11
• Dawn of the Head (DOTH) (EP) - Golden Era Records (2014) AUS #18
• In Case of Emergency - Golden Era Records (TBA)

12"s

• The Greatest Hit (2006, Obese)
• Mr Trials - For the Ladies EP (2005)

Singles

• Black Sally - Peepshow (2010) AUS #56
• Where I Am - Golden Era (2011)
• It’s All Good (Is Very Good) EP (2011)

DVDs

• The Greatest Hits Live - Obese (2007)

Compilation appearances

• Culture of Kings Volume 2
• Funkoars - Centerlink Kings
• Hons - "Avoid Hangovers, Stay Drunk" (vinyl only bonus track)
• Triple J Hip Hop Compilation - "And Now for Something Completely Different" (2006)
• Golden Era Mixtape 2011 (2011)
• Golden Era Mixtape 2012 (2012)
• Golden Era Mixtape 2013 (2013)
• OFFICIAL Australian Hip Hop Volume. 1

Guest verses

• FG - "Funkero" (2001)
• Mark 1 - "Maze of Words" (2004)
• Hilltop Hoods - "The Certificate" (2003)
• Train of Thought - "Swinging from the South" (2004)
• After Hours - "Uglier Party" (2005)
• Hilltop Hoods - "The Blue Blooded" (2006)
• Hospice - "Stitch Ya Lips" (2006)
• Hospice - "The Caution" (2006)
• Pegz - "Block to Block" (2007)
• Last Credit - "All The Way Home" (Trials) (2007)
• Vents - "Fuck Em Up" (Sesta) (2007)
• Vents - "Full Metal" (Trials) (2007)
• Terra Firma - "Wiseguys" (2008)
• Drapht - "Rest in Peace" (Trials) (2008)
• DJ Bonez - "Certified"
• Crossbred Mongrels - "How We Roll" (Hons) (2009)
• Hilltop Hoods - "The Light You Burned" (Trials) (2009)
• Hilltop Hoods - "Rent Week" (2009)
• Levelheaded - "Don't Try To Push Me" (Trials) (2009)
• Crate Creeps - "Time Trials" (Trials) (2010)
• Briggs - "So Dangerous" (Trials) (2010)
• Koolism - "Can't Stand It" (Trials remix) (2010)
• Drapht - "The Paul the Dan" (Trials) (2011)
• Drapht - "Take the Party With Us" (2011)
• Vents - "Where's God Now" (Sesta) (2011)

Production credits (Trials)

• Infallible - "A Burning Ambition" (2003)
• Infallible - "Situation Critical" (2003)
• Hilltop Hoods - "Clown Prince" remix (2006)
• Hilltop Hoods - "Circuit Breaker" (2006)
• Cross Bred Mongrels - Restore Your Faith (2006)^[28]
• Hilltop Hoods - "Audience With The Devil" (2006)
• Last Credit - "Breakfast Of Champs" (2006)
• Reason - "Life's a Lesson" (2006)^[29]
• Vents - Hard to Kill (2007)^[30]
• Boltz - The Wishlist (2007)
• Drapht - Brothers Grimm (2008)^[31]
• Briggs - The Blacklist (2010)^[32]
• Drapht - Life of Riley (2011)^[33]
• Mase N Mattic - Sound The Horns (2011)
• Vents - Marked For Death (2011)
• K21 - Single Minded Civilian (2012)^[34]
• Purpose - Where It Starts (2013)^[35]

References

External links

• Official website
• Funkoars on Myspace