Canadian classic funk and hip hop inspired electronic music duo, The Funk Hunters, are packing up the sleigh and heading east from their hometown on the west coast for another year of the Funk the Halls Holiday Show.
Based in Vancouver, Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith have spent the last decade making a name for themselves in the electronic music game.
“We got into it about 10 years ago, right at that time electronic music really was starting to break,” said Middleton. “We’ve been riding that wave for the last 10 years.”
Known for their colourful visual and musical collaborations with artists across all genres and working a number of instruments from those genres into their music, The Funk Hunters have stunned international audiences with their unique sound and stage presence.
“I think we’re lucky,” said Middleton. “We’ve been surrounded by an amazing, talented group of musicians.”
Their music has led to numerous high-profile artists features, including Jurassic 5 MC, Chali 2na.
“It’s been a dream come true to work with Chali, and getting to tour the world with him,” said Middleton.
In 2015, The Funk Hunters debuted their Funk the Halls Holiday Show over two nights in front of sold out crowds at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom.
“It was a bit of a wild experiment and it just went so well, and we were like ‘Woah, we should tour this,’” said Middleton.
From there, the tour grew. In 2016, Funk the Halls hit several cities, including Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, with Chali 2na as one of the special guests.
Now in its third year, the tour has expanded across Canada, going as far as Halifax.
“Each year, I think we’ve been building a little more onto it,” said Smith. “We definitely like keeping some secrets up our sleeves.”
When asked what Winnipeg should expect this December, Smith was tight-lipped.
“We’re just in the final stages of announcing our special guest for the night,” he said. “Without giving too much away, I think you can just expect some Christmas funky flair to be in full effect.”
The Funk Hunters offered an early Christmas gift in October with the release of their latest single “Hands Up (Raise Your Fist)” featuring vocalist Leo Napier. The duo will be releasing an anticipated new album, Typecast, in 2018.
“I took a large part of this year to work on a new Funk Hunters album,” said Middleton. “The album has about 10 or so features. It’s pretty diverse with all genres, plus some amazing vocalists and collaborators.”
If you don’t already have tickets, you’ll want to add this show to your Christmas wish list.
The Funk Hunters take the stage at The Park Theatre Dec. 14 for another year of the Funk the Halls Holiday Show.
