His fifth studio album is finally here, after almost 10 long years Defunk has released his new full-length LP, “The Voyage”. Consisting of 14 stunning tracks, Defunk makes sure that the wait was worth it with some brilliant anthems that are set to populate playlists. The album sees him collaborate with LIINKS, RUSUR, Lily Fangz, Willdabeast, Taylr Renee, and ero808. This album release acts as the follow-up to the fourth single from the LP, titled “Coming in Hot”
Hailing from Canada, Logan Anderson, better known as Defunk, has carved a distinctive niche for himself in the electronic music realm. His music is a genre-blending revelation, seamlessly weaving elements of funk, hip-hop, electro, and heavy bass into a captivating sonic tapestry. A true pioneer of genre fusion, Defunk’s audacious style has drawn fans from all corners of the musical spectrum into the irresistible realm of bass music. With live performances that border on the magical, Defunk pushes the boundaries of what bass music can achieve, earning accolades from industry giants like Pretty Lights, GRiZ, Gramatik, and LSDream. His musical journey has graced iconic venues such as Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater and major festivals like Electric Forest and Shambhala. Over a decade of international touring has further cemented his status as a genre-blending virtuoso. Merging the retro vibes of jazz, blues, disco, and funk with modern bass music, Defunk’s sound is a mesmerising odyssey that knows no bounds or overused clichés. His most-streamed track on Spotify is his collaboration with The Funk Hunters and Akylla, titled “Warn Ya,” boasting over 3.2 million streams, while his collaboration with The Funk Hunters and Chali 2na titled “Get Involved” and his solo track “Funk It” follow closely behind at 2.3 million streams and 1.4 million streams, respectively. In a world of musical conformity, Defunk stands tall as an innovator and boundary-pusher, consistently redefining the possibilities of bass music with every electrifying performance and track.
Talking about the release of “The Voyage”, Defunk said: “I can finally release my first full-length album in almost 10 years. I’ve never worked so hard on such a large project, with so much of my heart poured into every song. ‘The Voyage’ is a very personal 14-song concept album that tells the story of my evolution, both personal and musically, through the pandemic and into my new role as a parent. The voyage will be released on Westwood Recordings, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.”
Stream “The Voyage” by Defunk on Spotify here:
Flowing listeners through a varied yet exciting journey, Defunk completely delivers with his genre-bending signature EDM-funk tracks. The 14-track collection is a personal body of work for him as he showcases to the world how far he has come as an artist as well as how the pandemic affected him and, on top of that, he also became a father – congrats! The album is introduced to the listener with “The Departure”, kicking the album off with progressive piano melodies and ethereal talking vocals, preparing us for what’s to come. “Blast Off” continues the progressive sonic sound adding in space-like basslines and starry synths while deep-techno beats hit. The drop delves into the tectonic-electro styles that seem to be making their way back into modern EDM. Defunk shows his amazing artistry with both this track and the following one, titled “Whiplash” which features LIINKS. As per usual, LIINKS impresses vocally with gorgeous falsettos, while Defunk produces a vibey undertone bringing a deep-house feel while he implements deep-tectonic energy within the strong after-chorus drop.
Track four is “Falls Apart” featuring RUSUR, allowing Defunk to showcase his amazing versatility in the EDM scene as he spins up a hip-hop-dance number that is truly unforgettable. It’s undeniable how skilled Defunk is as he delivers with deep-house that shapes well around RUSUR’s incredible rapping. The after-drop chorus hits and we’re blown away as he matches the flow and energy RUSUR gives off in the verses and the chorus, really proving that hip-hop and dance can mesh superbly. Switching the energy up, “Coming In Hot” is an upbeat infectious dance track that sees Defunk use an addictive vocal loop which melds into a fast-paced hard-hitting tech-house drop that we can’t help but love. Then an interval follows, titled “Another Planet”, which slows the tempo right down and reshapes the sonic soundscape, preparing us, once again, for what is to follow. It ends on a catchy beat rhythm that he picks up in the next song and fully fleshes it out.
Using that beat segment, Defunk shines on the track “Losing It” which features Lily Fangz and Willdabeast. Expanding on that segment, Defunk shows all he can do with it, reshaping it, widening it and adding fast-paced drums and catchy basslines that wrap around Lily Fangz’s amazing rap vocals. The track sees him delve into hip-hop-dance, and it fully works, bringing strength and unity across genres. Add on the hard-synth drop and the saxophone latin-pop melody that appears towards the end of the track and this track is easily one of the best Defunk has ever dropped, production-wise. “Waves” is next up, featuring Taylr Renee, which takes up a drum-and-bass dance genre in a progressive style, allowing this female vocalist to take the spotlight with heartfelt vocals, then he completely lets loose on the chorus drop that just shows how much control it probably took to keep the opening verse so clean and crisp. Track nine is “Sacrifice” featuring ero808, delving into deep-house that has been rising in the EDM world over the last few years. Defunk creates magic with the gorgeous synths around ero808’s infectious vocals.
“All Your Love” is the next track, keeping with the deep-house style but mixing it around hip-hop-dance to create a dynamic and addictive track that we can’t get enough of. “Coming Back Down” is track 11, an ascending dance track filled with tectonic beats that narrates a roller-coaster-like journey as a strong vocal loop hooks us right in – we’ll be singing “I may not be coming back down” for the rest of the day. Following that is “Stay”, which kickstarts with subtle beats and a gorgeous female vocal. The track progresses, building subtly and slowly, knowing full well that the drop is imminent, the segment of which is fast-paced and energetic – this is what we’ve come to expect from Defunk over the years, this is his signature sound, polished to perfection, only this album has shown his growth and cross-genre skills that many DJs and producers can’t even pull off. Track 13 is “The Return”, taking us back to underground-’00s-inspired tech dance that deserved so much more recognition at the time. Defunk shines, implementing nostalgic energy throughout that has us reliving those years, wishing we were old enough to be on dance floors around the world. The album ends with “Sunrise”, coming full circle and truly making us feel that this has been an awesome journey of a listening experience, or should we say voyage of a listening experience? Fuelled with sparkling beats that shine brighter as the track continues, around deep basslines and future-tech-EDM, showing that Defunk is prepared to break barriers between genres.
Stream “Falls Apart” featuring RUSUR, our favourite track from the album, on Spotify here:
“The Voyage”, by Defunk, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Westwood Recordings. Defunk is set to go out on tour across the US in promotion of this album. The tour, titled “The Voyage Tour”, will see Defunk start at Galaxie in Louisville, KY, on September 8, 2023, and wrap up at Summit Music Hall in Columbus, OH, on November 9, 2023. Tickets are available to buy from his official website, right now.
The Voyage Tour:
- Sep 08 – Galaxie – Louisville, KY
- Sep 09 – Unison Festival – Aztek, MN
- Sep 15 – Tangent Gallery – Detroit, MI
- Sep 16 – The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI
- Sep 23 – The Red Room – Vancouver, BC
- Sep 30 – Pryes Brewing Co. – Minneapolis, MN
- Oct 05 – The Get Down – Portland, OR
- Oct 07 – Waverly Hotel – Cumberland, BC
- Oct 20 – Distrikt – Kelowna, BC
- Oct 21 – Five Mile Hall – Grande Prairie, AB
- Nov 04 – Arkadia Festival – Las Vegas, NV
- Nov 09 – Summit Music Hall – Columbus, OH