It’s been almost two weeks since The Funk Hunters released their brand new single “Turn Down The Silence“. It features DiRTY RADiO and has been gaining thousands upon thousands of Spotify streams. We have to admit that we do love the song. So much so, we’re proud to have had the chance to interview Nick Middleton from the duo.
The Funk Hunters consist of Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith. Their recent single is the first song of 2018 to be released from their forthcoming debut album, titled Typecast. Their career to date has allowed them to release official remixes for the likes of Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, Gramatik, and Big Gigantic. They are known for their collaborations with Chali 2na and Delhi 2 Dublin.
We were lucky enough to speak to one-half of The Funk Hunters about their single “Turn Down The Silence“, working with DiRTY RADiO, and their debut album. Check out Nick Middleton’s answers below.
Hi, Nick, how are you today? What have you been up to as of late?
We’re in the middle of the second leg of our Soul City Tour across North America right now, we’ve got 3 weeks left on the East Coast of the US, just in St Louis at the moment enjoying one of our first days off before this week’s shows kick off again tomorrow night!
You have recently dropped the new single “Turn Down The Silence”, can you tell us more about the track?
Part of my goal with producing our first full-length album (Typecast coming out March 23rd on Westwood Recordings) was to step outside our comfort zones, collaborate with new artists, tear down genres, etc. And, I think, this song is a perfect example of this, it’s probably the first pop-leaning song we’ve ever worked on and it’s honestly just been really fun to work on feel-good vibey songs while also still producing more electronic-focused tracks too!
What was it like working with DiRTY RADiO on the song?
DiRTY RADiO are just amazing, I’ve been working with them for a few years now, have done some mixing and mastering work for them and we even took them on tour with us last year as Direct Support for one of our big Canadian tours, so it was only natural to get into the studio together, too. We’ve worked on a few new songs, the first of which that’s been released is “Turn Down The Silence”; what can I say, Shady (their singer) is just incredible – both live and in the studio – and we get along great just really gel when it comes to working on music together. They’re fantastic at writing hooks too, I’m personally a fan of all their music so that always makes collab’ing that much easier.
Describe “Turn Down The Silence” in five words.
Fun, chill, vibey, summertime jam!
It is one of your singles from your debut album “Typecast”, how excited are you to release your first LP?
So excited, it’s been so many years in the works, so kinda feels long overdue. This is actually the third song to be released – the first being ‘Hands Up (feat. Leo Napier)” followed by “Say Something (feat. LIINKS)” – so I think the diversity in these first 3 songs already really shows how multi-dimensional the album is.
Can you reveal any exclusive details about the album to us?
I’m actually not sure if the official release date has been written anywhere yet, so you guys might actually have the lead on that. It drops March 23rd on Westwood Recordings!
What should we expect on the album?
The name “TYPECAST” came around from feeling like we had pigeonholed into a certain genre over the years, so that was really a focus to address when working on this album. We love so many different styles and genres of music and I really wanted that to be showcased on the album. It’s really about breaking down genre stereotypes, exploring new genres, working with new vocalists and musicians, and refusing to be TYPECAST. And I’m really proud of the result, I think the hardest challenge was weaving it all into one cohesive album and somehow I think its worked. There’s music to listen to, music to dance to, and a whole bunch in between. And, we’ve been blessed to collaborate with some incredible artists on the record too!
Which track is your favourite on the album, and why?
Such a tough question. I think sometimes as an artist you can be your own worse critic. There are so many songs that didn’t make the cut on the record and when I wonder why I think it’s about being able to go back and continue listening to them. Is this something I hate a few weeks or a few months later? Is it something I keep picking apart or am I happy with the end result? Anyone who works on a creative endeavour can probably sympathize with the conflict of feeling like you’re never truly ever finished something, so I think trying to finish a whole body of work – like an album – is all about compromise and getting to a point where you can look back on the work and say ‘Ya I am proud of where this ended up and I want it to live on the record.’ I’m really excited about everything that’s made the final cut, there’s so much diversity on the album it’s just so hard to pick one, it all depends what mood you are in I guess, and I think that’s a testament to all the different directions that’s been explored on the record.
Looking back over your career to date, what has been your highlight?
A few come to mind, I think touring and working on a record with Chali 2na for me personally was a big milestone. And, to have a friendship formed there through music with an artist who I’ve looked up since I was a teenager just means a lot. Chali’s an amazing guy, amazing performer, amazing artist, and a great role model for so many of us trying to make it in the music game! Other highlights would definitely be performing every year at Shambhala (our fave festival on the planet), Red Rocks with Griz, and Coachella with the Do Lab!
And, finally, do you have a message for your fans?
Firstly, just, Thank You! I think it’s something we as artists need to be reminded of regularly It’s hard to take a moment to pause and reflect sometimes when everything is moving so fast and you’re constantly on tour or in the studio, but none of it would be possible without our fans. Buying tickets, buying music, sharing music, buying merch – they all literally fuel an artist’s career. It sounds simple but it is that simple. Without our fans, we’d be nowhere, literally. So, for that, I’m forever thankful!
Nick Middleton, you have been a star to interview. We are excited about your debut album “Typecast”, being released, and we really cannot wait to review it, here at CelebMix. We also hope we get the chance to feel the energy that The Funk Hunters deliver during a live DJ set.
“Turn Down The Silence” is available to download and stream right now, with their forthcoming debut album being released on March 23rd; so watch out for that, along with our album review.