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Funkagenda is one of those diverse talents whose sound you either love or loathe. What can't be denied however, is that he's an exceptionally talented musician. Born in the West Midlands in to a musically obsessed family, his rise in popularity has been meteoric in recent times - merely six years ago he was playing with Judge Jules at Eden, while recently he's been kept busy producing alongside mega stars such as David Guetta and Will. I. Am on the Black Eyed Peas multi platinum album 'The E.N.D'.

Strangely though, his move towards the more commercial end of dance music has done little to alienate his own fans, and he's one of few Djs who manage to keep their credibility intact in both underground and commercial camps.

The 2010 season has been a predictably busy one, as he's already played at a host of UK and foreign festivals, as well as practically single handedly reinvigorating Space's Sunday evening terrace vibe. With this much talked about We Love residency earning him plaudits aplenty, I  Voice felt it a good time to meet up with Adam Walder as he sets the record straight about his views on credibility, that Laurent Garnier remix and his relationship with the aforementioned Guetta...

How did you first become interested in electronic music?
I've essentially been a musician since I was nine or ten years old. My granddad is a keyboard player and my dad's a guitarist, so I was always surrounded by music. My earliest memories are actually of listening to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and John Martin. My granddad had a collection of synths for when he played in a band - he used them as replacement instruments. He couldn't carry around a piano or an organ around! I remember hearing drum n' bass and acid house and thinking that they'd used a synth in a manner I'd never imagined before. That's when music really captivated me at first. Tracks like 'Voodoo Ray' by a Guy called Gerald for example....I remember thinking what the fuck is that!?

You contributed to the Black Eyed Peas last album. Do you worry such moves could ruin your credibility or was it an opportunity you couldn't pass on career wise?
Credibility? What credibility!? Credibility is such a fuckin' subjective thing isn't it? There are people who are in to Cheryl Cole and Black Eyes Peas who think that the music i play on Space terrace is underground, yet there are people who go to DC10 and Cocoon who think it's commercial. I don't produce music to be commercial, I make it because I love it. I mean, if you look at the Black Eyed Peas latest album, it was pretty cutting edge compared to other pop music, so I guess credibility depends on how you look at it. Credibility is such a fuckin' subjective thing isn't it? There are people who are in to Cheryl Cole & Black Eyes Peas who think that the music i play on space terrace is underground, yet there are people who go to DC10 & Cocoon who think it's commercial...
  

For me personally, it was an amazing experience and one I'd do again in a heartbeat. The fact that it got nominated for a grammy too and the particular track was so well received is a source of great pride for me. I also contributed to Examples album, I guess contributing like that is just part and parcel of what I do.

So style wise, is Funkagenda more Calvin Harris or Richie Hawtin?
I'd say I'm in between to be honest! I don't limit myself to anything. That's why I switched to digital, not to cause hassle with Traktor, but because I could remix everything on the fly and all the other benefits that come with such a set up. I mean if you listen to the stuff I have on rotation on my iPod it's usually completely different to what I play out, although the music I play on Space's sunset terrace is a good indication of my diversity.

Why do you think so many dance music producers are collaborating with pop musicians right now?
I think the pop industry are headhunting the dance industry. They're looking for producers for the top writers, they're looking to borrow a little bit from the underground.

Like David Guetta?
Well yeah. Mind you, I don't agree on how a lot of people hate on Guetta for his recent move towards the pop side of things. I personally really admire what he's done as he's worked the whole spectrum of pop star, Dj and producer and he's just done it. He's worked his ass off and got results. If every Dj had his drive, the world would be full of a lot better Djs! His success hasn't changed him much - he's still friendly and it hasn't changed him as a guy. He's not doing what he does to more money - he already has loads of it! - he's genuinely doing it because he loves it. You're telling me all those bedroom Djs listening to Sasha and Digweed mixes from years back wouldn't swap their lives for his? I doubt it!

How did the 'Man with the Red Face' remix come about?
Myself and Mark Knight (Toolroom Records boss) WERE working on a couple of things we were going to take over to Miami for the WMC. Back then, we sort of felt that tech house was becoming a little bit generic - you know - big rolling beats, bleepy noises etc., but with no substance. We felt we could do with putting more fun in to it. I was sitting in bed one morning, messing around with the riff and called Mark to ask him if he was interested in doing a remix. He said yes, we got in the studio, did it, and as far as we were concerned, it was just something to play in Miami. Man, everyone was so shocked to hear a sax in a tech house record! We came back home, sent it to Laurent (Garnier), who loved it and told us to release it and indeed played it at the end of his own sets! He was completely cool and he gave us a huge blessing by playing it. The purists gave us a lot of stick because it's a seminal record, but it's a remix we're both very happy with.

Which elements of mixing the track did each of you look after?
I looked after the music side of things such as working on the keyboard, whereas Mark is very much the consummate producer - he looks at the music and perfects the arrangement. We both put a lot of effort in to that mix, as we didn't want to get it wrong. When we work together it's definitely a 50/50 effort.

Was its success a surprise?
Absolutely. I mean we had an inkling it'd do well when Mark played it at the Beatport party in Miami and thought there and then that this could be a big thing. I played it last night (at We Love... Space) but aways have to edit it as the original is 9 and a half minutes long. I still play a very edited version with just the one breakdown though - which is enough!

And how important is Mark Knight to your career?
He's been very important. We've been good friends for a fair while now, working together musically for about 6 years, and we've produced some big records together. He's done a lot in terms of backing me, though I like to think I've done a lot for him, so it's kind of reciprocated. A lot of his solo productions I've done work on as well and we both love doing it for the music. I help him, and he helps me.

Overall, you've remixed a few classics in your time such as 'Body Language' and 'Around the World'. Is commercial success important to you or are they more just produced as re-edits for your own sets?
The 'Body Language' one which was licensed for the official remix package. Most of these things I don't do so they can be released - I did the 'Around the World' remix on a plane! And I definitely didn't make any money out of the record. Actually most of the remixes I do, I don't do to make money......because you don't make money from doing them! A lot of the time I do them so I can incorporate them in to my sets. For example, my remix of Radiohead's 'Street Spirit' seems to be still popular, and guys like Steve Lawler are still finishing their sets with it, and that's something that still makes me think 'WOW!' so I definitely love remixing. 

Have bands like Daft Punk played a prominent role in your career?
'Homework' by Daft Punk and 'Moving in Still Life' by BT are probably the two most important albums I ever bought. I went to my local record store and bought it because I liked the artwork and as I liked dance music, and it was in that particular section, I figured it was worth a chance. I brought it home and listened to it from start to finish. Then I did the same thing again. And again. In fact, I pretty much spent about three months straight listening to that album! The way they sampled, the filters they used, the bizarre effects etc. - it was just so different to what I'd heard before and thus massively inspiring. The same goes for BT - he's an incredible architect with sound. The way he used those old version of Protools and Logic was amazing.

You've won awards such as 'Best Ibizan Newcomer 2008' and 'Best Breakthrough Dj 2009' by Djmag. How did winning them feel?
I think any time you get recognized for what you do is great. It's ironic I won a newcomer award as I'd been Dj'ing and producing for a while at that stage - I mean Axwell won it the year before! At the same time, it's nice to be appreciated. I don't think I'm the best or worst of anything, it's just nice to be recognized.

Can you tell us a bit about your new label, 'Funk Farm'?
I actually came up the with the idea of doing a label about 5 years ago, but it wasn't the right time then, as I didn't know what exactly I was going to put out. I had the logo designed years ago and my manager liked it. Now that I've a fair idea what the labels mission statement is, I thought it was the right time to start this project. I receive a lot of music that I love and play out, yet for some reason the producers behind the tracks aren't getting the kudos they deserve. I've tried to seek out those people to give them a platform with which they can release such music, and I also wanted somewhere to put my own music, which for example, may differ a lot from my usual 'Toolroom' stuff. We've got guys like 360 who's EP is out next, whereas the 3rd release is by Paul Thomas is called 'La Bombo' which I'm going to do do a remix of. I've also a guy called Geordielichious, a Dutch guy, who's produced a two track EP for me. Anil Chawla is another. Actually, there's loads of others - Kim Fai also! It'll be a nice, friendly place to put out music and as you can see, I'm pretty excited about it all!  

You've just released your latest track 'Astana'. How has it been received so far?
Really well actually. For a debut label it's always difficult to release your first track and with my particular label, there's no kudos attached to releasing on it, apart from me lending my name to it. The track has gone to top 5 in the techno chart on Beatport though so I can't complain. I've received a lot of positive feedback on Twitter and Facebook, which makes things all worth while.

How did you first become involved with the guys at Space?I wanted to bring the old terrace back and the clubbers seem to be enjoying it too, as it's been working really well. I tried to play a hybrid of stuff, and start out with stuff that's quite dreamy before finishing on a high...
Well I played the club for the first time two years ago for Monday Calling which was unbelievable, as I got to play every room. In saying that, Sundays is THE day you want to play Space isn't it? Last year my agent at the time spoke to Mark Broadbent (We Love booking agent) and told him I'd be perfect for the sunset terrace. Mark gave me a chance to do what I did and it was one of the best gigs in my life. The next thing on the table was a residency, which you can imagine my reaction to being offered that was like! July was a difficult month however, as I was never really 100% as during festival time I was constantly traveling, yet the residency is going brilliantly so I couldn't ask for more.

What's your set up like in there?
I run a laptop with Ableton, ABC 40, with mix and vex for each element. I also use two cdjs for triggering effects and acapella's and anything that's extra to my set I do on a Pioneer djm800. I don't want everything to be on the laptop, so I use two channels on the cdj, two channels on the laptop and usually about 6 channels in all.

Did you ever visit the island as a clubber yourself?
Actually no. When I started producing I didn't as they say 'have a pot to piss in'. I had my Atari ST, a very basic sampler and that was about it. I couldn't afford to do anything but stay at home, but I'd listen avidly to all the Radio 1 live sessions when Judge Jules still had his trumpet, at a time when guys like Seb Fontaine and Judge ruled the island. I'd a really shitty mini disc player and I'd record it every week from my soundsystem. It was honestly the closest I thought I'd ever get to come here. The first time I came over was to play at the back room in Judgement Sunday 6 years ago. I guess times have moved pretty fast since then.

You've earned quite the reputation for your early sets on the terrace. Do you play warm up music or would what you play be typical of a Funkagenda set?
No, because it's the last set of the night on the terrace. Back in the day (before the terrace was roofed) you'd have Carl Cox and Sasha banging it out there. When they had to move it indoors due to the regulations, I think a lot of people kept the terrace very funky and chilled out.

I wanted to bring the old terrace back and the clubbers seem to be enjoying it too, as it's been working really well. I tried to play a hybrid of stuff, and start out with stuff that's quite dreamy before finishing on a high - usually this year with The Clash's 'Rock The Casbah'.

Anyone else you'll be checking out when not playing yourself?
Most definitely, I've caught Hot Chip twice already this summer and they were really good. Groove Armada were awesome, and the Swedes night in Pacha is truly great. In actual fact, the atmosphere on the island is great right now I mean I saw crowd surfing last week in Pacha. IN PACHA!!!! That's pretty awesome! This year I'm also going to see Carl Cox and Fatboy Slim at Space and Toolroom are doing a beach party. I'd also like to catch Sander Kleinenberg, who in my opinion is one of the last true Djs as far as I'm concerned, and is a real class act. Last year I checked out Dj Roog at Subliminal in Pacha, who was probably one of the best Dj's I've ever seen.

What do you think makes We Love...such an important party on the island?
Well it's one of the original aspects of the island which still remains. There bookings are so out there. For example, I never knew I'd be in to Hot Chip before I saw them in Space. Now I want to check out Zombie Nation because he was playing at Space. Their willingness to bring over often unheard of but always class acts is legendary. They've an exceptional eye for talent.

What do you attribute your success to?
I honestly have no idea, and it's not something I really think about. I guess I'm a bit of a perfectionist with Dj'ing. I try hard at my productions, yet while I don't always have a lot of faith in what I do, people support me a lot in what I do, which definitely helps. If you think too hard about why you're successful you are wasting time when you could be making music in my opinion. I guess I'm just lucky people who want to come and see me!

What are the best and worst aspects of being a producer/Dj?
The best aspect is knowing that I can wake up and feel inspired and start making drum loops and chopping up samples, which is going to help my career and not get me sacked! The worst aspect is the hectic weekends.

Don't get me wrong, I love traveling, even airports and planes and enjoy being on my own, but sometimes the long traveling weekends kill me. I did a weekend last month where I played three gigs in London, Berlin and Madrid, and spent time driving, on planes and on trains. Then I flew out to Ibiza for We Love on Sunday. At the end of it, you want to just go to bed!

And finally, what happened to your monikers - J.M Project, J. Man and Jamodu? Any plans to resurrect them?
I wasn't expecting a question on them, and to be honest, I don't know! Originally, my intention was to be J man and Funkagenda was simply a name I created for a label I was kind of working with the time. I needed a pseudonym for a commercial track that needed a remix, and the name kind of spiraled in to something. Maybe those names will come back if I decide to change what I'm doing musically. I've produced under a lot of names over the years - I nearly got a record deal producing ambient drum n bass!

Dates   
28 August - SW4 - London, UK
01 September - Club 1234 - Montreal, QC, CANADA
03 September - UCF Arena - Orlando,, FLORIDA
04 September - Wet Republic - Las Vegas, Nevada
05 September - Electric Zoo, Randalls Island - New York, NY
05 September - Gryphon @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood Florida, US
06 September - Playhouse Hollywood - LA, CA
06 September - Wet Republic - Las Vegas, Nevada
09 September - Pacha - Sharm el Sheikh, EG
10 September - Planet Love - Belfast, UK
12 September - WE LOVE @ SPACE - IBIZA, ES
24 September - Ewer Street Warehouse - London, UK
25 September - The Space - Leeds, Yorkshire, UK
26 September - WE LOVE @ SPACE - IBIZA, ES
01 October - The End - Bogota, COLOMBIA
02 October - Valle Pacifico - Cali, COLOMBIA
03 October - Set - Miami, Florida
09 October - Nation - Liverpool,Chester, UK   
28 October - BED - BANGKOK, THAILAND
29 October - WAREHOUSE702 - TOKYO, JAPAN
30 October - Segarra Beach Club - NORTH JAKA, INDONESIA
06 November - Mynt - Belfast, UK
13 November - Discoteque - Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
27 November - Mansion Night Club - Miami Beach, US

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