Tony Ozier Back To The Mitten

The funk is alive. Those that are perceptive will tell you, rightly so, that the funk never left. Since Black music coalesced into deep, scrunchy-face synths and fearless bass lines decades ago, funk as a term became a musical institution and a genre. Since then it has evolved, been appropriated and seen ebbs and flows in popularity. 2013 sees an era where funk is experiencing a renaissance with no middle man. Thanks to folks like Dam-Funk and others (I'm no expert), many artists are focusing on the funk.

The Bay Area's Teeko and B.Bravo experiment in funk through their own lenses and their demonstrations have attracted the good folks at Bastard Jazz Recordings. As a duo, the two young funkateers curated Tempo Dreams Vol. 2, a compilation dedicated to this sound.

One of my favorites in the collection comes from an elder statesmen of electronic funk, Michigan's Tony Ozier. He had a track that enthralled  me in the MySpace days that was a collaboration with fellow Michigander 14KT. His ode to his home sate, "Back To The Mitten," is also his contribution to Teeko's and B.Bravo's compilation. A soundtrack to cruising Belle Isle in a big body old school Caddy, this is sweet as pie. Definitely meant to be played loud, definitely meant to make you feel good.