WeFunk Gone West!

story by : Tamara Lee                 photos by : Tamara Lee                  previously published : Discorder Magazine

In the back room of Shine, an understated DJ spins for a modest crowd. Despite the sparse dance floor, he pumps out the funkiest/hip hop beats on this side of the Rockies. I mean dropping big tunes with such enormous energy and smooth mixes that you’d think the crowd was 500, easy. And nobody who pops in can resist getting sucked in to this vortex of funk; leaving no rump unshaken or no foot untapped. The word in the room is movement, and everyone within earshot cannot help but partake.

Now, I know what you are thinking…. “Shine has a back room?”

Seriously, though, this master of funky hip hop badness is the amazing DJ Static, whom has recently moved west to Vancouver. The name is iconic and familiar, being a cornerstone of college radio with the hugely popular WeFunk. Similar in format to These Are The Breaks on CiTR, WeFunk specializes in all danceable beats “on the funk side of hip hop”. For over 13 years, DJ Static (handling the hip hop end) and co-host Professor Groove (funk specialist), produced WeFunk for CKUT, McGill University’s radio station in Montreal.

Now again, you may be thinking, “Tabernac! But how would I have heard that Montreal radio show in Vancouver??”

Well, bless that internet! At wefunkradio.com, 400 of 575 episodes cane be streamed. In 1998, cassette tapes were only barely extinct when Groove had foresight to archive the shows and produce an internet stream (a rarity then). Being technologically savvy proved enormously useful in propelling WeFunk to international fame. In 2001, a relatively new ITunes created a house station they called WeFunk Radio.

“We never applied to be carried by them”, Static tells me in a recent interview. “We found out after the fact, which was a big break for us. The next year we started to get emails from far away places like Russia!”

Another secret to WeFunk’s success has been good connections in the music scene. They’ve regularly showcased local talent, like Butta Beats and Smoked Meat, while also inviting on special interest guests. Some particular bests includes an MJ tribute show #567 in which Duke Eatmon (referred to by Static as “an encyclopedia of music”) imparts his knowledge. On show #552, the special guest is one of the only Icelandic DJ’s in the US, Platurn. Shows #412 & #556 feature Nomadic Massive, a tribe of international musicians that Static has been the DJ for. A particular favorite, show #500 they fill the studio with MC’s, vocalists, beat boxers and trumpet players who freestyle jam to live beats from Groove and Static.

When asked to comment on being so well connected, Static just laughs and modestly replies, “yeah, after 14 years I guess you meet some people.”

So the recipe for his lengthy career has been a splash of good fortune, a hint of modern technology, and some tablespoons of industry connections. But undoubtedly the main ingredients are great musical taste and super skilled turntablism, sautéed in some passion and positive attitude.

Static is a master craft, able to scratch up and make beats while mixes vastly different genres together. In a changing industry where these skills are becoming less common and laptops more, I ask if he feels the art form has degraded.

“Not at all! The program I use (Serato) has opened a lot of doors technically. You can set Q points, loop your own samples, and even play your own beats without having them pressed. Just like we learned Vinyl then, I am learning to make the most with the new interface. I have seen some DJ’s that are technically better then me do some amazing stuff!”

Perhaps it’s this open-to-learning attitude that makes Static so good with his craft. His musical passion clearly helps also. Static tells me about his own history these genres and why they are connected.

Back in the early 90’s, Static was attending school here in Vancouver. “Hip Hop was still underground, so CiTR and CFRO had all the shows I listened to regularly. My first break into college radio was an ad I did for the DJ Sound War ’94. Actually, DJ Flip Out (from The Beat) won that competition which was held at UBC.”

“Hip Hop music then sampled a lot of funk & soul music. People become interested in what came before; what’s the source of all the different samples.” (Show #550, The Art of the Sample showcases some origins)

How did you trace these roots in pre-internet days? He laughs- “ Yeah. I used to read the album credits, which would usually say…James Brown, or who ever. I started building a list when I was a teenager.”

On the topic of funks origins, WeFunk website says: Strong music gave a strong foundation to speak on social problems, relationships, politics and living conditions. Do you think hip hop shares these origins? “Yes definitely,” he replies. “.. .social conditions gave rise to [both] genres. They aren’t defined by them, artists within both speak about social inequality and community empowerment.”

Has this music helped to progress these issues? “Yes. I think artists like Curtis Mayfield and James Brown and later Public Enemy used music to get their message out to a wider audience than political organizing alone could.  You could even argue that Black music broke down barriers of race and laid the groundwork for the eventual election of a Black U.S. president.” (Show# 507 Black History Month)

What is the condition of these genres today? “Many people complain that Hip Hop has changed, but like anything it has to continue to move forward. Granted, it’s a commercial monster, but there just wasn’t the popularity or marketing then for artists to live off the music. That’s what the pioneers would have liked to do.”

“With funk, I notice that people’s ears are not as tuned for live drums, since they are so used to produced 4/4 beats. It can be hard to get people dancing if the live drums throw them off.”

But WeFunk has always stayed on formula, and progressed with the times. I ask Static how they stay current.

“It’s a DJ’s job to keep up with new music. We have our core sound but we always look for new music that fits our mold. At the same time we look to expose old music that has been forgotten.”

Now that DJ Static has returned to the West he enters a new chapter in his musical career. Thanks to the power technology, he will continue to do WeFunk remotely. I ask him what his plans are for Vancouver.

“I’ve met some really like-minded people here. I suppose I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and see what happens.”

In his first Vancouver gig, he shared it with old friend DJ Flip Out at a break dance competition, and has strong ties in the B-Boy community. He plays various shows around town, occasionally at Shine. He also frequently reunites with Groove for massive European tours, a result of WeFunk’s international fame. Ironically, his presence in Vancouver, in my opinion, is still comparatively understated. But Static is positive about the local connections he has here that are taking off…and with his recipe of tasty beats and tantalizing skills, I have no doubt it will be a matter of time. DJ Static’s recent migration West is a happy thing for local rumps alike. Oh Vancouver, you don’t EVEN know!

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Listen to WEFUNK radio here