It’s been a little bit since my last freebie (D-funk – Heard-it-through-the-bassline-free-download) which got a really great reaction! This ones on a more nu disco vibe but still with cool synths/bass lines. When this tune first came out in 2005 I was lucky enough to get the vinyl on promo. I played it so much! I picked up the remix stems a while back & when the new DnB version came out it spurred me on to do my own version that would fit into my sets.

This tune features on my D-Funk 25 (Part 2) mix: D-funk – D-funk-25-part-2

If you don’t have Soundcloud or would like the wav version of this track, get it from my Bandcamp here: d-funk.bandcamp.com/track/big-city-…n-free-download

You can find more of my free downloads here: soundcloud.com/d-funk/sets/free-stuff

I’m really happy to have been asked to play at the #shareasong launch event being held at the Australian Institute Of Music (AIM) in the Rocks, Sydney.

#shareasong is a campaign set up by Music Health & Vera Music aiming to focus the benefits of music on mental health & dementia. This event is part of ARIA week 2022. They are doing amazing work using music as a tool to fight dementia & are pushing boundaries in the field of music therapy & brain health.

More info on #shareasong & how you can get involved: http://www.musichealth.ai or http://www.verasounds.com

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shareasong-launch-event-2022-tickets-443893335917

Forward by D-Funk:
For the 2nd part of my D-Funk 25 mix series I’ve focused on the best, most important or my favourite tracks I’ve made or had a hand in making. Some are originals. Some remixes. Some are edits, bootys or whatever we’re calling them nowadays. There’s also a fair few collaborations with artists I’m lucky enough to now call friends such as Some DJ (or Danec as he’s now called), Hariku who’s better known as Shamanic Technology, Sugar Ray Johnson who’s ex-Pacha resident Nicc Johnson & of course Philly Blunt. It’s a real mix from across the years including my 1st release ‘Transitions’ on Barry Ashworth & Carl Loben’s Westway Records. Right up to my latest, a free download that will drop shortly after the mix goes live. It’s a mix of varying genres. For ages I’ve been known as ‘Europe D-Funk’ that plays funky breaks but, as you’ll see from this mix, my funk focused music covered all styles from hip hop to house, disco to breaks & electro. But don’t worry, I’ve included some of the mid-tempo music that got me really known on an international scale, how could I not!

Some of the music on this mix has been released on my own labels Upstart Music, the breaks based label I started in 2008 & Grits N Gravy, the funk based label I started with Philly Blunt in 2010. There are also tunes on labels such as Sunday Best, ‘I’m In Love’ the 1st of my 3 remixes I’ve done for the Dub Pistols. The often overlooked, but I think my best mid-tempo tune ‘Bigger Than Baseline’ on Adapted Records. I’ve closed the mix with a recent, original hip hop song ‘Cruise Control’ that my longtime studio partner & good friend Mr Doris & the vocal talent MysDiggi. There’s also music from the great series That’s Not An Edit for who I’ve done a fair few edits, a track from the now deceased Rump Shaker Records from Perth (WA) & a rare release from Cakes at The World Bar, a Sydney institution that I was resident at for 8 years.

I started making music seriously in 2006 when I met & formed a friendship with Barry Ashworth from the band Dub Pistols. He both inspired & guided me to my first few releases. I’m ever grateful for his words of encouragement & enthusiasm. From starting on a knock off copy of Reason on an old PC in the corner of the spare bedroom to now having a fully working dedicated studio, I can honestly say it’s been a wild ride of ups & downs. I guess music mirrors life that way. Even though I started producing & releasing music a while after I started DJing in 1995 on belt drive decks in my bedroom in Wiltshire (UK), I’ve now gone on to release over 200 tracks on over 30 different labels. These are the 25 that made the mix…

Track listing:
Mr Doris & D-Funk – Supernatural Lockdown [2Dogs Recordings 2014]
D-Funk & Some Dj – Loaded [Grits N Gravy 2011]
The Meters – Cissy Strut (D-Funk Edit) [Free Download / 2014] 
Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns – Fourplay (D-Funk Edit) [That’s Not An Edit 2015]
D-Funk – Big City Life (4/4 mix) [Free Download 2022]
D-Funk – Lonely Hearts Club [Grits N Gravy Free Download 2012]
D-Funk – The Boss [Grits N Gravy 2010]
D-Funk – Bigger Than Bassline [Adapted Recs 2017]
D-Funk – Been A Long Widow [Free Download 2014]
D-Funk – Get Up & Jam [Grits N Gravy 2016] 
D-Funk & Philly Blunt – Time To Move [Grits N Gravy 2011] 
Sugar Ray Johnson & D-Funk – Save Me [Grits N Gravy 2014]
Doug Masters – Jingo Back [Free Download 2018]
Doug Masters – Return Of The House Siren [Cakes Compilation 2017]
D-Funk – Don’t Need Nobody [Upstart Music 2011]
Dub Pistols feat Lyndie Layton – ‘I’m In Love’ (D-Funk’s Summer Of Love Mix) [Sunday Best 2008] 
Double 99 – Ripgroove (D-Funk & Some DJ’s Rumble In The Bass Bin Mix) [Free Download 2011]
D-Funk – Rewind Selector [Rump Shaker Records 2015]
Rogue Robots – Off My Face In ’97 (D-Funk’s 2 Steppin’ In ’02 Mix & D-Funk’ Work It Out Mix) [Upstart Music 2014 & 2010]
D-Funk – Transitions [Westway Records 2007]
D-Funk feat Mc Manic – Bust This (Original Mix)[Upstart Music 2009] 
D-Funk – Party People [Upstart Music 2009] 
D-Funk & Hariku – Get Ramped Up [Upstart Music 2009] 
The Prodigy – Narayan (D-Funk Boot) [Free Download 2006]
Mr Doris & D-Funk feat MysDiggi – Cruise Control bc [Jam City 2020]

D-Funk 25 mix series biog:
Twenty-five years is a fair chunk of time by anyone’s estimation but for Doug Masters, he remembers his first ever DJ gig at The Depot in Bristol like it was yesterday. “I was so nervous I thought I’d never do it again,” he says. “Little did I know that I’d end up playing thousands of times more and at some of the best clubs and festivals all over the world.”

Marking 25 years that has seen Doug release on labels including Sunday Best, Bombstrikes and Westway with his D-Funk alias, become one of the architects of the funky breaks sound with his mid-2000s night Break Da House and play everywhere from Ibiza to the US, Canada, Europe and his adopted home of Australia, Doug has embarked on two mixes to celebrate his two and a half decades in the game.

“I’m lucky to have been through so many scenes,” says Doug. “I caught the tail-end of the rave scene in the UK, zipping around to find parties in fields and in disused railway tunnels and then moved through progressive house to trance to UK garage and breaks and then on to my own production journey in the 2000s. I wanted to put together some mixes that reflected all of that.”

The first mix of the two-part series is a collection of tunes that have influenced Doug over the years, touching on everything from disco & house to UK garage & breaks to jungle, while the second collects together 25 of Doug’s personal favourites from his illustrious career as a producer.

“I was lucky enough to spread a style of music I loved and helped create around the globe,” says Doug. “I want to celebrate that and everything that influenced me along the way with these two mixes.”

D-Funk thanks…. 
My Mum & Dad for buying me my first set of decks. The Calne bedroom crew for putting up with hours of shoddy mixing in the early days. Alex Blackburn for helping my get my first ever gig. Pedro, Davey, Dai, Big Dave & the Wolves uni crew for the mad nights. Matt for first introducing me to hip hop. ‘Honest’ Lloyd. Jit at Canal Club. Nick Stevenson. Howard & all in the early days of Rotation. Charlie Lang. Naz, Doris & Ben Logue. Garry White. Tim Lyall. Mark Berry. James Bronson. Everyone at 176 over the years. The Turk. Josh at 2020. Shab & Dan. Wille Drum kit & his insatiable love of funk. Uncle Barry Ashworth, Carl Loben & Billy at Westway. Sang, Devastating Dave & all at Adicts. Phil Berrick. Paul Master. Evan Slynk. Tomas & everyone at Danio. Nicc Johnson. Dan SomeDJ. Scott Pullen. Shamozzle & Stacey Butler. And last but not least my wife for constantly backing me up but mostly listening to me whinge.

Website: www.dfunk.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dfunkbreaks
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dfunkbreaks
Bandcamp: d-funk.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/6ZUH9yUJI74EASFVjviNVg

Over at Grits N Gravy HQ we’ve (still) got the disco bug. In fact we’ve had it for years. Far before any other bugs that took over the world. The disco bug is the one that comes out & shines to the fabulous. It started off in New York then spread all over the world & now from Sydney, Australia the 2nd installment of Night Disco is upon us.

It’s been a little while since we’ve released music on Grits N Gravy. We’ve not been idle, far from it. We’ve been biding our time & waiting. Waiting for the time the discos are open & the people are once again dancing. So with disco dancing in mind Grits N Gravy label co-boss D-Funk bring you 3 upbeat slices of 21st century original disco music.

Support from…
Fort Knox Five: ‘Three flavors of funky goodness!’ 10/10
DJ Frenzie (Groove Therapy / 2serFM Sydney):’Love those chuggin’ beats on Critical Moment’ 10/10
DJ Oblivious (Base FM New Zealand):’Mate, so feeling this one. Super groovy. It’s like a Blondie outtake or something. Love it! 10/10

You can stream/download this release…
Spotify – HERE
Beatport – HERE
Juno Download – HERE
Lads of others – HERE

I’m delighted to be playing my first gig in London for a good few years on Sat 10th Sept at Brixton Jamm. I’ll be appearing at Craig Charles Funk & Soul club where I’ll be doing a very special b2b set with my production partner & good buddy Mr Doris!

Heading up the line up is the big man Craig Charles, who’s Funk & Soul show on BBC radio 6 is one of the largest funk radio shows in the world. Also on the bill are the great Uk talents of Sir Funk, Tunesmith, Josh FB, Kudo Sol, Magic Wax, Poppy Richler, & Third Attempt.

Tickets & more info: https://brixtonjamm.org/event/craig-charles-funk-soul-club-day-night-party-5/

It's been a little while since I did a solo D-Funk freebie so I thought I better bring you a good one! I've been playing this huge funky breaks Marvin mash in my club & festival sets. It's always caused a bit of a stir & people to lose their sh1t over it! Now it's unleashed to everyone as a free gift... ENJOY!

D-Funk · 'Heard It Through The Bassline' *Free Download*

You can get it from my Soundcloud or Bandcamp

This is the 4th instalment of my Blissed Out Beats mix series that focuses on the less dance floor & more on the comfy chair or sun lounger!

The past mixes have been inspired by me playing the sunset at the legendary Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza (mix 3), a long running residency in a cool Sydney hotel lobby (mix 2) & chilling by the pool whilst on holiday (mix 1).

This time I was thinking about a few hours in a welcoming & warm cocktail bar, sipping a delicious drink by a crackling fire (It was quite cold & raining rather hard when I compiled & mixed Vol 4). Lovely laidback grooves, from chilled down tempo to jazzy house. Taking in some sublime funk & soul all the way to some splendid reggae.

It’s available to stream & download for free from my Soundcloud: HERE