Auckland based group Kong Fooey have just dropped Feel The Love, an epic new eleven track album jammed full of sweet electro beats and cracking Funky House.
How many bands can say their first gig was playing for 12,000 people before Supergroove hit the stage? Well Kong Fooey have, they also have played with TrinityRoots, Tiki Taane, The Black Seeds and David Dallas. This is the band's second album, the first being Final Destination which was released in 2015 to excellent reviews.
Each track is clean and very tight. Producer Jason Peters has created an electronica masterpiece in my opinion. Collaborations once again with David Haslett and Cousin Topaz (Alice Egan) have resulted in a banging album.
Lyrically dense tracks with quality mixing, the flavour of Feel The Love is “nu disco, funk house, trip hop and soul with electro beats”. You are not constantly waiting for big bass drops; but it does have the right amount of bass in just the right places. This is more a journey of polished soulful lyrics combined with EDM beats. Totally dance floor worthy.
Track one Emerald Green hooked me in straight away with its catchy vibe. My attention was caught almost immediately with this album; I knew it was going to be a stunner. And it did not disappoint.
One of my favourite tracks Believe Me, is an addictive upbeat, high energy track. I gathered pretty quickly why these guys have a solid and loyal Kiwi fan base. They are a talented bunch with a fantastic cohesive sound.
I could use the ubiquitous term of calling this album a “banger”. But it is more than that.
Wrapping it up is the chill mix Taking Off. A beautiful relaxed track incorporating a brass section, which is a perfect ending to this album.
Infectious is a good word to describe Feel The Love. Kong Fooey have smashed it out with this stunner.
Predominately hip hop inspired but not afraid to infuse old school funk, soul, dance hall, heavy bass and solid grooves, Kong Fooey is a unique sound with hard hitting positive vibes, big hooks and solid beats. Kong Fooey is the alter ego of mild mannered drummer/producer Jason Peters who having drummed for various rock bands over the years - most notably for 90's heavy hitters Pumpkinhead - uses his knowledge of beats and percussion to provide the back bone of what is the groove-heavy Kong Fooey sound. Peters decided to relocate to Auckland in October 2011.
Looking for a new start after the chaos of the Christchurch earthquakes and working in a new direction musically he signed with Loop. Having crossed paths with Maitreya back in the '90s music scene, a chance meeting at Auckland's Ponsonby Food court led to Peters asking Maitreya to check out his new work, Maitreya dug the vibe and was happy to collaborate. "We have written around five tracks together and there is a mutual respect for each other's abilities and work ethic. I really want to produce music that not only grooves hard but has a positive and conscious message in the lyrics too, something Maitreya and Topaz both do very well," says Peters. Topaz (Jason's cousin also hailing from Christchurch) provides the yin to Kong Fooeys yang, a talented upcoming female MC who contributes positive and thought provoking vocals over Fooey's hyped up beats. Peters has been pleased with the positive reaction to first single 'Let Go' receiving excellent rotation on George, Kiwi and Mai FM. Kong Fooey recently played before 12,000 people warming up the Christchurch beer festival crowd before Supergroove took the stage, and then played a great show at Sounds on 2013 along side David Dallas and Home Brew.
A five track Kong Fooey EP is due to be released in 2013 along with an NZ on Air funded music video for 'Let Go'. With a debut album now in production Kong Fooey is a name you're definitely going to be hearing more of... and in case you were wondering about the name, it does come from the 1974 cartoon and the superhero pooch who uses martial arts to fight crime. Number one super fly and quicker than the human eye, Kong Fooey has got style, a groovy smile and a fight that just won't stop! Stay tuned...