(Melting Pot Music/Creative Vibes)

When most people think funk, Europe, let alone Germany usually isn’t the first place that springs to mind. Fortunately for me, a compilation from a little known German based label “Melting Pot Music” has recently come to my attention, subsequently unveiling a whole new continent of fresh and funky sounds.

Melting Pot Music is a newly established label founded and run in Cologne by local funk connoisseur Oliver “DJ Olski” Von Felbert. Having made a name for himself Djing across Europe, the funk-loving German decided to start up his own label, specialising in the kind of tunes he was into. After discovering an Amsterdam based group by the name of  “Lefties Soul Connection”, Olski took a liking to the bands raw funk sound and quickly set about releasing their debut track “Doin’ The Thing”. Melting Pot Music was born shortly thereafter. Having released a string of 45’s and 12 inches from a vast array of bands and artists, Olski felt the time had arrived to release MPMs’ first official LP. The resulting album This is Melting Pot Music, presents listeners with 14 quality slices of European funk mastery from a diverse selection of bands and artists. 

Kicking off with the sounds of DJ Day, we’re given a taste of the soul infused, predominantly instrumental sounds of his track Four Hills. Combining raw solid beats, liquid bass and some very funkadelic organ jams, the opening tune raises the bar, sets the pace and braces the listener for a heap of good funk to come. 

Next stop is Amsterdam with the old skool stylings of the said Lefties Soul Connection. ‘Peacock Strut’ is the first of two tracks from the Dutch outfit, and perfectly demonstrates the four piece’s ability to create a fresh sound without compromising their old school sensibilities.

Next up, we’re presented with another German group by the name of The Malcouns. ‘Hip N Soul Shake’ may fail to meet the level of production set by earlier tunes, yet the trippy Afro-funk sound gives the listener further insight into the diversity of the acts emerging from the region.

Throughout the next ten tracks, melting Pot delivers an abundance of styles, flavours and moods. Whether it be the thirteen-piece funk orchestral stylings of Massak, the cut-and-paste finesse of Scandinavians Devil McDoom, or the loungey laid-back vibes of Soul Village, every artist present has nothing but quality offerings to share.

DJ Olski clearly has a good ear for funk. With refined taste and his own great label to back it up, this German DJ has compiled a gem of an album that’s guaranteed to please the pants off of any fan of all things funky. The real credit here must go to the musicians though. In taking the best bits of old and new funk and mashing it up with their own European influences, the artists of Melting Pot Music have undeniably proven their worth.