(Knowfoowl Music/Creative Vibes)

A1: Cressy St Breakdown 4.23
A2: Cressy St Breakdown (No Comply mix) 5.14
B: Cressy St Breakdown (Rephrase mix) 4.56

Sydney-based DJ / music journalist Huwston’s new label Knowfoowl is intended to act as a hub for soulful sounds as equally geared towards after hours listening as rocking a dancefloor, and this debut 12” release for the label comes from Melbourne-based live deep funk trio Cookin’ On 3 Burners. Consisting of guitarist Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos, Lanu, No Comply), drummer Ivan Katchoyan (Choi) and keyboardist Jake Mason, Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ debut 7” release ‘Gravel Rash / Pie Warmer’ introduced the trio’s organ-heavy deep funk approach to a considerably warm reception last year, with the likes of Quantic and Mr. Scruff providing praise and DJ support for the release in the UK.

This second release from the Melbourne trio through Knowfoowl ‘Cressy St Breakdown’ takes its name from the suburban location of Jake Mason’s recording facility, and shows them following a Hammond-infused old school funk path that deftly fuses tight-as-hell JBs-esque live breakbeats with shimmering organ swells and fluid funk guitar riffs, resulting in a groove collision that sits somewhere between classic Motown funk and more contemporary sounds from the likes of Swedish label Raw Fusion. Particularly notable also is the quality of the production, with acute attention to detail being nicely balanced out with a mix that manages to capture some of the trio’s live energy in action; there’s also a fantastic breakdown section that descends through swelling Hammond licks and handclaps into some of the most kicking live drum solo sections I’ve heard on a funk track this year.

The remix component is certainly well catered for here as well, with Equatorial label heads No Comply injecting a rolling kick into the beats that pushes the track in a lazy hiphop direction, especially when fattened-up bass synth grooves and sampled horn stabs lock in behind the beats and Hammond licks, while on the flipside, Sydney producer Rephrase opts for a crisp breaks reworking that cuts up the original track’s fluid funk guitar riffs and reassembles them over an ominous backdrop of vast swelling sub-bass and electro-infused breakbeats that sits somewhere between Atomic Hooligan and The Propellerheads. A extremely strong debut release for Knowfoowl, complete with excellent remixes on board, that certainly marks this new local imprint as one to keep an eye on in the near future.

Check out http://www.cookinon3burners.com.