Yushka presents his Yushka Funk Show 4 programme on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an electronic music radio station, promoter and music-news platform connecting audiences across Asia and internationally.
Yushka, born in Nottingham, UK, has worked as a DJ at free parties, raves, festivals and club nights in the UK, Ireland and Vietnam since the mid-2000s. He was a member of Nottingham's What The Funk? DJ group and the main brainchild behind Nottingham's Shits and Giggles and Hot-Point Sound Systems.
As a child, he was interested in how music was made and in constructing mixtapes, although he initially had no means of buying DJ equipment. With access to rudimentary software and a CD recorder, he began making mixes to distribute at school and gained playground renown as a DJ.
In 2004, aged 22, he had the opportunity to play on turntables for the first time. By 2006, he was hosting weekly Sh!ts and GIggles Nottingham events in quirky bars and nightclubs across Nottingham's community alongside co-host and founder Animinimal of Deck-starter and Catalyst.
As the events developed, the venue PA systems needed supplementing, leading to the establishment of the Sh!ts and G!ggles sound system. After years of listening to tunes with Matty C of Hanoi Hi-Fi, the Hotpoint Sound System of Nottingham was founded.
This led to underground free parties and the accompanying mayhem. Collaborations with East Midlands promoters including Substance D&B, Pure Filth, TSA303, Monkey Nuts and Psycle followed, supporting the multi-genre events and parties for which Hotpoint and S&G were known.
He has supported Drum and Bass artists EZ Rollers and Kenny Ken, and has performed in Vietnam at Sidewalk Hanoi - Bar / Kitchen / Events in Hanoi and Broma: Not a Bar, Arcan and Bann Bar in Ho Chi Minh City. His selections range from chilled laid-back beats to breaks, hip hop, electro, tech and D&B, with funk and soul in the mix.
At the time of publication, he was a resident at Arcan's Sunday Funk Sessions and was expected to appear more regularly in Asia during 2019. This episode originally aired on Friday, 7 June 2019.
Yushka's Funk Show 4 opens with Bill Withers' Grandma's Hands on Sussex, followed by Wendy Rene's After Laughter (Comes Tears) on Stax, grounding the programme in Funk, Soul and R&B. The Temptations' Papa Was A Rollin' Stone on Gordy (Motown) and Lyn Collins' Ain't No Sunshine on People extend that opening with vocal-led selections.
Cymande bring The Message on Sequel Records and Brothers On The Slide on Sequel into the early sequence, with Bootsy Collins' I'd Rather Be With You on Warner Bros. between them. Demon Fuzz's I Put A Spell On You on Dawn adds a heavier band performance without leaving the set's rhythmic foundation behind.
James Brown's Funky Good Time on Polydor and Kool & The Gang's Funky Stuff on De-lite keep the classic material moving before Lyn Collins returns with Think (About It) on People. Vernon Burch's Get Up on Chocolate City, ESG's Get Funky on Pow Wow and Mamanet's Discotheque Man on Ultra Vague Recordings broaden the selection ahead of Clarence Reid's Nobody But You Babe on Tayster Records.
The Funky Four Plus One's That's The Joint on Sugar Hill Records brings Hip Hop into the programme, while Pharoahe Monch's Push on SRC reinforces the change in cadence. Andy Cooper's Chasing The Funk (The Allergies Remix) on Unique Records and Fort Knox Five's The Brazilian Hipster on Fort Knox Recordings introduce a more club-facing Nu-Disco edge.
Leo's 24ct Funk on Elektroshok and El Bomba's Party Your Ass Off on Breakerz Banquet lead into The Funk Hunters' Shoop Booty on Ghetto Funk, bringing Breaks to the fore. Black Machine's How Gee on Wagram is followed by Stickybuds' Kingston Funk on Big M Productions and Basement Freaks' BootyFunk on Bombastic Jam, where Breakbeat takes a more prominent role.
The Funk Hunters vs Livingstone & Canosis deliver Fly Robin on ReSoul before A.Skillz & Krafty Kuts bring Now Drop on Finger Lickin' into the closing stretch. BMD's Your Thing on XLNT Records and DJ Fresh's Gold Dust (Father Funk Remix) on Ghetto Funk add a Bass House accent before Jimi Needles & WBBL's Crash The Party on Boogie Boutique and Marlena Shaw's California Soul (A-Skillz Remix - The Funk Hunters ReSoul) on Ghetto Funk close the programme.
Yushka Funk Show 4
Bill Withers - Grandma's Hands [Sussex]
Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears) [Stax]
The Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone [Gordy (Motown)]
Lyn Collins - Ain't No Sunshine [People]
Cymande - The Message [Sequel Records]
Bootsy Collins - I'd Rather Be With You [Warner Bros.]
Cymande - Brothers On The Slide [Sequel]
Demon Fuzz - I Put A Spell On You [Dawn]
James Brown - Funky Good Time [Polydor]
Kool & The Gang - Funky Stuff [De-lite]
Lyn Collins - Think (About It) [People]
Vernon Burch - Get Up [Chocolate City]
ESG - Get Funky [Pow Wow]
Mamanet - Discotheque Man [Ultra Vague Recordings]
Clarence Reid - Nobody But You Babe [Tayster Records]
Funky Four + One - That's The Joint [Sugar Hill Records]
Krafty Kuts Mix of Captain Funk - Twist & Shout [Machinegun]
Pharoahe Monch - Push [SRC]
The Funk Hunters & Chali 2na (ft. Tom Thum) - Word To Spread [Interscope Records]
Ghetto Funk Allstars & The Who - Who Are You (The Funk Hunters Remix) [Ghetto Funk]
Louis Armstrong - Mack The Knife (ProleteR Tribute) [ProleteR (Self Release)]
Andy Cooper - Chasing The Funk (The Allergies Remix) [Unique Records]
The Chakachas - Jungle Fever (Funk Ferret Edit) [Fort Knox]
Mashed Up Funk - Change My Bucket [No Label]
Fort Knox Five - The Brazilian Hipster [Fort Knox Recordings]
Leo - 24ct Funk [Elektroshok]
El Bomba - Party Your Ass Off [Breakerz Banquet]
Ghetto Funk Allstars & Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady (Parker Remix) [Ghetto Funk]
The Funk Hunters - Shoop Booty [Ghetto Funk]
Black Machine - How Gee [Wagram]
Stickybuds - Kingston Funk [Big M Productions]
Basement Freaks - BootyFunk [Bombastic Jam]
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Father Funk Remix) [Funk Therapy]
The Funk Hunters vs Livingstone & Canosis - Fly Robin [ReSoul]
Adfunk B-Boy Battle Trax - Sho' Down [AdFunk (Self Release)]
2Pac vs Feed Me - Hell To The Stars (Funkanomics Blend) [Fort Knox]
A.Skillz & Krafty Kuts - Now Drop [Finger Lickin']
BMD - Your Thing [XLNT Records]
Breakerz Allstarz - You Wanna Hear Dis [Breakerz Banquet]
DJ Fresh - Gold Dust (Father Funk Remix) [Ghetto Funk]
Dj Twister - A Message To You Cutty [Self Release]
Jimi Needles & WBBL - Crash The Party [Boogie Boutique]
Marlena Shaw - California Soul (A-Skillz Remix - The Funk Hunters ReSoul) [Ghetto Funk]
Listen on Mixcloud here.