The History of Monkeyfunk China..according to James (aka
Daddy Vegas)
The
first batch of big funk party in mainland China that I took
part in was in Beijing at The Velvet Room in 1998, a wicked
venue with a jazz club upstairs - now all sadly gone. Matt
McGarvey, the hairdresser, was behind those parties at the
Velvet Room, him and DJ Weng Weng, and we have all stayed
working together putting on nights right up today. The
Velvet Room parties went down well and built up most of the
foundation of support for all future parties up there we
did together. The biggest English language magazine up
there - That'sBeijing - got involved after we all worked on
a big end of year Charity Funk Throwdowns in Beijing at
Club FM, for the Tibeten Poverty Alleviation Fund
(www.tpaf.org). ThatsBeijing had the marketing
fairly stitched up and rolled in a day's skiing with the
ticket price. That first charity party came off the back
of the previous underground parties we did together
which combined with That's marketing clout produced
something special. After that night we, Matt, That's and
me decided to keep going with funk nights every now and
again.I asked Hugo at Monkeyfunk London if I could do
Monkeyfunks of my own and he was bang up for it and we
now share artwork and knowledge of funk on a daily
basis.
From the warm reception that heavy funk sets got up there
Monkeyfunk China was born then, a tight operation - not
many guest DJs but a good local following. Music on the
night varied - I played funk, jazz and latin with a heavy
emphasis on funk, but DJ Vnutz, the other mainstay, mixed
up funk and breaks brilliants - he was China DMC DJ champ
in 2002. I'm not adverse to using compilations if the sound
quality if good or if that's the only place I can get the
track, but there were literally hundred of proper job funk
45s rarities at the center of every Monkeyfunk in China. No
point slacking just because you're away from home!
In all there were about 7 or 8 Monkeyfunks and other funk
parties in Beijing, and about 12 or so in Shanghai.
Monkeyfunk in Shanghai started during the SARs 'epidemic'.
All the bars in Shanghai we're closed by the police to stop
the virus spreading (factories stayed open though -
thorough job boys!). However, I found a basement in one bar
that didn't close and then surreptitiously started the
emailing and text campaign. Needless to stay with all the
other places closed we were packed like sardines and ran
out of booze around 11.30. Monkeyfunk then hopped around
clubs taking in a new one each month. It went pretty well
and we ended up filling a club called Fusion with 850 in
mid-2003 for a party that Hugo flew out to play at.
The final home of Monkeyfunk was a club called Mural
(www.muralbar.com), also in Shanghai and still going. It
was their busiest night ever when we put it on at the
end of 2003 and they asked me to stay on as a resident,
which I did, doing Monkeyfunk's and other nights (Latin
Boogie and Downbeat being two) for them. DJ Vnutz was a
big part of Monkeyfunk to, a rare breed in China - a
young man well up on his funk and with a finger firmly
on the pulse there and in Japan and elsewhere. Big up to
Vnutz, cheers mate!
Stayed on at Mural full time into the Spring of 2004 and
then dropped the other nights and went on with Monkeyfunk
on a monthly basis there - the last one was in November.
Others who guested at Monkeyfunk China include Steve Barker
(www.onthewire.uk.com), Oliver Wang (DJ O-Dub), Wassabi
Nut, and Hugo Currie (Monkeyfunk London).
There are no record shops in China, none, no second hand
markets to look for records and no tangible local knowledge
about different styles of soul music. It is slowly
changing, with people like Vnutz leading the way. But I
decided to leave China and head to Spain. I'll go back
every now and again because it too much of a laugh not to
but for now thanks to all people who came and got down. Big
'thank you's to Flora, Gary, Jerry, Carsten, Oliver, Jerry
at That's, Maiko, Yuko, Weng Weng, Matt McGarvey, the
various good souls who accommodated us, Drew, Steve B., for
everything.