There's one thing that Halloween and funk music will always have in common: the ability to bring out the freaks. From “Dr. Funkenstein” to “Thriller” and all the undeniable grooviness in between, few things send shivers up our spine and force us to dance like the old-school barrio party jams of the '70s and '80s, a glorious span of time we'll just call “Back in the Day.”
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For the past six years, a group of hardcore vinyl heads known as Funk Freaks have ruled the realm of boogie funk–a specific style fusing electronic and acoustic sounds to create smooth gangsta-leaning goodness, often dubbed post-disco. A squad of blue-collar DJs around Santa Ana started the collective in 2009, and since then have grown to form chapters as close as Riverside and as far away as Eastern Europe as they get invited to tour clubs around the world, spreading their style and rare grooves to dance floors in places like Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris.
But tonight, you can find DJs Debo, LilMan, Mr. Groove, DJ Loser, Frostnasty and more spinning a mixture of classic and exotic jams at Original Mike's for Funk Freak's annual Halloween Costume Party.
Though vinyl of the past has made its revival on the dance floor the in last decade or so, the DJs in this particular collective were raised on the music and just never gave it up. The soundtrack to family parties, backyard dances and warehouse parties is as much a part of their identity as low riders and khakis. It's in their blood. Speaking of blood, remember it's a costume party so don't forget to look at least a little creepy as you creep to the dance floor tonight. $10 cover. For more info, click here.
See also:
The 50 Best Things About the OC Music Scene
The 50 Worst Things About the OC Music Scene
The 25 Greatest OC Bands of All Time: The Complete List
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