Tag Archives: Funk

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The DK Effect Release Album ‘The Way It Used To Be’

Our 2nd Album, ‘The Way It Used To Be’ took way too long to write and record, but ironically, most of the events that caused it’s delay actually inspired many of the songs. With the passing of family, the disturbing descent into chaos of the new world order and the mental and emotional impact of pivotal life and world events, writing about it all seemed to help. It just took a long time. 

And although recording the album at home gave us the freedom to experiment and take risks with arrangements and performances (including adding live strings), it also contributed to the time it took to complete. Now it’s done though, we’re very happy with it. 

The songs are quite diverse style wise (including 3 a Capella tracks) and cover a wide range of subjects. ‘The Great Divide’, ‘Gods and Guns’ and ‘Somebody’ are commentaries on the current political and religious climate. ‘Smile’, ‘Shine On’ and ‘Call My Name’ are welcome reminders that there is still a lot of love and kindness in the world. 

We’ve also been buoyed recently by the success we’ve had with radio. We hit No. 2 on the R&B, No. 4 on the Pop, No. 6 on the Metro and No. 11 on the Australian National Community Radio Airplay Charts. We also landed a spot on Apple Music’s ‘New in R&B’ playlist.  

The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music. 

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts. 

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording. 

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘Smile’

‘Smile’ is our attempt to encompass the atmosphere, feel and emotion of some of our favourite 60’s soul classics -?? Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay and the Drifters’ Up On The Roof and Under The Boardwalk.  
It is a relaxed, feel-good stroll through hot, carefree days, where the love and smiles of those closest to you form the warmest and most enduring memories.  
The sparse production on this track was beautifully complimented by the addition of real strings performed by the wonderful Serena Ellery and of course features the fabulous harmonies and classic vocal arrangement by Crystal, Ruby and Belle. 

The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music. 

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts. 

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording. 

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘Somebody’

“…The DK Effect are an eight-piece funk-soul monster… saucy, delectable helping of groove-licious, horn-rich rhythms and melodies plus fierce vocals” – Gareth Bryant 

‘Somebody’ embodies all of our ‘heathen gospel’ values in a funky romp, pitting delusion against critical thinking. It looks at how multi-national faith corporations control and coerce the vulnerable and gullible with threats and extortion. When performed live, this track has been mistaken for a real gospel song, so perhaps we should issue an ‘advisory warning’ to listen carefully to the lyrics. 
 
The recording features lovely B3 by Ruby and a fabulous sax solo by Mitch which leads us perfectly into the final chorus where the vocals absolutely soar. It is one of our early songs and has been through various incarnations, with this ‘final’ version being the closest to our original vision.

The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music. 

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts. 

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording. 

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar. 

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘What Happened To Love?’

What Happened To Love? is a conversation between a couple in conflict and a relationship that has seen better days.
It is about feeling trapped, wanting to escape but having nowhere to go. The song’s ‘call and response’ is like a battle of pettiness, highlighting how years of building tension can cause ridiculous and melodramatic overreactions to the most trivial of issues.
This was a really fun track to record and is even more fun to perform. The soaring harmonies at the end of each chorus really showcase the fabulous vocal chemistry within the band and the jazz/funk groove lets the backline funk out.  

The track was recorded at home using vintage (old and cheap) equipment to get an authentic, earthy and organic sound, and was expertly mixed by Aria Winner Russell Pilling and Mastered by Andrew Beck (Damien Gerard Studios). 

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The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music.

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts.

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording.

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘Nothing Left to Say’

‘Nothing Left To Say’ is about the fear and uncertainty of moving to a new place and leaving behind all of your established friends, creative, and professional support networks. It’s about loneliness, emptiness, and the challenges of establishing a new identity and presence. It also touches on the often foolish (and sometimes futile) attempts to integrate into existing social groups, only to realise they’re not your people anyway.

Musically, we had a lot of fun with this one in the studio. The groove is tight and sparse which allows the vocals to soar during the choruses and provides a solid backdrop for the guitar, keys and saxophone to engage in some playful banter during the outro.

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The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music.

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts.

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording.

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Crack the Amrap Charts

The bands new single Moth to The Flame(See Below) Has broken through on the CBAA Amrap charts

dk amrap charts

‘Moth to the Flame’ started out as a playful look at how basic human needs like love, faith, and desire are often exploited for profit. But more recently, with the rise of data tracking, algorithms, and social media we’re now experiencing how these ‘tools of influence’ can shape how people think, encourage certain beliefs and behaviours, and stir up fear and anger, especially in those who feel ignored or misunderstood. So, what began as a light dig at sex and religion now reflects on a slightly darker world.

‘Moth’ was the first track we recorded at Frying Pan Studio in MONA – the Museum of Old and New Art – in Tasmania. It’s become our trusted warm-up and soundcheck song, thanks to its familiar groove and the generous sonic space it offers for improvisation and creative play.

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The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music.

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts.

Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording.

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘Don’t Take Too Long’

Don’t Take Too Long is the story of someone coping with emotional issues using pharmaceutical solutions. They know it’s not a permanent fix and recognise the long-term cost, but can’t find, or don’t want to find an alternative. They’re happy to continue along the uncertain path for as long as fate and finance allows.

The second release from a suite of five recorded at Frying Pan Studio in the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Tasmania.  Call and response is a strong feature of this song which is a crowd favourite at gigs. The simple arrangement and contrast between verse and chorus allows room for the track to reach a satisfying crescendo.

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The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music.

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire and was expertly mastered by Grammy Award-winning Dave Darlington in New York. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts.

Writing and recording their second album was taking longer than they had hoped, so the decision was made to record some of their more established tracks at Frying Pan Studio in the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Tasmania.

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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The DK Effect Release Single ‘The Right Time’

SCENESTR VIDEO PREMIERE!!

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Recording at the iconic Frying Pan Studio was a unique and amazing experience for the band. The studio offers stunning views of Berriedale Bay and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), creating a relaxing and inspiring environment. There is a viewing window into the studio, allowing museum visitors to watch and listen (via headphones) to the recording process. For the band, it was fun being an ‘exhibition / performance artist’ during the recording process – almost like a live recording.

dk

The DK Effect are an original 9-piece soul, funk and RnB band known for their four powerhouse vocalists, rich storytelling, melodic harmonies, and the passionate, polyrhythmic ‘call and response’ vocal synchronicity inspired by gospel music.

Their debut album, ‘Moving Time’, showcased their diverse repertoire and was expertly mastered by Grammy Award-winning Dave Darlington in New York. The album spent two months in the TOP 10 of the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Charts.

Writing and recording their second album was taking longer than they had hoped, so the decision was made to record some of their more established tracks at Frying Pan Studio in the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Tasmania.

The band has performed at numerous Tasmanian venues such as MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Altar, The Moonah Arts Centre, Kickstart Arts, Salamanca Arts Centre, The Clarence Jazz Festival, The Playhouse Theatre, The Taste of Tasmania Festival, Rektango, the Uni Bar, Street Eats Franko, and the Republic Bar.

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Steve Williams Releases New Album ‘Deja Vu’

The new album from Steve Williams (Wa Wa Nee, Matt Finish, Choirboys) ‘Deja Vu’ has songs ranging from Glam Rock, Funk and Blues. The tunes have something for everyone including an amazing dream romance story that actually came true, different perceptions of reality, persecution, inequality and some characters who have done jail time or simply gone bad.

All songs were written by Steve except ‘Pump’ with Pat Powell and ‘Ronnie’ with John Kenny. Steve played all instruments but with the help of a few very talented guests: Gus Fenwick, Nic MC, John Kenny, Pat Powell, Glen Muirhead, Ralph Franke, Raechel Summers, and Mac Johnson.

The album was recorded entirely by Steve in his home studio which he has been refining for years.

Steve Williams came to prominence as the lead guitarist in the 80’s pop group Wa Wa Nee, who had top 5 hits and ARIA Nominations in Australia and chart action in Europe and the USA. Following Wa Wa Nee’s breakup Steve worked with prominent local artists, James Freud and Richard Clapton, beforerelocating to Europe.

In London, Steve built a successful career as a session guitarist working with Jon Lord from Deep Purple, Ray Parker Jr, Real Life and many more. He returned to Australia in 2005 and continued session and production work including musical theatre and television appearances playing with The Choir Boys, Matt Finish and others.

In 2020 Steve released the ‘Surry Road album’. All the tracks were co-written with musicians that he has worked with over his many years of touring and recording. Tracks feature guest vocals from Pat Powell (Melbourne Ska Orchestra and many more) and other well-known vocalists such as: John Kenny (Rockmelons), Tim Watson (Taxiride), Vince Contarino, Terry Slesser (UK), Louise Person as well up-coming Melbourne singer Nic MC.

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