Formed after founder Pete Ussher began to question why he had to settle for a live music scene in the evening and an electronic scene that dominates through the night, Funky Drummer is an event aimed at bridging the gap between the two.
The innovative event will replicate a festival set up of DJs sandwiched between live music sets to bring the two genres of music together under one roof to deliver guests the experience of a festival in just one night.
Pete told Exposed: “The rave music is pushing people into the extreme. Gigs are more reserved and conservative and really fun gigs seem to be left out at night.”
“Festivals mean you don’t have to stick to a rigid formula where live music is on early and DJs are on late.”
They primarily operate from Yellow Arch Studios and are named after a 1970 James Brown track. The drum break has become one of the most heavily sampled pieces of music in history, appropriate because it reflects the merging of both live and electronic music.
Their first gig was a sell-out last October at Sidney & Matilda where they hosted DJ Hiphopapotamus, emcee Franz Von and Dur Brain.
Now they have announced their second on 16th March at Yellow Arch Studios featuring K.O.G as their 1:30 am headliner, sandwiched between some excellent globally-inspired DJs.
After seeing the two acts at Boomtown, Pete thought that these full-of-life performers would make excellent headline acts at a Sheffield venue.
Seasoned Steel City partystarter KOG will headline the next Funky Drummer event.
Pete added: “It blew my mind and it was unbelievably infectious. Everyone was so happy.”
Funky Drummer will not be his first venture into events. After moving to Sheffield as a student in 2020, Pete began promoting events in 2021, focusing on heavy rave music with the brand “Bass Off”. Since then, they have hosted around 10 events and recently held an event at Dryad Works with some of the biggest names in the underground scene.
Funky Drummer will also be running a club night as part of TC & The Groove Family’s UK tour, which will see a late-night show on 14th June from the 10-piece collective in addition to performances from a range of talented DJs.
Look out for TC & The Groove Family headlining a Funky Drummer show in June.
For more information, follow @funkydrummer_events on Instagram
