Washington, DC – February 3rd 2014 – Fort Knox Recordings brings two funky headliners to rock the President’s Day Weekend event Funky Prez. From Los Angeles comes Pumpkin whose DJ sets have made a name for him playing eclectic tunes that defy genres and leave crowds smiling and dancing. Pumpkin honed his now signature sound by daring to incorporate the singer-songwriter, punk rock ethos and childhood nostalgia of his past, with the futuristic sounds of the present.
Coming from New York City will be Ursula 1000, an artist familiar to DC due to his numerous releases on ESL Music. Ursula 1000’s sound has taken on a broad scope of retro tinged spy grooves, bumping Latin disco funk, hints of post punk, electro, go go, and rock. And he never stops evolving. Altering the past for a better tomorrow™. Watch for his new Quentin Quatro alias to be released on his own Insect Queen Music label.
Pumpkin and Ursula 1000 are joined by Fort Knox Five, who have just finished celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary and have a new album in the works. Label mates All Good Funk Alliance will also DJ, bringing their distinctive boogie vibe that blends house, nu-disco, funk and electro together. Rounding out this line-up is Baltimore’s own Soohan, one of the founders of Manfiest Productions.
U Street Music Hall and its huge sound system will host this special event, which is 18 and up only. Funky Prez runs from 9:00pm until 4:00am. Monday is a holiday, so no work or school the next day. Tickets are only $10 and are available in advance.
All of the artists and performers are available for interviews and features. Free downloads and special promotions are available by request.
Buy Tickets ($10)
Pumpkin
Nicholas “Pumpkin” Alvarado is your new favorite music producer/DJ. His spot-on song selections, special remixes and original productions have made for unforgettable live sets that seamlessly span every genre and eschew the latest trends in favor of timeless melodies that will leave a ginormous smile plastered across your face.
Whether starting the party or closing it down, Pumpkin’s inspired mixes are always lovingly sequenced and aim to set the perfect mood. He’s played alongside fellow acclaimed house music mainstays like Lee Burridge, Justin Martin, Nick Warren and KCRW’s Jeremy Sole as well as progressive electronic music pioneers like Bluetech, Blockhead, EOTO and The Glitch Mob. Pumpkin has become an in-demand, fan-favorite at major music festivals like Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle and Sea of Dreams, where he closed the event after his musical hero, Trentemoller. Pumpkin’s acclaimed debut EP, “Love Letters,” featured collaborations with singer Katie Mowgli of the breakout band, The Mowglis and lyricist, EVeryman along with his sought after remixes from the likes of Florence + The Machine and Lila Rose.
My re-flip of this Nappy Roots feel good tune feat. EVeryman on the mic. Contains samples from Lovely Day by the incomparable Bill Withers and It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube.
Download
Ursula 1000
URSULA 1000 is the alter ego of Brooklyn, New York based producer/DJ/multi-instrumentalist Alex Gimeno. His albums and mix sessions have taken on a broad scope of retro tinged spy grooves, bumping latin disco funk, hints of post punk, electro, go go, sleazy glam rock…And he never stops evolving. Altering the past for a better tomorrow™.
You can hear it in his remixes for the likes of Quincy Jones, Felix Da Housecat, The Faint, Fort Knox Five to a slew of television remodels for themes to Sesame Street, The Powerpuff Girls, The Incredibles and Yo Gabba Gabba. Scenes for Sex And The City, Grey’s Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother and Bored To Death popped even more with a helping of a little Ursula as have campaigns for AT&T, Samsung, Adidas and Grand Marnier.
His collaborations with Dr.Luke, Kool Kojak, Shag, Cristina/Ze Records, Los Amigos Invisibles, Misty Roses, Mocean Worker, Federico Aubele to name a few brought forth sheer magic on the four albums, The Now Sound of Ursula 1000, Kinda’ Kinky, Here Comes Tomorrow and Mystics all on ESL Music (Thievery Corporation’s label). All Systems Are Go Go and Ursadelica showed the world his dj skills and ear for the best in hip shaking groovers. Undressed had it all re-imagined by electronic’s finest like Deekline, Ladytron, Product.01, Malente and more.
You can find him traveling the world (30+ countries clocked and counting!) dj-ing at places like Fabric, Razzmatazz, Summer Stage, The Big Chill Festival, Joshua Tree Festival, Green Plugged Festival Korea, Good Vibrations Australia, Shambhala or even at his hometown funspots like Brooklyn Bowl and Rubulad. For a more obscure selection of songs that make him tick, check out his radio show, Guilty Pleasures on BrooklynRadio.com and his Soundcloud page.
Ursula sets his time machine for globetrotting mutant grooves on his 5th album, MONDO BEYONDO: a collection of brand spanking new originals features the inimitable Fred Schneider of the B-52s, French avant-jazz singer Isabelle Antena, Thievery Corporation chanteuse Natalia Clavier, Big Mike Geier aka Puddles The Clown from Atlanta’s premier big band Kingsized and introducing Ms.G!
Ursula has also just recently started a new boutique label called Insect Queen Music for side projects like the sexy spacey nu disco house sounds of his new alter ego: QUENTIN QUATRO! The Disco Quatro EP is out now digitally and on vinyl with remixes by Psychemagik, Sleazy McQueen and Space Coast. The follow up, The Quatrophonic EP, hits shops this Spring!
www.ursula1000.com
www.facebook.com/Ursula1000
www.twitter.com/ursula1000
Fort Knox Five
They have performed on 5 continents, and in over 30 different countries, playing some of the largest festivals and club nights around the globe. The Fort Knox Five have toured and performed alongside major artists like The Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, James Brown, Jurassic 5, Z Trip, Diplo, A Trak, Craze, A Skillz, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors, Bassnectar, Skrillex, and London Electricity to name a few. Forget about tempos and genres – let the Fort Knox Five take you back to the roots and unite all music from the funk, soul, jazz, dub, hip hop, reggae, and electronic generations.
The FORT KNOX FIVE consists of Steve Raskin, Rob Myers, Jon Horvath, and Sid Barcelona. They established Fort Knox Recordings in 2003 to release party-rocking music that crosses tempos and defies genres. Their world renowned ‘Fort Knox Sound’ has overtaken dance-floors with its distinct interweaving of live instrumentation with funky electronic breakbeats.
FK5’s talent for organic hooks has made them highly sought after producer/remixers, and landed them in the prestigious URB “Next 100″ list.Their songs have consistently broken the Itunes & Beatport Top 10 Charts in multiple genres, Including reaching #1 positions in Breaks, Reggae, and Chillout on Beatport.
All Good Funk Alliance
Soohan
