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This week we're heading to the West Coast to sit down with Debo (Ivan) — the man behind Funk Freaks, one of the most authentic funk communities operating anywhere in the world right now.
Born and raised on the west side of Costa Mesa in Orange County, California, Debo's story is one of music as lifeline. From breaking a needle on a Sesame Street turntable at five years old, to getting his hands on a beat-up pair of mismatched Technics at age 12 — after his older brother borrowed them from a friend who was heading to prison — to teaching himself to mix at 4am before school every day for six months straight. The obsession was always there.
We talk about what makes Orange County's relationship with 80s boogie and funk so deep-rooted and distinct from LA, the lowrider culture that kept this music alive for generations, and how Funk Freaks went from backyard boogies and house parties to a nine-year residency at the legendary OG Mics in Santa Ana — and eventually to chapters across Europe, South America and beyond.
Debo also opens up about the blood, sweat and tears it took to break the stigma of "cholo music" in bars and clubs, his year living in Barcelona, touring European funk bars with nothing but a tourist visa and a crate of records, and how all of that led to opening the record shop and launching the Funk Freaks label.
A genuinely inspiring conversation about community, culture, creativity and the power of music to change the direction of a life.
In this episode:
Growing up on the west side of Costa Mesa and how the environment shaped him
Learning to DJ on a borrowed mismatched pair of Technics and a busted crossfader
The Stanton DJ-in-a-Box moment and the mother who matched his first paycheck
The Beat Junkies influence and applying hip hop technique to funk records
Backyard boogies, house parties and the stigma of "cholo music" in venues
OG Mics — the Santa Ana residency that became the capital of funk in Southern California
Living in Barcelona, buying Euro funk pressings for cents and building the international network
How the Funk Freaks chapters work (think: graffiti crew ethics applied to record collecting)
Digging road trips from New Orleans to New York to Baltimore and why California is slim pickings now
The Funk Freaks record label — limited pressings, DJ tools, and the story behind the Colors movie recreation
Why there's no such thing as overpaying for a record that means something to you
What the DJ's job actually is — and why Europe gets it right
Links:
Funk Freaks Instagram: @funkfreaks
Remote Control (production): http://www.remote-ctrl.co.uk
