Last Updated March 22nd April 2008

Future Underground Nation (F.U.N.) are based in Exeter which is situated in the South West of the United Kingdom. F.U.N. are responsible for running a record label, 'Functional ' releasing underground dance music on Vinyl and CD. F.U.N. promote clubnights around the South West including Beatz & Bobz one of the longest running breaks nights in the world ,now inits ninth year, FUN co promote the biggest dance party in the area on New Years Eve for 1,400 people. We are parners with Rennie Pilgrem's TCR Records promoting Breaksday Events and with new partners Nano Records with our new party 'Stir'
F.U.N. undertake production work for one off events and festivals including programing in the new Dance Village at Glastonbury Festival. F.U.N. carry out production work and are part of the managment team for The Glade Festival and Beautiful Days Festival F.U.N. are the UK agents for Spain's Natural Productions booking the international artists for their 6,000 people events in Seville.
F.U.N. Events has now been set up to promote larger gigs featuring Live Acts. Events are held around the UK.

Beatz & Bobz / Functional – A potted history
Since it’s inception at the tail end of the 90’s Beatz & Bobz has been pivotal in the development of the breakbeat scene. From recognising ‘Nu-Skool Breaks’ as one of the most influential and exciting genres to emerge from the late 90’s, Beatz & Bobz has continued to pave the way by bringing some of the biggest and most influential DJs in the world to their west country club. Alongside this, Beatz & Bobz have been responsible for bringing the sound we all know and love to major UK events including Glastonbury Festival, The Glade Festival and Beautiful Days as well as internationally to events such as WMC and beyond.With it’s sister label ‘Functional Breaks’ (now Functional Records) launching in the same year; the label has pushed sounds from local talent, the clubs resident DJs as well as big name artists and DJ’s who’ve performed at the venue. Over the years the label has also been responsible for the ‘Beatz & Bobz’ mix album series featuring cutting edge mixes from residents and friends of the label, as well as artist album projects from local hero The Spoon Wizard through to internationally renowned artists such as Dreadzone.

 

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FREE DOWNLOAD OF A LIVE VERSION OF RENNIE PILGREM'S NEW SINGLE 'NU ERA'

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Myspace.com

We now have dedicated myspace sites for
Functional www.myspace.com/functionalrecords and Beatz & Bobz www.myspace.com/beatzandbobz10

 
Gig and Club Nights

STIR back for first party of 2008

Having packed out Heaven last October, STIR returns to the legendary club to give the Glade Festival community their first chance to hooley together in 2008. As the undisputed heavyweight champion of underground dance festivals, Glade is known for its up for it, friendly crowd and this inevitably translates to the STIR parties, which attract people from all over the UK, making it a sweet rarity in London clubland. With a range of music styles from Psy-trance to dirty breakbeats, minimal techno to ‘outerworldy’ sounds, STIR is unique in that musically, it has something for everyone.

This STIR is the London launch party for two artists - Headroom’s & Rennie Pilgrem’s with Rennie’s available exclusively to clubbers by SMS texting on the night... Four killer rooms hosted by Nano Records, Breaksday (Breakspoll nominated) , Pathaan and Minimal Mayhem showcase cutting edge dance at its best - get there early - last time it filled up fast.

The Line up speaks for itself:

Nano Records: Headroom Allaby Dickster Regan Flip Flop Ans

Breaksday:
Rennie Pilgrem & Chickaboo Elite Force Dub Pistols Soundsystem feat. Rodney P Ctrl Z Jay Cunning Larry Nelson

Tribes feat Liquid Sound Allstars:
Pathaan Alex Paterson Subsonar Nick Manasseh

Minimal Mayhem: James Munro Si Baring Josko with Special Guests

Breaksday & Nano present STIR
Date: Friday 9th May 2008
Time: 10pm – 7am
Music: Breaks, Psy-Trance, House, Techno, Chill
Price: £13 advance tickets from G Tickets
Venue: Heaven, 13 De Villiers St, London, WC2N 6NG
Tel: 0207 930 2020
Tube: Embankment or Charing Cross
Website: STIR / Nano Records / Breaksday

Next FUN Events Gigs
 

Date: Wedesday 14th May2008
Venue: Great Hall
Address: Exeter University, Exeter
Doors: 7.30pm
Tickets: £16 + b/f
www.gtickets.co.uk
www.seetickets.com  

Next Exeter Club Nights
Coming soon to Beatz & Bobz Plump Djs
Tickets available now from www.wegottickets .com www.exeterboxoffice.com www.gtickets.co.uk
 
promote parties around the South West, Exeter nights are held in The Cavern Club, Exeter Phoenix and Exeter University’s 'Lemon Grove' Beatz & Bobz have also held nights around the Westcountry with nights in Plymouth's Falmouth and Penzance. Check out previous guests at Beatz & Bobz here
Latest Releases from Functional

We have a few limited edition Functional shirts availabe from our webshop

WE ALSO HAVE A FEW BREAKSDAY @ GLADE 2006 T SHIRTS FOR SALE

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FBCD013 Uberzone ‘Ideology’

Uberzone is the musical alter-ago of Southern California native Q (named after the gizmo-loving James Bond character.)  Having won an army of fans with his debut album ‘Faith In The Future’, the past five years have seen him criss-cross the globe with his dynamic live show.

Finally finding time to get back in the studio, in between mixing albums for the likes of Distinct’ive Records ‘Y4K’ series, the don of US breaks is now set to release his sophomore album ‘Ideology’ on Functional Records.

‘Ideology’ is a refreshing blend of solid song-writing, timeless melodies and upfront breaks, and the result of a lot of quality time spent in the studio ‘experimenting with equipment’.  “To me, the most engaging aspect of writing electronic music is the interaction with the gear,” Q explains.  “Whether it’s a drum machine, a synthesizer or a piece of ‘found sound’ that I’m manipulating in Reaktor.  The whole process is the part that I love the most.  I love the creative building blocks of the music.  The more you’re involved with every single facet of the music, the more your identity is going to be engrained.” 

The glitch-funk of album opener ‘Okay’ is stamped with Q’s personality andleads into the tech driven ‘4 Bit’; a future single that has already caught the ears of Hybrid, who are currently working on a remix.  The pulsating atmosphere of first single ‘Satisfaction’ provides a rough energetic dancefloor workout, while the charismatic ‘FUBAR’ oozes infectious breaks appeal.  Title track ‘Ideology’ is a mellower affair and, alongside ‘M87’ and ‘Blackhole’ provides some of the album’s more laid-back moments, perfectly showcasing the melodious side of Uberzone.

Q first burst onto the scene in his Uberzone guise in the mid-1990’s, releasing a series of sought after singles, including ‘Botz’, ‘The Freaks’ and ‘2Kool4Skool’, on the City Of Angels label and immediately stamping his own unique trademark on the scene.  A slew of remix requests followed as well as a collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa and a high profile tour with The Crystal Method.  Carving himself an identity as one of the scenes innovators, his debut album featured collaborations with artists from Beenie Man to Rennie Pilgrem and spawned Uberzone’s dynamic live show.  Featuring the talents of scratch DJ Davey Dave and drummer Alex Rosson, the Uber-live experience has taken in crowds the world over and is heading to the UK this summer for special performances at Glastonbury and Glade.

FB013 Available Now

 

 

FB014 Beazt & Bobz Vol 7
Rennie Pilgrem 'Live In The Cavern'

FB014 Released 18th Oct

2007 is a landmark year for the Functional / Beatz & Bobz family, as the West Country club night approaches its tenth anniversary.  Starting life as a party in Exeter’s Cavern Club, the night has since grown into a breakbeat establishment showcasing local talent, and bringing big name DJs to the monthly shindig.

To celebrate a decade in dance, the Beatz & Bobz crew have teamed up with sister label Functional to release the seventh instalment in their compilation series.  Following mixes from the likes of Tayo, Atomic Hooligan and Dreadzone, they have drafted in another heavyweight of the scene, calling in Rennie Pilgrem to deliver an exclusive live mix combining the great and the good of what the breaks scene has to offer.

Recorded live at his June 1st Cavern gig, Rennie expands on the formula he first utilised over four years ago for Perfecto, when he recorded the first ever Ableton Live mix album.  Incorporating live keyboards, samples and MCing, Rennie uses the experience he has gained with his TCR Allstars Band (one of the ‘20 Live Dance Acts You Must See’ according to DJ Mag) to deliver a CD, which perfectly captures the unique atmosphere of a Beatz & Bobz night. 

Opening with his own ‘Nu Era’, Rennie takes listeners on a journey through the bass-driven dancefloor stomp of DJ Icey’s ‘Gonzo Fuse’, taking in the reggae-tinged funk of ‘Babylon Breaks’ by Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought, Uberzone’s future classic ‘Satisfaction’ and the old school electro sampling ‘Hyperspeed’ by the Drumattic Twins’.

To tie in with the release of the album, and showcase what they do best, Beatz & Bobz are also taking to the road this autumn, with a series of live dates up and down the country.  The 10th Anniversary tour will then culminate in two extra special parties – in London and Exeter – bringing together the best of the past decade of breaks.  Watch this space for more info…

Tracklisting
1. ‘Nu Era’ Rennie Pilgrem
2. ‘Gonzo Fuse’ DJ Icey
3. ‘Feel My…Tom Real v the Rogue Element (Madox Mix)
4. ‘Edit’ JDS
5. ‘Clobber’ Rennie Pilgrem (VIP Edit)
6. ‘Shoe Monkey’ Spoon Wizard (Tom Real v the Rogue Element)
7.  ‘Hood Thang’ Boabinga & ID
8.  ‘Babylon Breaks’Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought
9.  ‘Elevate’ Dreadzone (Roxilla Mix)
10.  ‘Eraser’ Rennie Pilgrem VIP Edit
11. ‘Satisfaction’ Uberzone
12.  ‘Funk Rock’ Back Draft
13.  ‘Hyperspeed’ Drumattic Twins
14 ‘Moving The Hype’ Aquasky/ Crash Berlin feat Kool Keith (Nick Thayer mix)
15.  ‘Shredder’ Far To Loud
16.  ‘Let's The Beats Roll’ Tim Deluxe (Rennie Pilgrem Mix)

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Beatz & Bobz Residents Ben & Lex

Brand new show for NSB Radio Ben & Lex present a brand new fortnightly show on NSB radio 'The Beatz & Bobz Show'. The long time NSB radio DJs have hung up there pint glasses and said fareware to ‘The Beer Session’ but its not all sad news as they have hooked up with Beatz & Bobz (One of the UK's longest running breaks night) and breaks label Functional to bring you exclusive guest mixes from Functional artists plus live sets from the Beatz & Bobz club night. So expect sets from Dreadzone. JDS, Tom Real vs Rogue Element, Hyper, Freestylers plus loads more..

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We are pleased to announce that after the dramas of our record distributer INTERGROOVE going into liquidation 'Functional's' Vinyl and CD releases will be distributed by S.R.D. www.southern.com/southern/label/SRD

FB052   RENNIE PILGREM / DJ ICEY  A: ‘Nu Era’ Rennie Pilgrem  AA: ‘Gonzo Fuse’ DJ Icey                      

THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS OF BREAKBEAT FROM THE UK AND THE USA COME TOGETHER ON ONE RELEASE
Rennie Pilgrem AKA  the Godfather of the breaks scene is one of the people that was responsible for the birth and an influential figure in the growth of the genre over the last 10 years. Rennie has always been known for breaking new ground, he did the first ever Ableton Live mix Album For Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto Breaks Series a whopping 4 Years ago. He has now taken the rather ‘tired’ mix album concept a step further by incorporating ‘Live’ keyboards, samples and MCing into the equation. This has been inspired in part by Ronnie’s experiences with his ‘TCR Allstars Band’ who are ‘One Of The 20 Live Dance Acts You Must See’ alongside The Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx according to IDJ Magazine. Nu Era is a full on Breakbeat monster written especially to open the 10th Birthday Edition Beatz & Bobz Mix CD series  ‘Beatz & Bobz Vol 7 Rennie Pilgrem Live in The Cavern Club’ a ‘Live’ mix recorded ‘Live’ so you get the real atmosphere of Beatz & Bobz at The Cavern Club Exeter.
Born and raised in Florida, DJ Icey has been mesmerized by electronic music ever since hearing the synthesizer breakdown on The Edgar Winter Group’s Frankenstein". "My mom had that album and I would play that middle part over and over wondering how they made that sound,” Icey recounts. “I was little and thought it was so cool".
Rising to worldwide prominence out of the fertile Orlando Florida electronic music scene. Icey cut his teeth at the legendary EDGE nightclub in the mid-90s, and even persuaded The Chemical Brothers to play their first show Stateside there. When The Edge closed in 1996, DJ Icey hit the road… and has stayed on it since, playing 100+ gigs per year!
But that doesn’t keep him out of the studio during the week working on new tracks for his Indie Labels Zone and Tree records, constantly trying to push the envelope to make his fans sweat on the dance floor. The new material is then cut on dub plates and tested out on weekend gigs: “There is nothing better than finishing a tune and seeing the reaction from a crowded dancefloor right after finishing it," Functional are proud to be releasing his latest bass driven, dancefloor rockin tune ‘Gonzo Fuse’ which is also to be found in Rennies Mix for Beatz & Bobz.

 


Released 17/09/2007

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FB047 DJ Killer   ‘Acid’ A. Original Mix. B. Plaza Da Funk Remix.

Fourth outing on Functional for Dj Killer one of Spain’s leading DJ /Producers,  DJ Killer has been a pioneer of the Breakbeat sound in Spain since 94, Breakbeat has gone on to become one of the most popular styles of dance music in the area. In 1994 Killer started a club called “El Punto” in Andujar, Southern Spain, playing House, Breakbeat and Techno converting the locals to dance music and cementing his reputation as one of the areas leading DJs. Since then Rafa has played at all the major Dance Events in Spain including the Festivals  Satisfaxion Live Dance Festivals, Techno Tax Madrid, Tribal Nation, Flash Back, Break nation, and many more. Rafa has been producing tracks for4 the last 5 years and this we feel is hios finest to date, Rafa is busy not only writing Breaks but also Tech House and Deep House and running his own Breaks label ‘Natural’ in Spain

Plaza de Funk aka Marcello De Angelis has been producing and djing for the past 5 years.
Since moving to London in early 2004, he has been djing in clubs such as Ministry Of Sound, Turnmills, 333, Industry and Inigo as well as all over the country – and has hooked up with established breaks imprint West Records. The liaison with West led to the  release of the Got The Funk Ep on West Records in 2005 (Dj Mag Sureplayer – n.6 in the Beats and Breaks chart). Backed with a remix courtesy of Madox, the Ep received strong support from all the major players in the breaks scene and spawned a nomination for best remix at Breakspoll 2006 – it was also recently included in the Beatz and Bobz volume 6 compilation mixed by Jds on Functional.
Next up was the Back Home Ep - released on Italian label Mantra Breaks to great reactions and again voted Dj Mag Sureplayer.
It’s also been a busy year for remixes,  with MI Loki on Tricksta, Drum Monkeys on Westway (dancefloor destroyer in Dj Mag) and Dj Killer on Functional all receiving the Plaza remix treatment and more remix action in the pipeline for 2007 as well as a new Ep for West Records due for release in the near future.

 

Released March 19th 2007

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Recent CD Releases  
Dreadzone
'Once Upon A Time'
Dreadzone
'Live At Sunrise'
Functional's
Finest Moments
 
 

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F.U.N.'s founder Biff won the Radio One 'Grass Roots' Award at the 2004 Breakspoll awards held at Fabric, London in February see www.breakspoll.com


Functional Shop
OUR NEW ONLINE STORE OPEN NOW FOR CDS AND VIYNL
The Functional full back catalouge is now available for Digital Download
Other Stuff
 
Check out F.U.N.'s History.
Interview with F.U.N.'s Biff for 24/7 Magazine.
The F.U.N. website made the last eight for the UK YELL awards for best use of technology in a website in July 2000.
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