Bilal Arshad is from the deep suburbs of Washington, DC and has recently rebranded himself with the moniker, Funkdamentalist. His productions focus on the fundamentals of House music and tend to trend towards the deeper end of the House spectrum. Starting at the end of 2012 into early 2013, Funkdamentalist has 4 EPs scheduled to be released on respected labels like i!Records, Headset Recordings, and Jesus Pablo and Di Riviera's Something Different Records. I first saw him DJ when he opened for Pleasurekraft at U Street Music Hall this past December. His set was incredible and set the tone for what was one of the most raucous nights of the year at our favorite club.
As of late, Bilal has been busy working on new productions and remixes, launching a record label, and playing DJ gigs around the city. His most recent release, "One" came out on January 9th on Headset Records. You can preview it below or purchase it here. In addition, Bilal has teamed up with Sam Khosh (AKA Soul Sway) to launch their new imprint "Silence in Metropolis." Expect some big things and great material to come out of this label in the coming years. Bilal and Sam also have begun teaming up as a duo known as Two McFlys. Together, they put together classic and contemporary sounds which draw influence from Deep, Techno, Garage, Detroit to Elecronica. Definitely keep an eye out for them in 2013. This guestmix from Funkdamentalist clocks in at one second over an hour and features some incredible tracks as well as world premiere exclusive material. It also includes two original tracks that he produced, and it will give you a good sense of his style as a DJ. I thoroughly enjoyed every track in this mix, so its hard to pick out a couple to mention as highlights. More noteworthy, is how this mix flows from one track to the next, maintaining a deep, yet dancey theme.
This guestmix went straight onto my Ipod after my first listen and we really hope you enjoy it as well. Big thanks to Funkdamentalist for taking the time to put it together for DPC. Check out the interview while you listen to the mix (bottom of the page):
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