Father Funk

Fusing elements of Funk, Hip Hop and Disco with floor shaking electronic beats, Father Funk, real name Will Williamson, has this unique, genre bending, party rocking style that has gained him a cult following worldwide. Always delivered with a cheeky grin and a thunderous onstage energy, his eclectic sets have torn the roof off nightclubs and festival stages across the globe.

Williamson has always had eclectic taste in music. When he was a kid growing up in rural England he played guitar, bass and trombone in everything from punk groups to Samba bands. "I started making electronic music when I was 14, starting taking it more seriously at 16 and started DJing at 17," he says. "When I first heard soulful drum and bass with a jazz mix — basically when I heard electronic music that's soulful and sexy, I got into it."

But it wasn't until a friend first showed him the Shambhala mix from Kelowna-based Stickybuds that the Father Funk moniker was born. "To play on that same stage (at Shambhala) four years later is pretty mind blowing," he says. "It has been quite crazy. I haven't had a moment to take it in. I've just been working my tits off since I was 17, but I'm not complaining."

While his taste might seem all over the map, all those songs have one thing in common. "Music that's made for money is soulless," he says. "Anything people make because they love and believe it, I'll enjoy."

To that end, he's open to remixing "anything I think is a jam," he says. "Some people might not agree, but if I put it in context, it works. (I play) tunes you could never play together in a club. That's what's exciting about it." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.