Emilio Mustafá’s ‘Funk City’ arrives with a simple proposition: make an album that grooves. Across ten tracks, the Colombian producer draws from house, UK garage, disco, funk, techno and Latin club music, stitching those influences together with a distinctly underground sensibility. The result is energetic, playful and occasionally unruly, but rarely short on ideas.
The album gets moving quickly. ‘Intro’ feat. Aguafiestas sets the tone with jazzy instrumentation and spoken word vocals before’ Dub Theories (The Dub Project)’ drops into rolling deep house territory. Heavy bass, sharp key stabs, soul samples and dubby vocal fragments establish Mustafá’s strengths early: rhythm comes first, while the details reveal themselves gradually.
‘Cheese Pull ‘is one of the record’s strongest moments. Its squelching bass and UKG rhythm eventually give way to Rhodes improvisation and organic bass, creating a convincing meeting point between programmed club mechanics and live musicianship. ‘Short Skirt Funk’ takes a more direct route, locking into a heads down groove that prioritises movement over complexity.
The stylistic shifts continue. ‘Watcha Gonna Do’ brings grime-influenced UK garage, while ‘En La Disco (Discoqueta)’ delivers exactly what its title promises: a high energy disco workout. ‘Da Hype’ returns to house with hip hop influenced vocal chops, haunting synths and a rude boy bassline, before ‘Invisible Criminal ‘introduces new jack swing influences.
The title track is a particular highlight, combining ’90s garage house rhythms with jazzy touches and plenty of forward momentum. It feels nostalgic without becoming trapped in nostalgia, a difficult line to walk when so much contemporary club music is looking backwards.
The closing ‘Noche Entera’ moves towards techno and features Mustafá’s own voice, adding a more personal dimension before Yesca’s remix closes proceedings.
Ultimately, ‘Funk City’ isn’t trying to reinvent house music. Its ambition is more grounded: to bring together the sounds Mustafá loves and make them work in the same room. This is music made for movement, built around bass, swing and groove, and when Funk City locks in, it does exactly what a good club record should.
The ‘Funk City’ LP is available here