03/29/2024

Yattafunk Alternative Madness from Italy

Yattafunk was born in 2014 as a side-project for every member of the band but in a short time they release their debut album “Yattafunk Sucks”, powered by Ghost Record Label and distributed by Crashsound and Code 7, thanks to the energy they spread on stage too, that brings the band on everyone’s lips.
The album receives broad support from the press but the band’s strenuos live activity creates a divide between its members: drummer and bass guitarist left, then brothers Funk Norris (vocals/guitars) and Arnold Funkenegger (lead guitars) immediately search to find their substitutes. But in 2018 basically the trail goes cold, the label is obliged to use Photoshop and publish some rehearsals photos to hide the truth: Norris and Funkenegger got arrested and led to Funkatraz penitentiary where they met Funkardo DiCaprio (bass) and Funkester Stallone (drums), future members of the band.
The fabolous four pull a boneheaded escape, thanks to all the yogurt’s little spoons saved, that allow them to dig a tunnel to Rome. Now they are perpetually on the run hunted by CIA, FBI, forest rangers and parking
attendants and at the end of every concert they immediately get in their cars not to be arrested again.

MWZ: Tell us something about the band?
Funk Norris:
Hi everyone, this is Funk Norris from Yattafunk. What about the band? We’re four crazy guys that still think heavy music can be done in Italy and, just to make things a little bit harder, we’re dusting off that 90’s american funk metal since 2016. At the same time we’re four different guys with different tastes and musical background and this makes Yattafunk not just a funk metal band, as our music embraces funk metal for sure, but also hard rock, classic heavy metal, some kind of alternative metal and, why not, glam metal. You can totally love or hate Yattafunk but can’t say we’re not one of a kind.

MWZ: “Escape From Funkatraz” is the next album! Tell us something about it?
Funk Norris:
We’re so proud of the new album. “Yattafunk Sucks” was an experiment, we decided to record and mix the whole thing like a band teleported in the 70s, making some heavy metal. It’s somewhat like Grand Funk Railroad or early Deep Purple turned into two heavy metal bands in the 70s. Sound had to be rude to work, but while everyone was appreciating the music, the way we recorded left a stale after-taste. So this time we focused on improving that part but, hey, we haven’t gone too far, this time it looks like we’ve been teleported in the glorious 90s. And as ever I completely refused melodyne or auto-tune. It sounds very solid and modern this time but still no special tricks. I can’t stand them and what you’re going to listen is just the result of our joint capabilities and really nothing more.

MWZ: What about the lyrics?
Funk Norris:
I don’t like to talk about things I don’t know or give advices with my lyrics. Yattafunk means fun, so I write funny lyrics, exasperating many aspects of human being, on the brink of insanity. But I’m not to be trusted, let me make this clear, it’s just funny shit.

MWZ: Why the band mix metal, some funky music?
Funk Norris:
Yes, as I told you before we’re four different guys. We can say I’m the hard rock guy, Arnold Funkenegger and Funkardo DiCaprio are the metal guys and Funkester Stallone is the real engine behind the funky stuff with his grooves and drumming. Once mixed the whole thing, the result is absolutely thrilling and totally Yattafunk.

MWZ: Yattafunk has chosen to release two singles “Motu Generation” and “Slut Machine”! Are they the most rapresentative songs of the album?
Funk Norris:
It’s been a hard decision. Every track could be potentially chosen as a single, as they all have the right stuff, so we decided to take a vote, ranking and comparing our personal favourites. Motu generation and Slut machine just won the lottery.

MWZ: What do you expect from music criticism?
Funk Norris:
No prejudice, no quick listenings to understand that we live in a country where heavy metal has never been a mainstream genre and that we’ve all experienced many difficulties while trying to write down some good music, expecially considering this is not our primary business.

MWZ: How is the metal scene underground on your country?
Funk Norris:
The preceding sentence says it all. Metal music, but rock music too, is dying. New generation likes rap, trap or commercial pop music and there are only a few of us still in love with rock music, coming from the previous generation where I belong myself. But I hope I’m wrong about the future. For now I only meet young guys that don’t have the faintest idea of who Type O Negative, Suicidal Tendencies or Loverboy are, just to give an exemple. That’s sad, really sad.

MWZ: How much is really important the stage?
Funk Norris:
Stage is life, stage is defining. I think the real me is the one yelling, screaming and jumping on the stage. It has no boundaries, up there you’re like Connor MacLeod, feeling immortality, eh eh.

MWZ: That’s all! Greete our readers with a message!
Funk Norris:
Follow us guys, I assure you will find something really different by listening to us, as we’re going to deliver a large amount of fun and musical madness. See you soon.

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