Single Review by Mark Bayross
After the fairly subdued comeback single LOVESONG earlier this year, Utah Saints have released FUNKY MUSIC to remind us that we can still rely on them to fill dance floors. Enlisting the help of soul legend Edwin Starr on vocals, this is a supremely funky chunk of hook-laden techno.
With crunchy metal guitars, layered rhythms and a vocal line so catchy you’ll find it hard to remove it from inside your head for weeks, this is a tune that’s as much fun to listen to as they appear to have had making it.
The single comes across two CDs and is backed by a number of remixes. I only had the first one to review, and while all the remixes on that CD are pretty funky, they aren’t too different from the original. The exception to this is the Dope Smugglaz remix, which strips the track down to its percussive elements and messes around with Edwin Starr’s vocals.
With their follow-up to 1993’s self-titled debut album due in the summer, Utah Saints are getting ready to reclaim the crossover techno throne from the Prodigy, Chemical Brothers et al. This superb single should give them just the head start they need.
