Making up the rhythm section of long-time Melbourne soul favourites The Cactus Channel, Karate
Boogaloo remind us of the beauty of colouring outside the lines; their unconventional funk guided by a steadfast commitment to bending the rules.
The quartet spent their early-20s recording in mouldy home studios and sweaty attic recording spaces, reimagining deep funk and wonky soul into an off-kilter sound that leans heavily on cinematic themes, classic breaks and library music. A sound delivered with a highly refined sense of inelegance,
tongue-in-cheek humour and a sometimes jarring dose of zany 21st-century surrealism.
Karate Boogaloo consistently sit in their own lane – their combination of raw musicianship and sheer time on the clock playing together in the studio and on stage gives them a glowing presence rarely seen. Making records, they follow their own rules; recording and mixing on tape with no plugins and no edits, releasing exclusively in mono. It’s not about anachronism, it’s about the KB manifesto: a chosen set of limitations forcing a specific outcome, an outcome best appreciated through their “KB’s Mixtape” series of LPs.
Karate Boogaloo joined us in the studio in the lead up to their Mixtape No. 2 release out this September via Hopestreet Recordings.
Listen back to Karate Boogaloo's Studio 5 Live session. Proudly brought to you by Mountain Goat.