DJ’s at KUCI seem to all be seriously down with their No Mainstream Manifesto” (like it was a blood oath in fact), but one DJ actually “gets down” in total free-form funky fashion. She is known as DJ TanhT, y’all. Like a stick of fiery DY-NO-MiTE, she knows how to “bring it;”  blasting a world of sheer funky goodness into the faces of her listeners every Tuesday on her show “Funk your Face.” She does not stop the fireworks there. She goes even deeper into the Funk, dropping the bomb class knowledge about a genre she obviously is feelin’ the passion for. She lays down a fine smooth foundation, and lights up the history on everything the sound of funk and its related genres give to the body, mind, and soul, all in preparation to thoroughly “Funk your Face.”

TanhT is Tops when it comes to guiding her listeners to get their groove on, tuning them into the funk, soul, Afro-beat, jazz, reggae, instrumental hip hop, and anything that boogies.

While TanhT has a witty yet bluesy nurturing nature- a real soul sweetened radio persona, she does not shy away from the “meatiest of beats,” spinning some of the sexiest old school tracks that make you wanna get loose and shake your caboose, put the “Loco” in your motion, and get down to the funky cuts in a way that would make the Soul Train strut its stuff.

Pilot episode of a 1996 cartoon “The Name is Bootsy Baby”. “More bass in the monitors!” Bootsy Collins Cartoon

So  if you’re not ready to get down to some funk-filled underground, and vibe out to some well dressed music, you best back your self up on out of here and Save your Face from getting Funked. TanhT puts the FUN in FUNk, on her groovy “Roller Coaster of Love” ride. She exudes a playful, flirty, and provocative style which seems to keep her ” Super Funky Chicken”  listeners coming “bok bok” for more week after week, from near and far; some even as distant  as the UK.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Moments

 TanhT  knows how to spice things up and keep the variety going on, as she never serves up the same funky meal twice.  She goes from playing sets of Sun-Ra one week, sassy with some Big and Brassy from “Hypnotic Brass Ensemble” the next, to serving up some eclectic, evocative groove oriented originals from LA based band “Orgone” on this past Tuesday’s show. While TanhT was playing some marvelous sets from them, she invited listeners to dig into the Funk and check out the meaning of the word “Orgone.” Word Up ! TanhT mixes her fresh style nicely into the funky flow of the musical ether, cuz its all about the creative energy no doubt.

Orgone “Ain’t No Use” (Live from the Nectar Lounge, Seattle) 

Yes , without a doubt there is never a dull moment when tuned into “TanhT Tuesdays,”  a true “Afternoon Delight” of Funking Your Face with beats that will surely move that junk in your trunk,  in ways that would have even made the late great Don Cornelius blush.

In her RadioFlag profile she describes her show with phrases like, “Cut a Rug, Give A Hug, Music For Your Mug,” and during her show you will hear her describe the   “Funk your Face”  experience,  using  her trademark show language such a “Funky, bumpy, never grumpy music for your ears.”

 

So if it’s your first time tuning in to “Funk YourFace,” be prepared for some explosive Funktastic sets, because as the name implies, DJ TanhT is Funkalicious!  While blazing through a hot trail of tracks from her raw repertoire of vinyl, her sultry radio voice runs along the radiowaves, like a silky smooth stocking seam racing into the perked up ears of her funk-fanatic listeners,  leaving them hotly anticipating what “get down” beats are superfly enough to make it on to her turntable next.  Her collection of boogie inducing and booty shaking genres by legendary artists, creates the kind of pizzazz that puts the “snazz in jazz” and then some.

George Duke – Funkin’ for the Thrill (1979)

This special DJ also draws from the sentiments and ideas of those whose quotes she takes great pleasure in sharing with her listeners:  

“Dirt. Soil. It’s almost like jazz is linear, it’s like air. Funk to me, and soul to a degree, is like the earth. It’s the bottom of it all. It’s the beginning. It’s where it started. Gospel was kind of clean, it was like clean dirt. Funk is dirty dirt. Funk is funny. I never take funk seriously. I would feel funny playing funk in a place like Carnegie Hall because it’s not funkyenough…– George Duke

 

As gritty and sizzling as things can get during the “Funk Your Face” show, there are times when I have heard TanhT change the tempo into a sheer mellow purr of a pace.  Often times while she is exploring new school artists and revisiting with old school legends, her musical palette and ear for raw original music, allows the show to segue into a timeless shrine of golden soulful sounds.

Her extension through the funk timeline, digs deep through generations of groove infused sound, returning you to the roots and true soul of all the music she spins, which are vast and without boundaries. The date or origin no longer seem to matter if it’s the true funk right? It becomes a flawless expression at some points. If it makes you feel good then there’s nothing to worry about; that place when you discover that your feelin’ the funk so much,  that you totally unwind into an easy going state of mind! That’s the Chill side of Funk and there is nothing cooler.

Dam-Funk – Hood Pass Intact

Being a stand out  Dj is an Art , just like everything in its highest expression,  so this is a show that every true music lover should tune in to.  TanhT will take you to funky new heights, leaving you with no worries, cuz once  her vinyl vibes nestle down deep into your ear drums you will hear only your souls hum. This is a place you may not realize you’re missing, until you begin to hear that soulful hissing, and once you get down up in here, you will miss it when you’re not there. So remember to live in the moment, because like TanhT says it, “Funk is Life.”

Fela Kuti – Who No Know Go Know

Tune in to Funk Your Face on 88.9fm kuci.org and listen up every Tuesday from 1pm-3pm. Flag her on RadioFlag @FUNKYOURFACE. Catch all of her archived playlists over at her tumblr blog or find her on Facebook

By: Air Ambrosia and TrebledResonance
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