Pigeons aren’t necessarily the first birds that come to mind when we think of funk, but that doesn’t mean these rats of the street don’t know a stonecold groove when they hear one. San Francisco natives Sutekh (aka Seth Horvitz) and Kit Clayton (aka Joshua Kit Clayton) aren’t the first producers that come to mind when we think of funk either, but as Pigeon Funk the veteran West Coast glitch kingpins have delivered an angular and crazed version of 23rd-century funk from an ultra-robotic future. Get ready for The Largest Bird in the History of the Planet… Ever! For those who are already familiar with the work of the two men involved, this second Pigeon Funk album should come as no surprise: the duo specialize in -drawer, maximalist playfulness, angular funk with blocks of squirms, whistles, horns, Latino squabbles, and faux-lounge robotics tripping over each other in a sonic playground that reveals new dimensions with every listen. The Largest Bird in the History of the Planet… Ever! is a braindancer’s delight, well within the label’s tradition of surrealist mindbending for the dancefloor. This 12-track voyage through the wild imaginations of the West-Coast vanguard is a bible for serious beat manipulators hell bent on putting a smile on the listener’s face. This is no ordinary techno album; the two producers at the helm here are godfathers of the San Francisco techno scene and, as a result, have an impeccable track record of frothing personality. Though many of you may remember Pigeon Funk being a trio on their 2004 Proptronix/Onitor co-release Proptronix presents: Pigeon Funk!, for their 2007 return on Montreal’s Musique Risquée the Funksters return as a lean duo; however, they enlist a host of collaborators on various tracks, including vocalists, instrumentalists, and even a klezmer ensemble.
But Pigeon Funk is all pedigree. Kit Clayton, who owns the Orthlorng Musork label, has four albums to his name, Research, and Carpark among others over his decade-long career in computer music. Sutekh, who has spent the last few years recording for the always-quality Soul Jazz and Leaf labels, is the producer behind full-length demented techno monsters like 2000’s Periods.Make.Sense and 2002’s Incest Live, two gems that appeared on Force Inc. at the height of the Frankfurt’s label’s heyday.
And they aren’t kidding when they claim this album to be The Largest Bird in the Planet… Ever! Funk has yet to meet the talons of a pigeon this big, and the outcome is bound to be messy, loud, and unprecedented!