Story by Luna Bacce
NuFunk and indie soul are vibrant hybrid genres blending the nostalgic touches of classic funk/soul with current electronic pop production sensibilities and the indie urge to innovate. These artists are at the cusp of the genre, each interpreting the vibe in their own way.
NuFunk and Indie Soul thrive upon some brilliant contrasts between the love of warm analog records and mixing, but they thrive in the midst of crisp, electronic pop production. Across live basements and festival stages, a new generation of musicians is taking classic basslines, talkbox synths, and psychedelic vocal stacks, stripping away any lingering retro gimmickry, and building an immediate sound for right now. These six outfits are at the leading, bleeding edge of that shift.
MIDNIGHT GENERATION
Dialing in a full live band to the funky, electronic Daft Punk sound is no easy feat, but Mexican funksters Midnight Generation have done that and more with a body of work that epitomizes the modern era of funk. From their talkbox-filled viral hit “Don’t Wait Up” to “Teacher,” filled with Parcels a la Nile Rodgers-esque guitar work, they have encapsulated the aesthetic while bringing an earnest, emotional lyricism to their songs. Their latest single “Almost My Own” swells with cinematic drama as the song laments a love that wasn’t quite. Building to what’s becoming their signature dose of talkbox synth, the track rides an undeniable groove while still emoting a healthy dose of melancholy and yearning. Midnight Generation is a disco-electronic pop group from northern Mexico, founded and fronted by Fernando Mares. Since 2015, the band has been crafting a distinctive sound rooted in funk grooves and dance-driven rhythms, taking them from local stages to audiences around the world.
ADI OASIS
Bassist/vocalist extraordinaire Adi Oasis holds down the ever-so-crucial low-end of modern funk with her R&B-dosed slow jams and upbeat disco grooves alike. With a repertoire that has brought her to jazz fests and dance clubs, she brings a strong female presence to the nu-funk world. Between collaborations with Cerrone, Honey Dijon, Levan Kali, and Young Franco, plus appearances alongside Lenny Kravitz, Masego, Anderson.Paak, Thundercat, and more, she has proved her versatility across genres.
Adi’s latest single, “Silver Lining,” her first collaboration with celebrated producer Carrtoons, is a funk-soaked manifesto about embracing chaos and refusing to wait for perfect conditions. The remixes to follow showcase her embrace of nu disco, house, and all the funky genres in between.
French Caribbean singer, bassist, and fashion icon Adi Oasis took the world by storm with her debut album “Lotus Glow”. Released in early 2023, the album showcased Adi’s trademark soaring vocals, funky bass, and retro-futurist production.
CAPYAC
Perhaps the most unhinged on this list, CAPYAC have always been funky while distinctly in their own lane, blending nearly every genre across their decade-deep catalog, ceaselessly improvisational live shows, and an absurdist visual portfolio. Covering French Touch to minimal techno, spy-movie jazz to indie chill, their funk knows no bounds.
Their new single “Big CrUsh En3rgY” exhibits the nu-disco / electronic funk artist at their catchiest, with an upbeat yet emotional summer-fling confessional.
Born in Austin and rebuilt in Berlin and LA, the trio has spent the last decade mutating funk, house, and techno into something theatrical and raw. Their latest album, “Sobbing Ecstasy,” hits harder, glossier, sadder, and sharper. It’s for sweating out grief at 3 AM, crying in the strobes, and kissing strangers you’ll never see again.
What started as a joke band playing pots and pans around a pool of guacamole has evolved into a full-blown emotional exorcism. Big synths, dramatic lyrics, and live shows that split the line between rave, drag, and fever dream.
They’ll make you dance. Then they’ll gut you. Gently.
SAY SHE SHE
Pulling together influences from Thai funk, dub, Afrobeat, and disco, and fittingly based in the “center of the universe,” NYC, discodelic funk band Say She She is led by the powerhouse vocal trio of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown. The group, supported by a cast of instrumentalists, brings together pulsing funk breaks, soaring harmonies, and a groove that can’t be stopped. Since their breakout debut album “Prism,” they have expanded upon their sound with albums/singles dabbling in yacht rock, vintage R&B, and some edgier, new wave touches to the protestful album “Cut & Rewind.”
Their latest single, “Pawa!,” is a collaboration with Indian vocalist Asha Puthli, bringing her distinct falsetto and spoken-word delivery to the effortless disco-funk groove. Together, their harmonious vocals and the lyrics of the song celebrate female fellowship, liberation, and empowerment.
All in all, Say She She promises a sweat-dripping, hip-shaking, mind-expanding good time.
RIC WILSON
Taking the grooves of funk and disco and spitting bars over them seems a simple idea enough, but no current artist has embodied it to the effect of “Disco Ric,” Chicago MC Ric Wilson.Crafting his songs with soulful vocals and hook-laden melodies plants his work firmly in the nu-funk / indie soul category, with hip-house a close cousin. Across a catalog of EPs, singles, and an album with an apt, funky pun title, “CLUSTERFUNK,” his “worldwide funk from Chicago, IL” invites audiences to dance while peppering in conscious rap commentary.
The electronic heavy numbers call to mind Channel Tres or KAYTRANADA, while his work with Chromeo and A-Trak is firmly rooted in live band yet smooth production funk.
His “America Runs on Disco” dance parties bring it all to life, connecting his sound, his activism, and his community in one place. His latest single “Whip It / Flip It” is a dancefloor-ready electro-funk jam with feel-good hooks.
A wealth of collaborations with Two Another, Mayer Hawthorne, Cool Company, Party Pupils, Yung Bae, and more firmly cement Ric Wilson’s position in the funkosphere.
Find Ric Wilson on Spotify and Instagram: @ricwilsonisme.
MAGIC CITY HIPPIES
The smoothest and slickest of our indie soul picks, Magic City Hippies lay a fine sheen over the funky licks, creating their own mosaic of poolside grooves and lingering, sun-kissed melodies.
Their latest single, “Snakes,” finds the Miami indie-funk darlings harkening back to a soul classic, complete with horn stabs, drum breaks, and a vocal croon.
Formed in 2015, the band is formally Robby Hunter, Pat Howard, and John Coughlin, with a cast of live band members, studio collaborators, and groove-centric confidantes. Across 4 albums, they’ve solidified a swagger that spans infectious funk, psychedelic pop, and lo-fi chillhop alike. Anchored by an energetic live show, they transition from psyched-out guitar solos to auto-tuned vocal chops and dueling keytars to percussion drum-offs, elevating their laid-back studio records to kinetic and captivating live renditions.
Marrying that indie-rock punch with classic, synth-forward textures, their latest album Enemies shows a group willing to evolve without losing the essence of their sound.