The Funkitorium

Before they made their way to planet Funktar, the band Philadelphia known as Arthur Thomas and the Funkitorium started to grow in 2018 at The Siege Sound studio in Southwest Philadelphia. It was perfect timing for Arthur Thomas, known as hip hop artist Slikk, to meet with producer N-Dot who both had issues with the way their music careers were going. Arthur was looking to go another route with his music and grow to be a rapper turned funk singer which was right up N-Dot’s production. The two start working together in Arthur’s studio and The Artistry Collective Studio getting Arthur to become more comfortable being slick on melodies like he did with his rap lyrics. The experimentation of Arthur’s new funky flow sliding on N-Dot's soulful gritty beats ended up creating The Funkitorium’s first single “How You Like Me Now?” This new sound the two artists created led to Arthur testing it out at an open mic event created by his good friend/hip hop artist, James Weldon, called The Juice Jam which lead to the two of them meeting the people they would refer to as band mates/brothers.

In 2019 the Juice Jam was held at an Ethiopian restaurant/bar called Dahlak. It was a jam session that attracted talented up-and-coming music artists like musicians, singers, rappers, &, etc., who wanted a place to perform and collaborate with their peers. Like many of the artists that came to The Juice Jam, Arthur was eager to test this new sound with a band and his eagerness lead him to talented artists. His song about only having $20 in his pocket caught the ear of soul singer Re-Mus whose falsettos were consistently making a reputation at The Juice Jam. Arthur’s funk energy made Re-mus agree to take this funk journey with him when they discussed forming a band. Arthur then also reached out to Justin, a laidback base player who was coming to The Juice Jam so much he eventually became the events house band The Experience, about joining the band who was automatically down with the idea. Nate was in every iteration of Arthur’s band, the guitar-wielding solo genius and showman. The journey seemed to have come to an end when Arthur met Chops, an eager drummer who was ready to venture out and take his skills outside just playing for his church. But it wasn’t until Chops asked why N-Dot practiced with them but didn’t perform as well. The producer added his skills on turntables to this groove collection and crowd control with the mic. The creation of this league of gentlemen of funk was finally completed and after endless sessions jamming with each other, they tested their West Philly funk on stage for the first time at World Cafe Live.

Arthur decided to sign him and his brothers up for a chance to perform at the Beta Hi Fi event at World Cafe Live. Once they got the opportunity they took advantage of it and rock the stage that night. That performance caught the attention of Philadelphia public radio station WXPN, who went on to reach out to them to do an in-studio session. That session led them to sign with Spring Garden Records in November 2019, then ended the year by reaping the benefits of their hard work by playing at World Cafe Live again for Philly Funk Fest. 

While the world shut down due to Covid-19, the group took time to record and put out singles “How You Like Me Now?,” and “Fried Chicken,” for their upcoming debut album Welcome To Funktar and performing at any shows they could get such as the 2020 Philly Music Fest and The Queen in Wilmington, Delaware. However, when things started to open back up the group came out swinging with vengeance. First, they dropped their debut album Welcome To Funktar on 2/26/2021. New songs like “Money Man,” Brown Skin Betty,” and “Slow Down,” made their city excited to hear new music from the band but even more excited to see them perform. Arthur decided to include more members in his funk collective and reached out to drummer Cam and keyboard player Dan. The two young musicians who were making names for themselves at the Juice Jam as well as performing with jazz band Omar’s Hat and hip hop artists Ivy Sole, we're excited to join the Funkitorium which they look to as older brothers. The new addition gave Arthur Thomas and The Funkitorium all the fuel they needed to rock out at three music festivals; their first Funktober, S’morefest, and 2021 XPN Fest, opening up for acts such as Savannah Cristina, Elhae, Masego, The Record Company, and Los Lobos. 

Individually all 8 of these music artists are incredibly dope, but together Arthur Thomas and The Funkitorium are a force to be reckoned with. The music and their live performances show that funk music is a genre that is enjoyable to people of all ages and races.