Walla P

Voyage Funktastique serves funksters with hidden gems on a weekly basis and has become more than just a radio show. We spoke to the man behind it all, Marc Andre Patry a.k.a Walla P, on how he plans to take his online radio show, far and wide, one finger snap at a time.

N-F : To those who are unfamiliar, how did you start your career? W-P: Born and raised in Montreal (Canada), I got into Hip-Hop around 10-11 years old, went from B-Boy, to rapping and making beats, and then I got proposed a Dj gig in the mid-2000s, and really starting focusing on that aspect around 2009.

In my teens, I'd make pause-tape mixes from all the music I'd owned and radio shows/videoclips I would record. I remember vividly that my homie and I used to skip classes in high school to buy the newest releases (one that I remember is the day both Gang Starr - Moment Of Truth & Cocoa Brovaz - Rude Awakening albums came out). Between the age 15 to 22, I was rapping and breakdancing, (which the latter really helped me to broaden my horizon from just listening to Hip-Hop) , and then I wanted to start production; bough an mpc and some jazz/soul/funk/breaks records, and discovered a whole new world of music. I later was offered to do a dj set at my friend's vernissage, and what was supposed to be a 30 minutes set transformed itself into a 4 hour set. From there, I started to dj more often, mixing Hip-hop with funk/soul/jazz (mostly original samples), got a bunch of gigs opening for U.S Hip-Hop, all while introducing more and more of what we called now "Modern Funk" and Boogie in my sets. N-F: What inspired you to start Voyage Funktastique ? What were the challenges you faced upon starting the show W-P: At first, Voyage Funktastique is an idea that Dr.MaD & I had in mind for a while, even before we actually met. We we're both inspired by the legendary Boogie nights Funkmosphere and Sweater Funk, down in L.A. & San Francisco, and we wanted to have something like that in Montreal. For the radio show, it's quite of an odd story; I was going to the UQAM University campus to record a radio ad for another project I was working on at the time. I saw that the studio was empty, and asked if they were taking application, even though I didn't go to the school. I thought it would be a great way to introduce the sound that I wanted to share to the Montreal scene, especially because there wasn't a night dedicated to these genres (shout outs to We Funk and The Goods who were two successful night -and our mentors - that did touch the Boogie spectrum at their respective party). As for challenges, I wouldn't say that there was any; I'd never done radio before, or especially live radio, so it took patience on my side to not get discouraged; same as for growing a listeners base. I just did the show the way I would've wanted to listen to a show; not much talking, focus on the music. Another thing that was challenging (and still is), was to never twice the same song on the show. That is something I always took pride in doing, just as trying my best to offer Modern Funk artists the best visibility they deserve. N-F: Who else is behind the show and where is it (the studio) being set up? W-P: The show is recorded at the UQAM University radio station (choq.ca), located in the heart of the city of Montreal. I'm the only person in the studio (unless there's a guest dj); everything is done live, from playing the music, hosting, interviews, mixing board and social media. W-P: Why did you decide to go with that specific sound? To be honest, I still don't know exactly why (laughs). Is it because i'm a 80's baby? Could also be because of the impact that G-Funk had on me late elementary school/early high school, considering that a lot was inspired/sampled from 80'S Funk/Boogie. 80's Funk/Boogie/RnB/Soul. expresses melancholy, hope, nostalgia, it carries a positive message that is truthful. Modern Funk is a projection into the future, it's the space-tunnel soundtrack.

N-F: What keeps you going? Knowing that there are a lot of other music related podcasts done online. W-P: As long as I'm passionate about it and that there is content to provide, new music to share, old music to dust off, then there's no reason to stop. I concentrate on what I can do to improve the scene; then myself as dj/radio host/label owner, never felt like music should be a competition, or play a game of comparison. N-F: Share with us the most memorable episode of Voyage Funktastique AP: Off the top of my head, the show( #43) that Dr.MaD was doing a guest set, and I played Diamond Ortiz's version of "Pop It" (by One Way), I had to rewind the track from the middle of it to the beginning; we were both bugging out on how dope it was; think MaD even sent a video to Diamond telling him that I never did that before in a show. N-F: What are you future plans for Voyage Funktastique? W-P: VF operates on 3 fronts; the radio, the label, and the party/booking; for the radio, the show is getting closer to the 200th show, so that might be a special show. There's also our collaboration with Music Is My Sanctuary, which presents the show on their website and streaming platforms. At the beginning of the year, I added a segment on the show - a live interview with an artist - that will be recurrent on every show (when the confinement is over). On the label side of things, we're lucky to have a partnership with the NYC label Bastard Jazz Records, and have had 4 releases on vinyl in the last 2 years + about 10 digital releases since 2015. Future releases are in the works, can't really mention anything for now. VF is a also a monthly night (1st Saturday of the month at Le Belmont) since 2013; there's also bookings all year long. N-F: Besides doing the show online, you also DJ for shows, what is your approach in being a selector? W-P: I've always kinda been egoistic when it comes to my selections; I have the luxury to be able to play what I want to play, especially in Montreal. If I feel like it's more of an electro-house type of crowd, I'll make sure to have something similar to that, but that remains in my lane. Same thing for when I go touring; I have to chose 150 7' vinyl to play more than a dozen of parties; I first pick the records that represents my vibe, my persona, and then I try to have stuff for each party (i.e.: if I got a gig in Italy, then i make sure I have 2-3 Italo-boogie records; I pay attention to demographics for instance). N-F: What are your top 3 albums in your collection W-P: DâM-FunK - Toeachizown - Stones Throw - 2010 Kashif - S/T - Arista - 1983 Chas - For Better Love - Love Joy Records - 1985 N-F: Fav current artists that carries the sound (funk, boogie ) W-P: First Touch, XL Middleton, Moniquea, Dabeull, Buscrates, Amalia, The Kount, Ivan Makvel, Saucy Lady, Mofak

You may check Voyage Funktastique on Bandcamp and Soundcloud, Walla P on all Social Media platforms