Dance outfit's fresh focus pays dividends

By STEPHEN JEWELL

Auckland dance duo House of Downtown - aka Emerson Todd and Christiaan Ercolano - aimed their 2001 debut LP Release firmly at the dancefloor.

But New Zealand clubbers failed to vote with their feet and the album had disappointing sales.

Release's standout songs were its two vocal tracks, Deeper Love and Rise Above, sung by Sydney-based Samoan Tulele Falatolo. Todd and Ercolano have followed that example on their recently released sophomore LP, Mother Funkin' Earth, which incorporates vocals and traditional song structures on all but two of its 11 tracks.

"It was a late call to make the CD so song-based," says Ercolano. "We still make and play big dance tracks, just not in an album format. With Release, we were so excited about the results of working with such an amazing vocalist like Tulele that we had to expand on it for this album.

"It takes off from where Release's vocal tracks were going, and now we're working solidly with vocalists. We wanted to hear singing and big basslines.

"Everything we do would be much better understood by Americans than Europeans. To me, what we do is American singing styles done by Polynesians, our traditional good grooves. We wanted basslines that were classic pieces of rhythm and melody, what basslines should be. Big, attractive 'pull you up and get you grooving' kind of songs."

Falatolo returns to the House of Downtown fold on Mother Funkin' Earth, contributing to its final track, 1st Second, while Ercolano and Todd have also drafted in a host of Auckland-based vocalists including R&B duo Brace, Bella Kalolo and former King Kapisi sidekick Tha Feelstyle.

Ercolano and Todd now work hard to convey the impression that House of Downtown are no longer a faceless production duo but a real live band, as members of their eight-strong group like Dan Ward and Ned Star are included in promotional photos and Mutha Funkin' Earth's lavish artwork.

"We think of ourselves as a modern funk band," says Todd. "But the only difference is that we don't have a drummer, we have a drum machine."

House of Downtown's funk influence is apparent in the new album's title and artwork, which pays tribute to George Clinton and Parliament's 70s P-funk classic, Mothership Connection.

"With Release, we presented ourselves as New Zealanders and kept to our little dance scene, which was all good," says Ercolano. "When we were in Europe, we were talking about how we were from the biggest Polynesian city in the world, but soon realised how small Auckland is. We wondered why we were talking about cities when what we have on our side in New Zealand is great nature. It's all about embracing where we come from. It's also playing on Lord of the Rings and the whole Middle-earth thing, the fact New Zealand has been sold to the world through this movie."

House of Downtown's change of direction seems to be paying off, as the album has so far performed better than its predecessor since its release last month.

"We've already sold half of what the last album sold and we haven't even toured yet," says Ercolano. "We've opened up to a new audience who are enjoying the more song-based album versions."

Unlike the Release album tour which took in large venues, Ercolano and Todd will be supporting Mutha Funkin' Earth with more intimate shows at smaller clubs such as Auckland's Coast bar.

"People who have seen our smaller live show know just how big and powerful it gets," says Ercolano. "We've always had more fun in smaller venues with low ceilings where the singers can get out into the crowd and we're all literally on a similar level.

"Ask any performer and they'll say they enjoy contact. It's more party, and there's no time to watch the stage when you're dancing your ass off. Live is our ace in the hand. It is where we are most comfortable and happy. It's the real proof of our pudding."

Performance

* Who: House of Downtown

* Where: Coast, Hewlett-Packard Building, Quay St

* When: Tonight