Funkalleros is the brainchild of Argentinian musician and artist Abe Dunovits. Abe was born in Buenos Aires and grew up in Spain but now calls Australia home. He started his musical career in Spain, and was influenced by the new Spanish Flamenco and Rock fusions. Upon his arrival to Australia, he pursued a career in music, starting off in original rock bands in Perth and becoming part of the music scene both in live performances as well as recording. He later got involved in the Perth Latin music scene, and still going strong with Sabroson Salsa Orchestra.
Funkalleros was born out of a desire to bring together a diversity of musical elements into one project The objective is to meld intricate rhythms of Latin music with contemporary Urban Grooves.
Afro-Caribbean music is a very spiritual form. Its represents a way of life: legends, mythology, stories, food. ancient rhythms. We want to bring all these elements together with our Perth Urban Experience.
The band is consists of talented, experienced and adventurous musicians who embark on a journey to explore traditional sounds of Afro-Cuban Afro-Panamenian, Afro-Colombian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Brazilian and Jamaican music with elements of Funk, Soul, R&B and Jazz. This is what is defined as Latin Urban Grooves.
The other members of Funkalleros are German Dunovits (El Timbalero Mayor) Raul Rojas Villa (The King of the Bongo Surf Percussion), and Mario Horvat ( Master of the Universal Guitar). Each of these musicians came to Australia binging with them a wealth of musical heritage and experience.
German has been studying Latin percussion since his youth and has a committed passion for Latin music. He toured Europe with Spanish jazz orchestra Alcatraz and worked behind the scenes with many international acts such as Ricky Martin, The Rolling Stones and Spanish diva Rocio Jurado. He has also been involved in the Perth Latin music scene since his arrival in Australia with Sabroson, LC Salsa and Los Chasquis and currently plays with Latin Fusion and other bands.
Mario was born in Croatia into a family of Croatian folk musicians and he was brought up on exhilarating Eastern European folk and Balkan gypsy music. After he moved to Australia in 1989, he played lead guitar in various rock and top forty cover bands with extensive touring across the state plus a short stint in a reggae band and later in a Croatian band, playing various Croatian clubs. He studied flamenco guitar and flamenco dance accompaniment. His four year stint as a guitarist and bass player for LC Salsa and three years as a guitarist for Los Chasquis further cemented him in the Latin scene. Mario currently plays bass player for Latin Fusion
Raul Rojas Villa was born in Panama and came to Perth with an arsenal of rhythms and energy. He has appeared at various festivals such as the Montreal and Ottawa Jazz Festivals and is the Leader of the Latinjungledrums group in Canada (Tribal-Techno Percussion Beat). Raul was guest percussionist for Moriarty (Perth Festival) and has performed for renowned Latin artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa (Panama Carnaval) Tito Allen (Puerto Rico) Adalberto Santiago (NCY, Fania ) and Master Conga Player E.T. Giovanni "Manenguito" Hidalgo among others.
This eclectic mix of backgrounds and styles makes Funkalleros a really interesting and fun experience for anyone interested in new and original Latin music. Their first album, recorded in Fremantle by bass legend Peter Oats (Kitchen Cooked Records), is available at most music shops in Perth and the Internet. Funkalleros second album "Casserole of Humanity", also mixed and mastered by Peter Oats, was released in 2008 to great reviews. It was featured on ABC Radio National Australia's program "The Planet" and continues to sell at shops in Fremantle and Perth.
photography by BABETTE SABELLA
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UPCOMING GIGS 2009
clancys fish pub fremantle may saturday may 16th
spanish film festival, hellenic centre, 20th of may