Last year they teamed with Kungs for a take on the soul classic ‘This Girl’, which found itself hit the #1 spot in Europe. Now they return with their latest album, Lab Experiments Vol. 1: Mixin’. We chat to Cookin’ on 3 Burners ahead of their show in Ballarat.
Thanks for having a chat to Forte! Give our readers a background to your story.
Thanks for having us! Cookin’ On 3 Burners was born out of three mates obsessed with the awesomely crusty sounds of late ’60s funk and soul records getting together to bring that sound to Melbourne town – all live and full of vibe. As a live act, Cookin’ On 3 Burners are all about bringing the heat on stage and in the studio. Music for us is about combining different ingredients and get them all interacting together to taste just right.
Your sound is pretty eclectic with a decent whack of nostalgia in there; how would you describe it?
Sweet soul and dirty dance floor funk – something for the love makers and booty shakers!
Do you think there is still a place for soul and funk in today’s music scene?
Of course – it’s always a great time for funk and soul! The Australian scene is really cranking at the moment and we are proud to be able to contribute to that in whatever way we can.
Who would you say are your musical influences?
The Cookin’ sound spawned from the classic late ’60s early ’70s New Orleans funk sound of The Meters and we still really love that blueprint. As a trio that has played together for a long time, we are constantly able to turn each other on to new sounds and artists that we are individually feeling and bring them into the collective musical consciousness.
Why did you choose to include the Hammond organ in your music?
The whole Cookin’ sound stems from that massive Hammond Organ sound. Jake our organ player is a beast and plays all the bass lines with his left hand while soloing or accompanying with his right hand – it’s really awesome to watch actually. It’s also two for one in the musician department so great for touring!
How would you say your sound has progressed over the past 20 years?
New tunes and new collaborations help us keep it fresh, this is the first record with our new guitarist Dan West (who has been playing live with us for four years) so that brings a new flavour and energy to the trio.
You had a remixed version of one of your tracks hit the charts in a big way in Europe last year, how did that feel?
It was pretty wild, all of sudden a sweet soul band from Melbourne was on dance floors around the world. KUNGS did a great job on that remix – we definitely didn’t see that one coming!
Any ideas what might be next for you guys?
Always! We have an east coast tour to launch of Lab Experiments Vol.1 which kicks off late June which will be the first chance to hear us bust out our new tracks live. Joining us will be the amazing vocalist Stella Angelico who has been tearing up stages around the country with us for the last 18 months. We are also locking down some shows in the UK (they have a cranking soul scene over there) so best to stay in touch on the socials for all that bizzo!
When & Where: Karova Lounge, Ballarat – June 30
