Karate Boogaloo

Karate Boogaloo at POPUP!

Karate Boogaloo sits at the heart of Melbourne's thriving instrumental "cinematic soul" scene.

The group's roots run deep in the "DIY" (homemade) soul aesthetic; Henry Jenkins, Hudson Whitlock, Callum Riley and Darvid Thor have been playing funk together since their playground days. Brought together while still pre-teens at high school, these four friends soaked up the style of the great small instrumental ensembles such as Booker T & The MG's and The Meters. Armed with those influences and their trademark offbeat humour, they have developed over the years a shared musical language, the fruit of countless hours spent together, as friends and as musical partners in crime.

A pillar of Naarm (Melbourne)'s underground scene for more than ten years, the group has nurtured its art with consistency, building up a rich catalogue imbued with its own unique eccentricity. Testament to this are their "KB's Mixtapes" series (three volumes now highly prized), their three original albums (*Carn The Boogers* in 2020, *Hold Your Horses* in 2024, and the forthcoming *Access All Areas*), as well as their collaboration with American singer Danielle Ponder; all of which attest to their lasting contribution to the rise of Melbourne / Naarm's "cinematic soul" sound.