Michael “Meem” Moebus is a highly regarded member of the Australian music community as an in-demand DJ, producer, mentor, event promoter and broadcaster. Michael is a familiar voice on the 2SER airwaves as the host of the long-running Back to Funk radio show, as well as the seasonal Back to Funk BBQ’s. Back to Funk will celebrate an incredible 45 years on 2SER this weekend with a special edition of the Back to Funk BBQ this Saturday July 12 at the Lady Hampshire in Camperdown, which will be broadcast live, direct to the 2ser airwaves between 3pm and 9pm. But before all that, we caught up with Michael for a lowdown of the show and his history with it.
Back to Funk is a well-loved staple of the 2ser airwaves for so long, but for someone who is just hearing about it for the first time, can you tell us just a bit about the show and the sounds they can hear on it?
Broadcasting since 1980, Back To Funk is Australia’s longest running funk music radio show, and is almost as old as 2SER itself! As a specialist music program, the focus is with a strong backbone of funk music, but also extending out to soul, disco, hip hop, rare groove, hip hop, reggae, global grooves and beats. Back To Funk aims to unearth lesser known vintage music, and also spotlight new release music often from smaller independent artists and labels.
You’ve been hosting the show since 2004, which represents close to half of Back to Funk’s incredible 45 year run so far. How did you become involved in radio and hosting the show?
In the early 2000’s I was active mainly as an underground electronic producer, and often found myself in the 2SER studios while promoting new releases of my music, or talking about upcoming events / parties that I was playing at. The music director at the time, Andrew Khedoori, began inviting me onto the station to do guest DJ mixes, and when in 2004 the Creative Vibes team (Pete Pasqual, Heidi Pasqual & Gordon Henderson) had decided to finish their long run of presenting Back To Funk, it was fortuitously offered to me!
So much of back to funk is deep-diving into the rare sounds of the 1960s-80s, who do you think funk (and soul & disco) still have such a resonance today?
I see the period of the 60s into the early 80s as a golden age of recorded music. The incredible musicianship, advancing recording technology, and the blossoming cultural ideas that were exploding across societies and communities across the globe make this era an incredibly vibrant period in history. The music was exploratory, experimental, organic, and we saw the invention of truly original styles of music which are still replicated and used as inspiration today. I think this essence of creative discovery and innovation is what make the music still exciting and resonates with listeners today. Also there was a boom of records being made, so a lot of great music slipped through the cracks and never found an audience – so discovering this music now can feel like finding lost forgotten treasures.
As well as on the airwaves of 2ser, you also host the fantastic back funk BBQ’s (currently at the Lady Hampshire). Can you let us know what the parties are about, and also about the lineup for the 45th special happening this weekend?
The Back To Funk parties originally started in 2016 as a way to get the sounds we champion on the radio out to the community as a live social event, and to showcase the amazing talents of our local DJs, selectors and collectors. It’s an event that promotes positive, good time music, and the crowd always reflects this. Every party is a celebration, but our next event on Saturday 12 July, is a very special celebration for the 45th Birthday of the Back To Funk Radio Show.
We will be broadcasting the event live on 2SER from 3pm, with 2SER DJs past and present MEEM, SHAN FRENZIE, PETE PASQUAL, TIM RITCHIE, DJ SOUP, MIGUEL D’SOUZA, BOO BOO MUCK, DEL PIERO & REBECCA ROSENFUNK. It is sure to be a explosive night of dancing and incredible music!
Back to Funk airs on 2SER 107.3 every Monday at midday.
