The original party man and possibly the greatest superhero of all-time team up in this epic one-off throwdown.
On Saturday June 8, Lake Minnetonka will be headlining what is the first-ever Melbourne party for Prince and Batman. Royal Funk Party: Batdance! pays tribute to some very momentous occasions – the 30th birthday of Tim Burton’s Batman and Prince’s number one hit ‘Batdance’, as well as the late legend’s birthday weekend.
With heaps of Batman and Prince-related tracks planned and prizes for best costumes, Lake Minnetonka’s frontman Adam Rudegeair says this spectacle is noteworthy for so many reasons.
“This has massive crossover appeal. Anybody that loves Tim Burton’s Batman, who likes funk, who loves Prince. Rokai and The Knave [also performing on the night] are really good artists, and they get our vibe with the Minneapolis sound as a bonus. Funk fans, Batman fans, Prince fans, Lake Minnetonka fans, there’s something here for anyone.”
Headliners Lake Minnetonka are veterans of the funk party scene, and have infused the signature Minneapolis sound of the ’80s and blended it with Melbourne’s buzzing music hub. Culminating most aptly in their acclaimed album Melbourneapolis, a merger of both sound and location, Lake Minnetonka do not adhere to any one genre, much like Prince’s soundtrack album for the movie.
“We’re gonna be playing an extended medley of songs, from Prince to Batman tributes. We’ve even got a special celebration for ‘Batdance’, where it will be played live with the exact samples that are being used from the movie – a world first. Video projection, costumes, all that cool stuff.
“Personally, Batman is one of my favourite Prince albums, even though a lot of people don’t like it that much … People remember ‘Batdance’ as a stupid novelty song, but it’s fantastic. It’s a single that shouldn’t have been allowed; it’s stripped and utilised new ’80s production techniques.”
Having just released their new EP The Honey Garden just over a year since the release of Melbourneapolis, Lake Minnetonka have barely missed a beat, yet nothing was going to compromise on preparations for this weekend.
“I always knew the anniversaries were coming, and as the day got closer the plans just got bigger, no half-arsing it. In rehearsal it came together so quickly. The band stepped up and even wanted to embody different characters in performance like Poison Ivy, Joker, Batman.”
“Our whole thing is the ‘Melbourneapolis’ sound – contemporary Melbourne take on the Minneapolis sound. We always dream big – Prince and Paisley Park are our sources, and one of our best days was when people recognised our music all the way back to Minneapolis.
“That pilgrimage to the source, these fans, and watching The Revolution… twice. We’ve worked together with all these legends like Dr Fink, Eric Leeds, Sonny T, it’s insane.”
Rudegeair has always been a comic book fan from young, and being able to translate the work Lake Minnetonka has done in collaboration with other artists, as well as to his muse in this party is entirely fantastic, incredibly humbling, and a perfect fit.
“We’ve got a cool instrumental inspired by Madhouse, Prince’s jazz side project, a real fusion kinda track from The Honey Garden. We’re not doing many songs from our new EP, because that’s done dusted and this is a tribute to Prince, and Prince’s Batman.
“That’s the spirit of royal funk party. Any bands, any funk or party music is good and hearing stuff being pushed all the time and being inspired by everyone around is great. We’re not a cover band, we’re dreaming big and authentic. Hey, maybe one day we’ll play at Paisley Park too. There, I’ve put it out there in the universe.”
With epic scenes guaranteed for the night and a crowd that is certain to converge from different genres of art, Rudegeair only has one thing to say for those who will be boogying on down Saturday night.
“Kapow!”
Royal Funk Party: Batdance! is happening Saturday June 8 from 8.30pm at Geddes Lane Ballroom. For more details and tickets head here.
