Ivan the Funky drops a nod to the polished sound of house — tune in

They don’t come much funkier than this guy — Hong Kong native Ivan Sit aka Ivan the Funky has been at the core of Hong Kong’s DJ community for the last two decades not only as a full time jockey but also as an avid preacher of quality music that has helped shape the soulful side of the city’s music repertoire.

You’ll find him billed on the regular rotation of some of Hong Kong’s more refined establishments including dragon-i, MO Bar, Cassio and formerly at household clubs like Drop and KEE Club. And his musical repertoire that got him here, is what also keeps him at the top of his game — Ivan’s unparalleled knowledge and fervour for collecting music stem from habits of pure love.

He brings nothing but positive and whacky energy to every room he’s graced; whilst always adorned in suave and continental swag, Ivan’s infectious personality never fails to resonate with his music. He truly lives and breathes the classic spirit of funk and soul. He describes himself best when he hypes out to us, “I’m a 100% Hong Kong-er, 100% male, 100% love woman, 100% music lover, 100% party animal, 100% drunk....”

While having a chat with us, he’s got Doug Carn LPs by Black Jazz Records playing in the background, which he’s recently had on heavy rotation.

“I would like to say that I’m a music lover before I'm a DJ — I don’t want to say that I can play anything and everything but my roots are jazz, soul, funk and disco grooves. That's why I can be anywhere in between the worlds of nu-disco, indie dance and house!”

“Being a DJ is easy”, says Ivan, “Anybody can be a good or bad DJ, but being a music lover is a lifetime lesson. You will get no time to watch TV, Netflix, Pornhub… but you’ll never feel lonely.”

Music is what matters, and house is just one of the languages that Ivan the Funky has spent a lifetime learning to speak with both fluency and finesse. Whether it’s “soulful, Afro, Brazilian, broken beat, jazz, 90s Italo house or Chicago house — house an be anything! Anything can be house!”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that this week’s mix is a nod to the classic sound of house and a touch more.

Tune into Mixmag Asia Radio below with Hong Kong’s own, Ivan the Funky.

Dee Jay Sound ‘Running (DJ Pope Funkhut Main mix)’\
Fred Everything, Robert Owens ‘I'll take you in (BDTW Acid mix)’
DJ Havaiana ‘Cazukuta (Daniel Haaksman edit)’
Whitesquare ‘Stina’
Way Back ‘Like That’
Soul Clap & Sha-Lor ‘jussa Come (Lil'T & Eil Soul Clap dub’
Leiba ‘Unforgettable Day’
Waterson ‘Tell Me (Ashley Beedle Vocal mix)’
Vjuan Allure, DJ Spen ‘Organismz (DJ Spen's Rowdy Rework)’
Saliva Commandos ‘Hello Detroit! (Extended mix)’
Crackazat ‘I'll be There’
SunPalace ‘Rude Movement (Kenny Dope Dancefloor Power Remix)’