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Funkestra | Funkify Life

Instrumental bass-led 5 piece band delivering the Funk since 1996. Book now for October 2025 and funkify life.

Quick facts

FEELING | Upbeat, quirky, high energy
STATS | YouTube Creator Award, 460+ videos, 13+ million Spotify Streams, 20+ albums, 145k+ YouTube subscribers
MAIN GENRE | FUNK
SUB GENRE | Jazz, Soul, Blues
DISCOGRAPHY | Click HERE
KEY RECORDS | ‘Dr Hypenstein’, ‘The Hang’
KEY TRACKS | ‘Funktionality’, ‘Monster Funk’, ‘Wiggles’, ‘Squid Exit Music’, ‘Kerria Lacca’, ‘Ghostfish‘, ‘Dr Hypenstein’, ‘Live Your Best Dream’, ‘Right On It’

Quotes

“Hi this is Bootsy, baby and I’m here with Stefan and I want you to check out Stefan and his Funk Orchestra. He is given up the funk and he keeps giving up the funk. Ooh funk me mama, yeah baby. Funk you.” (Bootsy Collins | funk legend | James Brown, Bootsy Collins Rubber Band, Parliament)

“Stefan, you know what the Funk is about.” (Fred Wesley | legendary funk trombonist | James Brown, Funkadelic, Parliament)

“Redtenbacher’s Funkestra is a GO-TO funk monstrosity that consistently delivers a steady groove guaranteed to MAKE YOU MOVE.” (Michael B | Tonic: The Funky Groove Show, KGOU FM, Oklahoma, USA)

“The band is highly entertaining, with tremendous musicianship applied do some amazing music. A guaranteed good night out!” (Steve Rubie | 606 Jazz Club London)

Want more quotes? Find them HERE.

Musicians

The UK live band are:

The US live band are:

The Austria/Germany live band are:

About the Funkestra

From 2006 to 2020 the Funkestra performed about four times a year at the 606 Club in London, Chelsea. Often to a packed-out house, often featuring vocalists in addition to their original Jazz Funk explorations. International concerts in the USA, Germany, Austria, Lithuania and the Netherlands whilst recording 20+ original Jazz Funk albums.

From about 2019 Stefan set up the award winning ‘The Masterlink Sessions’ with his friends James Welch and Leo Mansell to record 100%-live-in-the-studio videos and turned the Funkestra into a collective to act as the Masterlink Sessions house band in the style of The Daptones, the Funkbrothers, the Wrecking Crew and The Swampers.

This has lead to notable collaborations with a host of established and upcoming talents exploring new styles away from Jazz Funk including Americana, Psychedelic Rock, Blues, Retro Soul and even ‘easy listening’. The latest example being the Rumer ‘In Session’ album and rising blues star Connor Selby’s new album ‘The Truth Comes Out Eventually’.

150 Masterlink Sessions and hundreds of recorded songs later the band is hitting the live stage again as an instrumental 5 piece.

About Stefan Redtenbacher

Born in Austria, educated in the USA and a UK resident for nearly 30 years, bassist, composer, bandleader and producer Stefan Redtenbacher is obsessed with creating new music. Nobody knows if Stefan is related to Orville Redenbacher and his famous US popcorn brand.

Funkestra collab musicians and artists

Cory Wong, Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Soulive), Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, the horn sections from the NPG, Tower of Power, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Stanton Moore, Rick Margitza, Chris Hunter, Benny Greb, Lenny Pickett, Andy Snitzer, Elliott Randall, Michael B Nelson, Keith Carlock and host of the hottest jazz funk players that the London scene has to offer.

The studio house band

As the in-house studio band for the Masterlink Sessions the Funkestra collective have recorded with:

Rumer, Grammy award winners: Phil Lassiter, Mike Farris, Daisy Chute and Rosie Frater-Taylor, Hamish Stuart, Mutja Buena, Blessing Annatoria, Elles Bailey, Sarah Jane Morris, Jo Harman, Georgia Van Etten, Connor Selby, MBE Orphy Robinson as well as Amba Tremain, Ben Hemming, Brian Henry, Call Me Al, Dave Limina, Diana Silveira, Dom Paul Scheggia, Eddy Smith, Edith WeUtonga, Gemma Dorsett, Gemma Stoddard, Hannah Williams, Helena May, Hollie Rogers, Isobel Holly, Ivy Gold, Jade Like The Stone, James Sawyer, Jana Varga, Varga String Quartet, Jazz Morley, Joanna Cooke, Laura Evans, Loretta Brown, Louise Marshall, Mike Outram, Mim Grey, Montañera, Nigel Price, Nat Martin, Pat Levett, Rebecca Poole, Ross Stanley, Sam Tanner, Tony Remy, The Voice, Steve Taylor and Josie Frater.

Labels

Most of the sound recordings have been released on Stefan’s RSB Records alongside Pedigree Cuts (Universal), Kartel Music Group, Cooking Vinyl, Wooden Hat Records, Outlaw Music and Blackbook Music (Universal-Island Records).