The title track of the mixtape! Sunday Best is a mellow instrumental remix of the underground funk classic, Chance With You by Brother To Brother.

Sunday Best by Nik Furious [ 2:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I was turned onto Chance With You by WEFUNK Radio, a weekly mix-show from Montreal. The DJs of WEFUNK produce incredible blends of soul, funk, hip hop, and jazz. Even better, they've been archiving their shows since 2001 and there are some real gems in there. I can't recommend WEFUNK enough.

I originally released Sunday Best as a YouTube video a little over two years ago. It was a spontaneous creation, something I made early one Sunday morning when I couldn't sleep.

The track was accompanied by an original digital painting that was my visual interpretation of the song.

As for the beat itself, I chopped up my favorite parts of Chance With You and looped them together into a version that I currently enjoy even more than the original. I hope you do too!

Station is the kind of song I make for myself because I just don't have enough like it in my music library.

Station by Nik Furious [ 4:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As a teen, I'd go home from school and head straight to the basement to record songs with my 4-track. That's where I fell in love with the sound of percussion and bass stripped of any guitar, piano, or other more melodic instruments on top. 

Named after the highly evolved and inventive monster from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Station is the perfect example of this passion.

First, I constructed a digital drumbeat that excited me with its possibilities. It's not exactly what you hear here, but close. Then I made a super-long loop out of the beat and recorded myself jamming a bassline over it. I started chopping it up, slicing out my favorite moments and building new patterns.

But when it came time to add other instruments, I bristled at the thought. Here I had a tight, funky beat led by the raw melody of the bass and carried by the complexity of the drums. I didn't want any other sounds.

Granted, I recognize that the final product may seem a bit incomplete to most. That's why I've put this 100% original song on a mixtape and not one of my albums.

As for the name, it's very fitting because I often feel like a scientist or a sonic engineer when I'm making music. Station from Bogus Journey is a fantastic example of what it feels like to be an underground musician working on a lo-fi setup at home -- a misunderstood, grotesque inventor assembling disparate and unlikely parts together to conjure up a new unexpected creation.

Last month a guy named Matt Bull launched a contest. To enter, you had to email Matt your compelling pitch for a website with a truly unusual URL. And then the winner would receive the odd domain name -- SlothPunchClub.com.

I couldn't resist!!! I dropped everything and put together my pitch for Sloth Punch Club right away. Here's what I sent to Matt:

A THREE-TOED PITCH

Like its namesake, my SlothPunchClub.com blog would take a three-toed approach to content -- comics, music, and podcasts. I'd put the SPC blog on a slow-but-steady three week cycle (just to keep things extra slothy).

Week 1: Webcomics

The Sloth Punch Club webcomic would tell the story of Larry and Bernice, siblings out to avenge the death of their brother, Roy, who was killed on the rodeo clown kickboxing circuit by a malicious leaf-eater named Fast Susan. I've attached the first page.

Week 2: Music

Under the name Nik Furious I'd release a new song every three weeks. The music would pair thematically with the previous week's webcomic. I've attached the first song, Super Sloth Slap.

Super Sloth Slap by Nik Furious [ 2:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Week 3: Podcasts

Each podcast would begin with a recap of the art from Weeks 1 and 2. I'd also have a segment on every episode called Sloth Death Match, pitting two pieces of art against each other. 

For example, it could be Dumb and Dumber vs. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Then, on the next podcast, the winner would go up against the White Album by the Beatles. And so on. I'd use listener suggestions to create the media match ups.

Sooooooooo... did I win?

NOOOOO!! That's why I'm here telling you about my pitch and not announcing the launch of my Sloth Punch Club blog.

But I really enjoyed putting this pitch together. I've spent a lot of time pitching ideas this year (see The Demon From My Butt) and it was nice to know that Matt was receptive to my idea even if I wasn't ultimately the winner.

Best of luck to Timmy Ham, the official winner and soon-to-be owner of SlothPunchClub.com. I hope his custom shoes featuring original art of sloths punching stuff are a big hit!