Planet Funk

Planet Funk

Planet Funk is an Italian electronic dance group from Italy, active since 1999. Its core line-up includes Sergio Della Monica, Alex Neri, Domenico “GG” Canu, Marco Baroni, Alex Uhlmann and Alessandro Sommella, who is described as an extra member. The group also works with guest singers, including Dan Black, Sally Doherty, Raiz and John Graham.

Career and releases

Planet Funk’s first single, “Chase the Sun”, reaches number five on the UK Singles Chart in 2001. The track later gains a long-running profile through use in darts coverage on Sky Sports, where crowds are encouraged to chant along during commercial breaks. It is also associated with Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United, Sheffield Wednesday, Watford F.C. and Wigan Warriors, who use it in match settings, and it appears in Melbourne spring racing carnival promotional advertisements in the mid to late 2000s.

Their second single, “Inside All the People”, reaches number nine in the Italian singles chart and performs better on European dance charts. Their third single, “Who Said (Stuck In The UK)”, also achieves significant commercial success. “Static”, released in 2007, appears on FIFA 08. In 2009 the group releases “Lemonade”, which appears on the album Planet Funk. They also release “Stop Me” in May 2006 as a mobile phone download only, through the 3 network, becoming the first group to issue a single exclusively in that format.

Collaborations and remix work

Alex Uhlmann joins as the band’s latest lead singer in November 2010. “Weightless” is a collaboration with Swedish artist Emilia de Poret. Planet Funk also work as remixers, with their best-known remix being New Order’s “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call”. Their album The Great Shake is planned to feature Uhlmann as lead singer, and “Another Sunrise” is identified as its first single.

Style

The group works in electronic dance music, with genres associated with them including alternative dance, electronic, electronic rock, electronica and house.