The Funkbots are coming, with Ida Nielsen at the helm, to shake up Opole with their slap rhythms! Get ready for the combined brilliance of Prince’s ex-bassist and her band.
The Danish musician, who has recently published her More Sauce, Please! album, will be sure to bring the house down with memorable hooks and beats, thanks to her world-renowned, razor-sharp bass skills. Her performances are a result of an eclectic mix of influences: from disco vibes and rock funk to rap interludes, beatboxing, world music and modern melodies – every track is an energetic statement. Ida plays bass and keyboards, sings, and raps – giving every track a dose of her signature flair.
Her years spent grooving with Prince in his two final backing ensambles (The New Power Generation and 3rdeyegirl) have left a big impact on her style. Her performances are known to feature various nods to her Paisley Park days, alongside a medley of some of the tracks she would jam to on stage next to The Purple One. The first single from her 2016 album Turn It Up, “SHOWMEWHATUGOT,” was a “Purple Pick of the Week” on TIDAL, the week of its release. The full album was released later, after his passing, in the memory of the star. Outside of that collaboration, she is also known for her work with the home country group Michael Learns to Rock and the Belgian musician Zap Mama. Through the years since those team-ups, she has laid her own path, which led to hear becoming one of the world’s top 10 bass players (alongside Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten) in the annual 2019 MusicRadar poll.
On stage she will be joined by her group The Funkbots, without which her performances would not be the same. Kuku Agami is a Danish rapper blending hip-hop with soul and African rhythms, who early on opened for acts like The Fugees, Redman, and Das Efx. Patrick Dorcean, a Haitian-born drummer and producer, is known for his dynamism and work with various artists such as the aforementioned Zap Mama and Gabriel Rios. Oliver Engqvist, a versatile Scandinavian guitarist, has worked across funk, rock, and jazz fusion while running his own studio in Denmark. Phong Le, a Vietnamese keyboardist based in Copenhagen, brings a modern, versatile touch through both live shows and studio projects.
This funky feast will commence on October 24, 2025, at the Państwowa Szkoła Muzyczna I i II stopnia (Strzelców Bytomskich 18) in Opole, as a continuation of the October-long Drum Fest 2025 – an international percussion festival in Opole, featuring top drummers and the 20th Young Drum Hero competition for emerging talent. Get ready to party like it’s 1999!
Buy tickets here: [Link, Ticketmaster – in English], [LINK, kupbilecik.pl – in Polish], [LINK, biletyna.pl – in Polish]
(photos: provided by Drum Fest)
