NXNE Live: God Made Me Funky THE REVIVAL - JUNE 8 In a city notorious for the, shall we say, laid-back nature of its crowds, any band that can get people up and dancing is a precious commodity. And T.O.'s ten-piece Nu-Funk outfit God Made Me Funky have proved time and time again (whether it's playing to a packed house at The Opera House for their CD release, or to a couple dozen stragglers at the Toronto Independent Music Awards) that they know how to throw a party. It's that — a along with the impressive musical talents of its diverse members — that made them one of this writer's must-see acts of NXNE 2007. They didn't disappoint. It was one a.m. before the band crowded the stage at The Revival, and the crowd had thinned, but nearly everyone left was up at the front of the stage, moving along to GMMF's fusion of classical funk and soul, and modern day hip hop and pop. They roared through a set made up almost entirely of tunes off their first two records, God Made Me Funky and We Can All Be Free, (most of which tunes seem to have the word "funk" in the title: "God Made Me Funky," "If Yur Funky," "Funk Off") along with a crowd-pleasing cover of the House of Pain classic "Jump Around." By the time the short set hit its climax and GMMF's resident rhymer PHATT al was announcing last call at the bar, the crowd was nearly as sweaty as the band. That kind of enthusiasm is a rare phenomenon in Toronto, but God Made Me Funky are masters when it comes to getting a crowd to move their feet. In fact, they are so good at it, and have such a great stage presence, that they might not only be one of the best live bands at this year's NXNE, but one of the best live bands this city has offer, period.