rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Over a series of recent singles, Loud Apartment has proven itself to be the perfect urban fusion band. The term fusion might conjure images of terrible rock bands employing funk grooves or jazz moves as a way of trying to make themselves seem more palatable but in Loud Apartment’s deft hands, fusing genres into new forms becomes an art... Continue Reading →
I love it when artists that we have covered separately on this site end up collaborating, it feels like missing pieces dropping into place and underlines the sort of gang mentality that grassroots artists and the sites that cover them feel part of. Loud Apartment has proven time and time again that its ability to... Continue Reading →
I'm surprised that I have got this far into December and this is the first seasonal song to have landed on my desk. But what a way to kick things off! Far from the usual cheesy Christmas sonic fayre, Christmas Kind of Day is a cool, smooth and soulful offering. Not for ConFunkShun the twee... Continue Reading →
You can make music as funky and infectious, as unique and groovy, as sassy and stimulating as you like but if you don't infuse a song with a lyrical component as powerful and poignant as the instrumental blends that drive, then you are missing a trick. Thankfully, Loud Apartment is too smart to miss such... Continue Reading →
The term pop-rock comes with a lot of baggage, suggesting lightweight rock or pop music with the desire but not the nerve to go out and play with the big boys. But The Orange Goodness could easily be labelled as such, but they are also so much more than that. It is just that their... Continue Reading →
Moonlight Rhythm Society manages to pull off a great trick. Well, probably more than one but I'm talking about one that is immediately obvious and wonderfully prominent, one that is all about hitting sonic sweet spots. Without pandering to fads or fashion, without compromising what they do to fit in, without surfing the latest cultural... Continue Reading →
Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention funk music and you might be met with terms like heavy bass, wah-wah guitar and the image of Bootsy Collins wearing silver platform boots and star-shaped sunglasses. To be fair this would describe the funk from America, the hybrid of soul and RnB that depended... Continue Reading →
Following hot on the heels of Vol. 1, the logically and very sensibly titled volume 2 is everything that I love about modern music-making. Technology has opened so many doors, made so much music accessible to so many and enabled even the smallest studio set up or impoverished band of musicians to have the capability... Continue Reading →
I'm not an expert in such areas but I suspect that the sound that Jon Roniger and The Good For Nothin' Band make is the sound of contemporary New Orleans. Or at least one important sonic heartbeat that pulses through that great city. They neatly weave together strands of bluesy bluster, funky grooves, breezy jazz... Continue Reading →
Coming from New South Wales, though seemingly via the 60's south and the psychedelic-infused 70's west coast of the USA, Thirty Three Degrees' eponymous album feels like the missing link between John Lee Hooker and Rory Gallagher or perhaps Muddy Waters and the Allman Brothers. And even then somewhere along the line, a detour was... Continue Reading →
Funky! Yes, with an exclamation mark. That's the word for this latest track from Monotronic. But funky in the most contemporary of ways, being a fusion of analogue grooves and digital sonic moves. And it is a fusion that not only works but works brilliantly. The bass is busy in the background, grounding the song... Continue Reading →
When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade, isn't that what they say? So, when life throws funky lemons, make funky lemonade! And if the last year has been even more difficult for Danny Merriman beyond the usual Covid related shenanigans, it is the turning of those funky fruit into the funkiest of albums that... Continue Reading →
Dope Sagittarius is proof that opposites do attract, at least in the musical world, and Black Empress is a great example of the art of genre-bending, and in doing so it creates music that is hard to place but easy to love. It is both full of off-kilter jazz intricacies and rock and roll groove.... Continue Reading →
ReLoVe are great at fusing music from what might be termed world and roots genres and using those sonic building blocks to build their signature sound. This time out they give us Voices which blends funky basslines, soulful harmonies, busy drum salvos and folky fiddles. As always the individual elements are recognisable but the way... Continue Reading →
New music can only be created by taking what has gone before and doing something different with it. That might be pushing its boundaries to breaking point, creating whole new genres in the gaps between or fusing the ones that already exist in new and unusual ways. It is from this last approach that Electric... Continue Reading →
This debut release from Purple Tone Flower is full of soothing music and fun licks, soulful grooves and moments of pop perfection. It is the product of Chilean musician and producer Mauricio Flores Sánchez, who has been making music since he was in his teens. Only now did it feel like the perfect time to... Continue Reading →
See the name Felton Pilate on a record and you are assured of one thing. Groove. Effortless groove at that and Waiting Just To Dance is full of it. It's a great tune, one which joins the dots between soul and disco, funk and pop, drives along on great bass lines and infectious beats, soulful... Continue Reading →
It is difficult to capture the sheer breadth of the band sound with easy generic labels. Can you explain how the sound came together and how it has evolved into what we hear on this album? Nevaris A.C: The sound is built around the drums, bass and vocals more than anything else. Lockatron, Bill Laswell and I recorded... Continue Reading →
Issues of equality, sadly, seem to only be redressed in very small increments. Although we are hearing increasing talk of levelling the playing field on issues of colour, gender, religion and race, change seems to move at a glacial pace. Which is why it is great to hear of promoters such as The Herbal Tea... Continue Reading →
You can make a good case for the argument that all major musical styles and forms are pretty much established now. All you can hope to do to move things forward is to conduct weird sonic experiments using these base sounds looking to concoct new musical compounds. Some minor chemists might dilute rock's might with... Continue Reading →
Musicians like to throw around perceptions of fusing musical styles, give themselves grand titles which suggest that they are hopping genres, gene-splicing sounds, boldly going where no musician has gone before, kicking open doors and exploring fresh musical landscapes. But few actually do. Most justify such hyperbole by sticking a rock guitar in a pop... Continue Reading →
If you need a groove, a real no nonsense, infectious, dance-inspiring, euphoric and unavoidable groove, Edward W Sealy is your man. But we knew that already, Brighter Than This proved as much. But this time out the groove is heightened even more, the sheer contagion of the sound on offer is increased, games are raised,... Continue Reading →
Spend any time listening to the lyrics of any song you choose on this latest album by NYC funk fusionaries Loud Apartment and you will realise that they have something to say. Listen to the whole album and you realise that they have a lot to say and across a wide variety of social subjects.... Continue Reading →
From the opening strains of Bach’s Cantata 147 it is clear that Joe Hodgson is more than just a “guy with a guitar,” that he perfectly understands the broader musical landscape in terms of genre, geography and history. And as those classical notes scatter and re-assemble into the funky, blues, electric and eclectic instrumental of... Continue Reading →
Munk Duane’s latest single takes a step away from the more socially aware, musical messaging which is often a hallmark of his songs. But we all need to take a breather from things now and then and thankfully Duane’s breathing space creations come in the form of perfectly crafted, sultry, R&B groovers. Sometimes, more specific,... Continue Reading →
Music is certainly serious business but sometimes we can get so lost in arguing about our favorite bands, trying to emulate the stars of the day, getting precious and defensive about the songs which matter most to us that we forget its primary role. Music. Is. Entertainment. It’s as simple as that and thankfully for... Continue Reading →
They're a funky bunch and no mistake. There is a sweet spot which sits equidistance from infectious punky funk, old-school, low slung rock ’n’ roll and soulful, bluesy grooviness. Some bands get glimpses of it, are perhaps lucky enough to wander close to it before losing their way, never to return. Some mange to find... Continue Reading →
When you listen to We’re Still Here, you are listening to a song which both reminds us of a golden age of harmony groups but also one which resounds with modern mainstream tastes. Great vocal harmonies never go out of fashion and it is to this strength that Felton Pilate has always played. Long time... Continue Reading →
Raw-edged, metal-infused guitars quickly turn into slick soul licks, funky bass lines take over the lions share of the groove-work, falsetto verses become gang vocal sing-alongs and the whole thing takes on a Prince-like vibe perhaps taking Bootsy himself along for the ride. And that’s a cool sound to be able to conjure up but... Continue Reading →
Pretty much everything that you need to know about this track and the man behind it is found in the title. Get The Funk is full of funkiness and Billy Ray rocks! It's as simple as that. The track is a wonderfully groovesome blend of 70’s funk vibes andd R&B sass which wanders dangerously close... Continue Reading →
