FUNKSTYLE - Funk Reviews
Keno I
& The Hermit – Heavy Heavy / The Hardest Rain – Breakin Bread
Released
26 May
Breakin
Bread continue to push their brand of dirty breakbeatin funk and hip hop. The label
is currently working hard on developin some straight up hip hop for release on
122 later in 2003 but continue to bring the funk on this latest 7"release.
This
time they welcome two extra producers into the stable Keno I and the Hermit
have previously released records for their own label Museum under the names of
Natural Self and Nostalgia 77 on Tru Thoughts.
Keno I
has always had a focus on drums and to prove this just ask Big Daddy magazine
(now Grand Slam) who described some of his earlier work as Heavy Bronx. Does
this mae it hip hop or Funk or Latin. Who knows but he has been described as
making hip hop music that bridges both the melancholic and the transcendental.
Wow!
The
Hermit also has a focus on funk and drums but he is also influenced by jazz
melodies and the atmosphere of psyche. Having DJ'd for a number of years he has
always planned to make music and he has certainly brought a jazz tinge to Tru
thoughts 7"'s. The hermit is committed to pursuing his vision and
constantly upping his game, Does he get there with these tracks?
On
Breakin Bread the 2 producers combine forces to give you 2 tracks for the
dancefloor and for all those beat heads out there. The boys give you a heavy funk
with a hip hop edge. Perfect for Breakin Bread's musical combination.
A side –
Heavy Heavy
The boys
kick off with a nice crowd mover. Heavy Heavy lives up to it's name as it
builds through hard beats, hectic drum rolls and one of the baddest bass lines
ever. When deciding whether to relase this the Breakin Bread crew droped this
intosome of their sets and the reaction was always the same. Whther they were B
Boys Students or trendy bar crowd nobody could resist losing the plot on this
one. The Breakin Bread crew were convinced.........try it for yourselves.
Bboy
side – The Hardest Rain
We're
not sure what to label this as. Hip Hop Ska? Big Band Beats? Smokers Breakbeat?
Forget it, it's just a dope tune that will keep em going on the dance floor
(even right at the end of the night). From the horn stab intro you know the
tune is going to take you for a ride and when the beat kicks inyour feet will
start moving, it then goes into a bit of a reggae tinge! The breakdown makes
you wonder where you are, what you're doing........then the beat kicks backin
and you'll find yourself again. Pure Dopeness!
More
info contact skeg@breakinbread.freeserve.co.uk
Color
Climax - Batidas Latinas / Crabwalk - Breakin Bread BNB)1o
The
Press release states :-
A side -
Showing that the guys dig their Latin styles too, this track takes a foray into
South America. Starting off with a deep bass groove, the drums soon kick in and
how! When the vocals first drop you'll know you are in for something a little
different and this track certainly takes you on a trip through build ups,
breakdowns and a fantastic drum break. This is destined to rock a whole heap of
dancefloors from leftfield jazz clubs to swanky bars to the more open minded
hip hop clubs.
B side -
The flipside is destined to become a classic at the Breakin Bread Club night.
Keeping some of the elements from the a side, Color Climax have created a pure
B-Boy track. Make sure you come down to the club and see the excitement in the
circles that the track creates. The drums have been completely "roughened
up" and there are enough drum breaks for a full blown b-boy battle. Layers
of instrumentation come and go throughout this funk epic and the familiar sound
of the CC Hammond makes a few reassuring appearances. Start practising your
uprocking now......
Well
there isn't an awful lot I can add to that. So often Press Releases don't tell
it like it is, this one does and then some. The record exceeds the hype!
Make it
good to me - Sharon Jones & Dap-kings - Daptone
Superb -
this track is stunning, slow, soulful and deep, sounding as if it was recorded
30 years ago but cut this century and written produced and arranged by Bosco
Mann. This will appeal to lovers of any genre because of it's quality. Not so
out and out funky that you associate with the label. Thanks to Kym for
providing this and the next few tracks. Backed with Casella Walk by the
Dap-kings ft Bosco Mann.
Take it
as it come (parts 1 &2)- Charles Bradley & Sugarman & Co.- Daptone
Out and
out funk written by Neal Sugarman and Bosco Mann. The hard hitting (almost)
instrumental is the side that does it for me.
Got to
be the way it is - Sharon Jones & Dap-kings - Daptone
Back to
a funky groove for Sharon who surely has got to be one of the finds of the
year... and she's coming to the UK soon. Prominent beat with Sharon in control
over the top, then the organ kicks in. One of those persistent grooves that you
can see going on and on live, moving in and out, bringing the vocals in then
the instruments and giving it large.
Promised
Land - Naomi Davis/Sugarman & Co- Daptone
Similar
- ish to the above but with the sax taking the lead in the instrumentation.
Moves along at a pace but just a bit weaker than the above cuts. Some nice
guitar on the instrumental.
Soul Pop
b/w Countdown to Soul - Mauri Bailey - Soulfire
Fun funk
inna dance craze stylee! Spoken vocals over persistent funky beat. Organ led
instrumental
Get it -
Herb Johnson Settlement - Soulfire
New cut from
Herb Johnson from Philadelphia, solid uptempo beat allowing the main main to
virtually freestyle it.
Quienes
Que Resolverlo / Chum's Pimpage Bronx River Parkway - Latin Express
Top
Stuff indeed - Latin Vibes and funky beats - good timing from New York City,
bit of Joe Bataan in there. Flip is altogether moodier, slower and more
percussive.
Dennis
Rollins Badbone & Co - Badbone - Raestar Records
This is a magnificent slab of hardhitting freestyle funk. An excellent and
enjoyable album all the way through evoking memories of funky paartying. Kind
of a retro feel but not in a bad way because it's a now album.
'Shake
it down' is a funky party groove, an uplifting and feel good cut, as is 'The
funky Funk' bringing in the funk chants. 'Payback' is a bit more freestyle.
'Where it's at' is very Fred Wesley and 'mellow fellow' brings it down.
'Wild
and Free' is the first cut with any vocals and fine it is too. 'The Badbone
theme' brings back the good time funk. 'Red Cent' for me is a killer, melodic,
hypnotic harmonies over a mellow trombone, one of those smooth but funky cuts
that just takes you up. 'Can it be done' closes in a mellow jazz style.
A truly
excellent, well put together album and I wish it well.
Website is
at www.dennisrollins.com
Sharon
Jones & the Dapkings - "Got a thing on my mind" pt. 1 & 2:
when sharon jones says she's got a thing on her mind, you had best damn well
listen. it's hard to imagine that any voice could possibly emanate such raw,
sweet, soulful & rough around the edges style all at once but sharon has
this trick well mastered. the lyrics are liberating enough alone but with the
dapkings laying down the fastest, most furious hard hitting drums & buttery
basslines in the background, it's no wonder you'll be panting for breath &
greedily beggin' for more after only the first few measures. the dapkings
masterfully funky horns show their true presence on the instrumental b-side. as
the debut single on the funkiest brooklyn based label, i must sincerely
proclaim that this is the best funk 45 i've heard all year!
Review
by Kym aka Fuzzbeat - see her on Galactic Fracures
What am
I gonna do/ Need Somebody - Akwaaba People - Deep Funk -
This is
a magnificent new release. I actually dropped this at Soul Supreme last week
amongst Northern Soul and it went down very well, almost unnoticed. In other
words it's midtempo groove and soulful falsetto vocals is not out and out funk,
but more embracing with a bit of Latin in there as well.
The
second side is slower with the falsetto more to the front.
Phenomenal
release . One of the best releases if not the best of the year.
She took
my love - Color Climax ft Gabe/ Swings and roundabouts - Rob Life - Breakin'
Bread
From the
Breakin Bread Collective this excellent double header. Color Climax has a
throbbing hard beat with a lilting Hammond over (or under!) the beat and
featuring Gabe on vocals. A dancefoor stormer for sure.
Personally
though it's the other side. This is altogether moodier and funkier (and slower)
with a 'Rock the House' sample. This is minimalist deep funk with a helluva lot
going on.
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