If you’re already quite familiar with FFD’s genre-splicing and casual beat-dropping, then you’ll likely find a lot to love in Bays. Staying mostly true to that dub/reggae ethos, the New Zealanders have managed to suppress any urges to branch out with phoned-in collaborations with guest vocalists (although Food-era Kelis would certainly fit the bill) or mess around too much with the agreed formula. Beginning with ‘Wairunga Blues’, a swinging opener that does enough to pique your interest through its slow-burning and alluring groove, it’s not until the following track ‘Slings and Arrows’ that the album really bursts into life: a quickfire drum fill gives way to an uplifting horn section that’ll no doubt whip audiences worldwide into a mass skank-off.
The techno style of ‘Razor’ is probably the biggest change of pace on the record in terms of the band’s sound – presenting the listener with an unrelenting and rather intimidating beat that insists and insists throughout its eight-minute duration, it’s the mark of producer John Faiumu daring to push the band’s sound to unfamiliar territories. And, as such, it’s a little discomforting – following track ‘Makkan’s chilled, shuffling style is a welcome antidote to the strange and unusual trip that the previous song takes you on; a sensation that’s returned to when the similarly techno-focused ‘Cortina Motors’ kicks into life towards the end of the album.
The centrepiece of this intriguing record, however, is ‘Fish in the Sea’. The second longest track here, Joe Dukie’s Dr. Seuss-leaning lyrics about life’s struggles (“my wife needs a wish from the magic fish”) are enough of a draw to permit his band’s instrumentation to gradually build unnoticed around it, and, whilst it doesn’t explode into any kind of epic crescendo, it’s still the most delightful, smile-inducing moment on the record. You get the feeling that, when performed live, this and many of the songs on Bays could go anywhere – they all serve as a blueprint for the live arena, where FFD really do excel in letting their songs come into their own.
Marcelinho da Lua is a Brazilian reggae/samba/dub/electronic music producer, singer and DJ. Released in 2007, Social brings together a great mix of funk, samba, reggae and dub along with electronic beats. The album also features special guests such as B-Negao and Tonho Crocco. Check it!
Let's start from just over halfway through the third album by Fat Freddy's Drop. It's the point where it goes beautifully bonkers, and showcases the band as not only the kings of laid-back and lilting epics but brain-rattling beat and soul mantras. The first half of Blackbird is just what you expect to hear from Fat Freddy's. But then Soldier starts, soothingly at first, before the pressure drops, an eerie sonar sound takes hold and it plumbs the sonic depths, all with a nod to dub great Augustus Pablo. And from Soldier it ramps up into the pinging future funk of Never Moving, then Mother Mother moves from Caribbean trance done Aotearoa-style with big booming stabs of brass to stealth techno soul, and instrumental finale Bohannon grooves, grinds and bops away, taking you on one last enchanting trip.
Austrian musician Parov Stelar has taken over the global music scene like a phantom in recent years. Through his music the modest but exceptional talent has not only gained an enormous fan base, but has also achieved cult status as a producer.
His retro- influenced music is borne out of an aura of elegance, wickedness and pure energy. inspired by styles and samples from themost varying of genres (soul, pop, jazz and swing) and combined with modern beats and grooves he creates an incomparable and peerless sound.
For his live shows Parov Stelar takes to the stage with a host of musical magicians. The performances of the Parov Stelar band are one of the most impressive live conversions of electronic music currently to be seen anywhere in the world. Brass and rhythm sections along with singer Cleo Panther reinvent Parov Stelar's electro beats, emotionally charging the public in a way never thought possible.
At the centre of the show is the creator himself, guiding the musical tour de force from the DJ booth. Despite 100's of live shows and excessive touring the band still continues to push their own creativity and break the boundaries of musical performance. Each show is uniquely different from the previous, inviting the listener to explore new aspects and emotions within Parov Stelar's music.
Etage Noir label-boss Parov Stelar is a master in electro-swing, as he proves yet again on this new three-track EP. "Wanna Fete" is a feast of 30s jazz samples, all wrapped around a tight electro-house beat that's subtle enough not to swamp the jive out of the samples. Same goes with "Diamonds", which keeps brilliantly keeps a heavy ride cymbal rocking that floats over the mix throughout and features some excellent cornet solos along with well-placed scratch breaks. No prizes for guessing the sample source on closer "Le Piaf" - another example of Stelar's skills in fusing that 78" sound with the dynamics needed to rock a modern floor.
With a signature sound and unforgettable live reputation, OKA is still serving their Progressive Roots music. Electrified Digeridoo, heavy slide guitar, soaring flutes and juju rhythms are some of the many ingredients in this Australian sound that’s matured over a decade. Humble beginnings busking on street corners have led to global tripping & independent CD sales in excess of 100 000 albums. Their past is unique and reflects a sun-drenched coastal lifestyle they call home. Here we find them with their 6th studio album ‘Milk & Honey’ that hints to be the most exciting yet.
Incorporating flavours of Dub, Electronica, Hip-hop, Jazz and many forms of world music, for years people have tried to define the OKA sound. Instead, perhaps look at the line-up - Three characters with varying influences, backgrounds and talents. Stu Boga Fergie (Didgeristu), the big man behind the electronic beats & keys brings raw didgeridoo & vocals inspired by his aboriginal heritage. Chris lane plays captivating melody on Slide Guitar, Harmonica & Woodwinds including Bamboo Flute and Sax. Making up the trio is Samoan-Australian Charlie Zappa – a rhythm specialist with beats of Polynesian fire and deep pocket. Together they blend many pieces that is the OKA puzzle - A sound & force that touches the heart & feeds the soul.
‘Milk & Honey’ brings a fresh and exciting addition to the OKA catalogue. It was created from on-stage jamming & relaxed sessions at their home Coolum beach on the Sunshine Coast. While keeping true to their indigenous roots the 14 track journey touches on new territory with vocal tracks & a soup of synth tones & beats not straying too far from the classic OKA feel.
Combining the old with the new, Tijuana Cartel have splattered their melting pot of influences all over M1, taking the listener on a round-the-world journey of sonic discovery. The flamenco-flickered For The People begins life in a sleepy Middle Eastern village before plunging to the depths of an East London warehouse rave; Mr Joshua Sinclair island-hops in the Caribbean with African tribesmen bashing away on conga drums before the dancefloor-friendly recent single Letting It Go drops anchor in a sweaty Sao Paulo street party. Perhaps M1 is less about escape and more about escapism. What strikes you most about M1 and its apparent departure from a trademark Tijuana Cartel sound is that, just like life on the road, the further you get away from home, the closer you are to being there again. M1 is not a world music record, but a record that spans the globe. It visits every continent, references every culture, yet lives in the here and now. It’s a musical odyssey that began life in the Gold Coast and will die only when Tijuana Cartel’s tour van can take them no further. It’s familiar and foreign all at once, a departure and return rolled into one. It’s a bold new step for Tijuana Cartel, and the first of many for a band that refuses to be confined to any one style, or any one place.
The Red Eyes, “Melbourne’s very own Reggae Superstars” (PBS FM), have firmly established their position as one of Australia’s leading original Dub/Reggae acts. They have received critical acclaim for ‘Red Army’ (2010), including a nomination for ‘Best Blues & Roots Album’ at the 2010 Australian Independent Record Label Awards and ‘Album of the Week’ on PBS FM and Radio Australia. Founded in 2002, The Red Eyes brings together 7 multi-instrumentalist musicians who deliver an explosive live sound that combines masterful beats and shake the house dub rhythms with heartfelt lyrics that provide unique antipodean spin on the broad Reggae genre. The band is led on stage by enigmatic front man El Witeri (2011 APRA Songwriter Award Finalist) who draws on his New Zealand upbringing and Maori heritage for inspiration. Witeri introduces and closes each show in Maori to represent himself and welcome people into the whanau (family), creating a sense of community and openness that fans and new audiences are drawn to. Red Army is expertly produced dub goodness…full character, tight, catchy and brimming with soul.
Projeto CCOMA is a brazilian duo of contemporary instrumental jazz. Formed by Roberto Scopel (trumpet) and Swami Sagara (percussion), the Projeto CCOMA mix drums to electronic music and the hang drum to trumpet, to create a music that could be called Future Jazz. The album "peregrino" has the participation of many special guests such as Luciano Sallum from "pedra branca", Zeca Baleiro and Di Melo among others.
Early in his career, DJ Vadim was a specialist. His specialty was shadowy ambient breakbeat, and it provided some of the highlights to appear on Ninja Tune, which was a very fine label indeed. Since then, he's branched out and matured, able to float all manner of beat-centric forms. That's exactly what happens on U Can't Learn Imaginashun, and virtually every track is the type of high-quality jam that could survive on its own. (It's easy to imagine the praise a DJ would get for his range if he aired the 18 tracks here in a DJ set.) Though he starts with dancehall, Vadim spends a lot of time in hip-hop, but with many variations on the form: classic hip-hop, digitalia, East Coast hardcore, and slow-grind R&B. Vadim also gets the most out of his obscure cast of featured guests, including a pair of serviceable East Coasters named Juice Lee and Rjay, the outre R&B vocalist Sabirajade (who appears on three great tracks, including the deep-grooving "Thrill Seeker"), and Chicago veteran Pugs Atomz (who appears on "Saturday" and "Always Lady," a pair of completely different settings). Oddly enough, the variety on tap can make for a scattered listen, but U Can't Learn Imaginashun is studded with great tracks.
Since the advent of acid jazz in the mid-'80s, the many electronic-jazz hybrids to come down the pipe have steadily grown more mature, closer to a balanced fusion that borrows the spontaneity and emphasis on group interaction of classic jazz while still emphasizing the groove and elastic sound of electronic music. For his second album, French producer Ludovic Navarre expanded the possibilities of his template for jazzy house by recruiting a sextet of musicians to solo over his earthy productions. The opener "Rose Rouge" is an immediate highlight, as an understated Marlena Shaw vocal sample ("I want you to get together/put your hands together one time"), trance-state piano lines, and a ride-on-the-rhythm drum program frames solos by trumpeter Pascal Ohse and baritone Claudio de Qeiroz. For "Montego Bay Spleen," Navarre pairs an angular guitar solo by Ernest Ranglin with a deep-groove dub track, complete with phased effects and echoey percussion. "Land Of..." moves from a Hammond- and horn-led soul-jazz stomp into Caribbean territory, marked by more hints of dub and the expressive Latin percussion of Carneiro. Occasionally, Navarre's programming (sampled or otherwise) grows a bit repetitious -- even for dance fans, to say nothing of the jazzbo crowd attracted by the album's Blue Note tag. Though it is just another step on the way to a perfect blend of jazz and electronic, Tourist is an excellent one.
Timewarp was born in Athens, Greece 25 years before the second millennium. He was introduced to electronic music at age 13 when he acquired an amiga. Captivated by the fledging technology's potential he started working on his own sounds and soon found his musical identity in the area of chill sound beats. You can find him under the aliases Timewarp inc. or Timewarp a.k.a Angelos Stoumpos. Being a dj as well as a composer he became famous in the Greek underground electronica scene in early 90’s. Over the years he appeared in numerous parties and venues and he created one of the first pioneering dance projects in Greece. Influenced by and joining forces with a number of other composers and artists he started expanding the character of his music, combining smooth baselines with melodic instruments like flute, percussions, vocals, guitars creating a very characteristic worm ethereal worldly sound. At the same time his production style moved into funky sounds obtaining rough edges that applied to his music a dramatic intensity. His well-defined music signature can be easily identified in all his productions from dub, downtempo to funky breaks and dance . Timewarp has contributed in many releases of various record labels like: ecco.chamber, Sony BMG, V2, Irma, Waveform and more. He licensed music for commercial motion TV advertising spots for brands like Honda, WV-Polo, Seat, Stolichnaya, Old Holborn, Alpha Bank and more.
Rex Riddem and Mustafa Akbar, better known as Nappy Riddem, have created a funky sound, drawing on everything from soul to reggae — and the duo’s debut release, One World Sovereignty, hooks the listener from the very beginning with touches of all these influences and more. The self-titled opening track proclaims the album’s mission: “It’s so profound when the beat comes round, we get down like this/ We are the funktified soul providers Nappy Riddem project.” Riddem and Akbar are going to deliver some funky tunes and “make ‘em sweat.” You will be shaking yo’ ass by the middle of the first song — they bring in a jazzy horn section and a funky guitar, and the result is incredibly danceable.
But it’s not just the funky tuneage that makes this album so memorable. By the second track, the men of Nappy Riddem are commenting on the state of things in the world: “reciprocity is a million-man dream,” but “times are so hard, the devil need a bodyguard.” The vocal harmony is fantastic and again, there is a great mix of jazzy horns and sick beats, this time with the addition of singing keys. These guys are definitely gifted composers.
“Ease Up” and “Angle It” are sexy tracks with pure reggae vibes. They do have a bit of a stereotypical rap feel in the lyrics, talking about sexy girls in short mini-skirts, but they’re still fun and funky and have just as much musicality as the more serious songs on One World Sovereignty. And the album does anything but get boring — there are elements of dub on “Soundboy Wake the Sound,” and a slowed-down soul feel on “Suspicious Love.”
“One World Sovereignty,” is simply an incredible tune. The opening guitar is beautiful and catchy, the vocal harmonies are exquisite, and the lyrics are tight and eloquent, drawing on an impressive variety of sources for inspiration: “Biological and chemical warfare/ everybody talk about Iraq, but what about the war here?” and, drawing (presumably) from Maya Angelo’s poem, “Now I know why the caged bird sings/ how can you hold me captive? I’m a natural born king.” Though lamenting the state of things in the world, the overall message is positive: “it’s time for us to be the chance we want to see.” A wonderful closer to a strong album.
With the burgeoning guitar rock of the sixties, kids growing up found heroes who played an instrument that could be easily mass manufactured for a relatively small amount of money. And over the next couple of decades, the guitar became the icon of new music in America, eventually becoming the most widely purchased musical instrument. Nonetheless, with the advent of DJ culture and assimilation of computers into our everyday lives, the sampler, turntable, and mixer have often supplanted the guitar as the instruments of choice for the new generation. No matter how cramped your apartment or how clumsy your hands may be, this technology allows you to manipulate and create such an incredible variety of sounds and structures that the possibilities are practically limitless. And with the amount and diversity of this kind of music now being created in all genres, the age of the DJ has truly arrived.These sounds are often created in a sterile electronic enviroment, but in the right hands they can be as compelling and organic as any other kind. Nickodemus is not a new kid on the block, but Endangered Species is his first full length album. Working parties in and around New York for well over six years, Nickodemus has honed his skills in melding genres and elements from various global musical styles—reggae, house, funk, Latin, Arabic, Afrobeat, and more. Using this experience, he has constructed an album that blends the familiar with the exotic. The urban meets world music aesthetic has been explored before with varying degrees of success, but Endangered Species is a compelling listen that does a good job of differentiating itself from the pack."Cleopatra in New York serves as a good example of how the album works as a whole. Nickodemus melds a complex rhythm of drums and various percussion instruments and lays Arabic-influenced flute and oud on top, which carries the main melody and serves as a textural bed for a wordless female vocal. The track has an assertive pulse that is calmed by the cool sound of the instruments, and although it may be considered a dance track, it is much more complex musically than that.The key here, and throughout the album, is that Nickodemus is not simply layering one beat or loop on top of another. Rather he is creating a foundation for these different musical elements to breathe and come together on their own accord. Every track here is cut from a similar cloth, but with vastly different colors and textures. From the laid back opening title track and its acoustic guitar groove to the roll call of drummers on Give The Drummer Some and the syncopated closing "Mystery of Life, each track provides a different journey and utilizes special guests to varying degrees.You can find common threads embedded throughout, but Nickodemus imbues Endangered Species with more than enough variation and ingenuity to hold interest while still marinating a dynamic sense of movement and flair. What will really be interesting is to see how he develops this already mature sound over time—and where he'll go next
Originais do Sample é um projeto musical de Felipe Machado (felipe alma), Tiago Melo (zécafofinho) e Hugo Gilla que conta com a particitação de dois músicos do MOMBOJÓ, Chiquinho e Marcelo Machado (buchito). Felipe Machado nerd em tecnologias livres cria as bases+edição+programação.
A primeira conexão da tecnologia X música foi com Tiago de Melo, músico da Variant TL (banda pernambucana que faz releituras do SKA). “Estava um dia em casa tomando cerveja com Tiago e mostrei as bases que eu costumava fazer só por diversão, ele gostou e sugeriu uma parceria”. Foi nesse momento, no ano de 2002, que surgiu a idéia de formar um grupo onde ele fosse lançando as bases ao vivo enquanto os músicos tocassem. O nome Originais do Sample veio do fato de todas essas sonoridades serem sampleadas e introduzidas na reconstrução de novas faixas.
“A prática de baixar músicas na Internet mais a conexão com grupos de distribuição de mp3 do mundo inteiro faz parte da minha formação e me traz constantes influências artísticas e tecnológicas”. Entre as maiores inspirações para o Originais do Sample estão cloudDead (EUA), Dj Shadow (Inglaterra), Cut Chemist (EUA), Jurassic 5 (EUA), N.E.R.D (EUA), King Tubby (Jamaica), Aphex Twin (Inglaterra), Dj Remixsom (Peixinhos, Pernambuco), entre outros.
'Arrocha means to hold on with a lot of
pressure,' Curumin says from his São Paolo home, describing the meaning behind
his new album title. 'In Bahia it's a rhythm, a way of dancing where you hold
your girl very close. That pressure is something we feel here in Sao Paolo. It's
a very big city and you are always surrounded by people. On this album I'm
trying to make more sensual music, speaking with a lot of feeling and getting
closer to people.'
Born of Spanish
and Japanese parents 35 years ago, Luciano Nakata Albuquerque adopted the
persona Curumin (KOO-roo-mean) as a way of exploring the possibilities of
Brazil's many sonic heritages. Known globally as the land of bossa nova and
samba, the youthful vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer has borrowed much
from his Brazilian culture but expanded upon it by creating an inviting, sensual
tone while eschewing any lust for stardom through mainstream sounds. On the
pioneering Arrocha (Six Degrees
Records), he has built upon prior success in creating a melodically addicting
and rhythmically potent exploration of modern Brazil.
Discovered by
California hip-hop outfit Blackalicious on a 2005 South American tour, the duo
helped Curumin gain international recognition by releasing his debut, Achados e Perdidos, in the United
States. After successfully launching his presence in the States at CMJ that same
year, he was quickly booked to perform at Chicago's World Music Festival and the
M3 Conference the following year. Natalie Portman included his track 'Tudo Bern
Malandro' on a compilation; when 'Guerreiro' was used in a Nike ad during the
FIFA World Cup, the fame he never sought was ensured.
It was Curumin's
second album, JapanPopShow, that
really launched him in 2008. His unique fusing of samba, reggae, electronica,
funk and hip-hop earned him gigs at Central Park Summerstage, Los Angeles's
Grand Performances, the Montreal Jazz Fest, the Red Hot Rio +2 concert at
Brooklyn's BAM and San Francisco's Stern Grove. He's performed alongside Femi
Kuti, Jorge Ben, Money Mark, Blackalicious and Juana Molina, and earned glowing
accolades from the NY Times, Spin, the Village Voice and Billboard.com.
Part of a wave
of evolutionary Brazilian artists updating their native soundscape, this
self-professed tropicalia and funk addict now delves deeply into the electronic
sound of his MPC to control the direction. 'I created different atmospheres and
textures from doing a lot of research with all of the albums I have here in my
house,' he says. Being that his home would not cater to a full band set-up, Arrocha dives right into the heart of
his intentions: it's a warm, sensitive journey featuring gorgeous melodies
floating over a wash of spacious percussion, guitars and bass, while never
losing the danceable beats that his culture demands.
'The electronic
angle let me work inside of the machines,' he says. 'It's a different way to do
Brazilian music. But it's also part of my Japanese heritage. The thing that I'm
trying to accomplish in my music is connected to the past and tradition, as well
as to the future. This is a very Japanese way of looking at things.'
Kicking it off
with the hard edge of 'Afoxoque,' the word is an amalgam of the Portuguese word
afoxê and the English shock. 'I was
programming the beat and just gave it this name. A few days later I tried to
write lyrics, and I started to research what afoxoque could mean. Afoxê is a word from Yoruba, the African
tradition here in Brazil, and it means 'the power of speech.' So it's the shock
that happens to you from the power of language.'
Not all of the
album depends on metaphysical explanation. In fact, the topics of yearning and
connection, to a soulmate, family member of friend, dominates the content.
'Selvage,' the album's first single and video, is about getting wild. Having
lived in downtown São Paolo for eight years, Curumin felt that past-future
connection, noticing that very evolved people live daily with their primitive
instincts. On 'Selvage' he waxes romantic over the 'jungle' of his former
neighborhood, providing the listener with Arrocha's most upbeat, punchy track.
On 'Paris Vila
Matilde' he tells a story about calling his girlfriend, who comes from the São
Paolo neighborhood of Vila Matilde, while he was in France. This gorgeous
two-minute gem is engulfed by that seductive term, saudade, an indescribable feeling of
desire and aching made globally famous by the poetic hand of Federico García
Lorca. And speaking of poets, 'Pra Nunca Mais' was penned by Arnaldo Antunes,
Brazil's renowned wordsmith and singer.
'It's like
you're waking up and coming out from a dream,' Curumin says of that song. 'But
you don't want to wake up, so you go back to your dreams and begin to float.
Then the things in the dream start to happen again, but then you are waking up
again, but you don't want to.'
Following up on
the many successes he garnered with JapanPopShow, Curumin has produced a
record that's certain to surpass previous praise. Introduced to Six Degrees
Records via his friend (and now labelmate) Céu - who guest stars on the
reggae-inflected 'Vestido de prata' - he's excited to be moving in new musical
directions, blending catchy tracks with an integrity and inventiveness unique
unto himself.For him, this is all he
could imagine himself doing.
'I'm always
trying to be minimal in my music and life, just putting in what's essential and
not too much information,' he concludes, in what is perhaps another quality
pulled from his Japanese ancestry. 'I'm happy that the alternative scene in
Brazil is building. If you just have mainstream music, nothing is creative, and
no one is going to try to do anything strange. Now some people are doing strange
stuff, and some people are listening to strange stuff too. This is very
good.'
SuperHeavy is a supergroup consisting of Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, A. R. Rahman, and Damian Marley. Stone and Stewart have collaborated in the past with Jagger. Jagger said of the band, "We wanted a convergence of different musical styles... We were always overlapping styles, but they were nevertheless separate". Jagger wanted SuperHeavy to showcase different musical styles, with music ranging from reggae to ballads to Indian music. SuperHeavy" began work on the album in 2009. In early 2009, Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart and A. R. Rahman experimented at a studio in Los Angeles, trying to "write songs which had meaning". They had a couple of more sessions after that trying to perfect every song that was written. Jagger stated in an interview that they had entered with just ideas, a few guitar riffs and a few snippets of lyrics... which isn't his usual style of working, but music evolved quickly."The band recorded twenty-nine songs in ten days. Some of the songs recorded were even an hour long. In total, there was more than thirty-five hours of music recorded, from which Stewart and his engineer found the highlights that would work as the roots of songs. However, the CD release only included twelve songs.
Wellington-based 'seven-headed soul monster' Fat Freddy’s Drop are renowned
for taking their time to distil onstage jams into meticulously crafted studio
creations, and once again that approach has paid off. Dr Boondigga & the Big
BW is every bit as good as their last record. The music is still based firmly in their uniquely sweet, relaxed mix of soul,
reggae and jazz, but peppered with diverse new flavours, some obviously picked
up on their globetrotting tours. Crucially, none of these novel influences feel
like they’ve been forced by fashion, and Fat Freddy's Drop still make music with
an unmistakeably South Pacific swing. With most tracks clocking in at eight or nine minutes, and often traversing
several moods, everything is woven into a seamless whole that makes perfect
sense as one style flows into another. So it is that The Nod – arguably the
album's highlight – somehow incorporates bluesy harmonica, P-funk synth
squelches, a rap about food and fishing, and a wonderfully queasy Dixieland jazz
cameo, all tied down by a deep, skanking groove. The epic Shiverman is probably the most radical departure, driven by an
organic, dubbed-up house beat, and featuring a fiery performance by lead singer
Dallas Tamaira. Big BW airs another new direction, with its trippy broken
beat/nu-soul feel rather reminiscent of D'Angelo, while Boondigga is an
affectionate homage to producer Willie Mitchell's classic Memphis soul sound,
best heard on Al Green's mid-70s albums. As usual, references to family ties, culinary matters and the sea make up the
bulk of the lyrical subjects. And even if Tamaira does rhyme “waters” with
“daughters” on the highly aquatic, driving dub of The Raft, the way he chews and
savours his words for maximum musicality throughout ensures he's still one of
the most soulful singers of his generation. This is a satisfyingly roosty, late-summer soundtrack, which could make it
onto many an end-of-year list.
Fat Freddy’s Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy’s Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 13-year career. Fat Freddy’s Drop are known for their improvised live performances; songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand, and on tour abroad.
SEE-I has become one of the east coast's premier party bands because they know how to get people dancing all night with a smile on their face. See-I's unique blend of classic roots reggae with a good blend of funk and soul has rocked dancefloors from Texas to Montauk. The deep experiences & influences of this 8 piece group have created a sound popular sound at ski resorts, beachtowns & concert halls alike. Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation even said "They’re unique musically and I think that’s why people gravitate to them so much". See-I is original roots, rock reggae from the nation's capital.
