I have a new album coming out in 2022 called Intoxicated Skull. It’s a jazz-funk library style album with my ace musicians Raff Swink and Pablo helping me out. Above is a clip of “Lil’ Mallet,” one of the solo cuts where I finally got to use the kalimba my mother got me. This is also the last thing I recorded in my studio before I tore down the walls and started renovations last week. New beginnings! More info on Intoxicated Skull soon.
Here’s a slice of “Can’t Buy Groove,” live from the Pressure EP release party last week at Mama Tried in Brooklyn. Enjoy!
Today’s the day! Six tracks deep, funk busting from the seams with elements of rock, jazz and Italian movie score. Get your fill!
10″ vinyl + Digital on Bandcamp
And a special thanks to all who came through our NYC release party last night. We had a ball.
And have a funk-i-tized weekend!
New music! This bad MF Tane hit me up in March about gettin’ down on sum’n and this tune “Cilantro” (under the band name Brothers of My Uncle) is what we got. Above is the video. It was released on Spotify today.
As I approach my 10th year playing drums next week, I’m very fortunate to work with the level of musicians I’ve been able to this early on. Nothing taken for granted! Dig.
Here’s a promo vid for “Bird Brain,” another cut from The Du-Rites Pressure EP. Hit our Bandcamp to preorder 10” vinyl. Ships next week. Out everywhere October 1!
The first single from The Du-Rites Pressure EP has something we’ve never had: real vocals c/o Italy’s own Marianna D’Ama! And real strings featuring violinist Greg Holt. Here’s a promo clip where we discuss how Danger Mouse (and others) have gotten on us since our inception about incorporating vocals.
Pablo and I wanted to pull that off without dipping into the standard retro ’60s soul singer bag and “The Squeeze” is the result.
Stream it here on Spotify
Get streaming/download of the song with purchase of a Pressure EP on vinyl 10″ via Bandcamp pre-order
Pressure is out worldwide October 1.
Dig.
And we’re live! Our sixth release! The Du-Rites Pressure pre-order begins today: pre-order your copy of the 10″ vinyl here on Bandcamp – and enjoy a taste of our “music video”!
This song (“The Squeeze”) is downloadable today with purchase. Vinyl ships in 2-3 weeks. Dig.
Kool & the Gang’s “Electric Frog” has freaked me out since I found the Music is the Message album in a used record shop in Queens when I was 12. It’s my favorite LP of all time, in part because of this uniquely funky song. Also, “Funky” George Brown has always been my favorite drummer. I used the Moises app to solo the bass, guitar, flutes and the “Frog” synth sound to play along to it.
I was privileged to talk to the late, great Ronald “Khalis” Bell about this song once. The band was experimenting with the ARP Soloist synthesizer, which had just come out when the album was being recorded in early 1972. Keyboardist Ricky West would run it through a wah wah pedal and that’s how that sound came about. Ronald and D.T. Thomas (who transitioned early this month) played those great flute parts. It was a longer jam and tape edited down. The human feel / push and pull – the synth drags in parts which only makes it funkier – means I really had to rely on my years of listening to it over and over to lock in with all its quirks. Another nod to my favorite band of all time and huge piece of my musical education, albeit a lesser known one in the band’s catalog. This and “Joanna” being by the same band a decade apart is as stark a contrast you’ll hear as a testament to K&TG versatility. Thank you K&TG for a lifetime of music education.
I was a guest on “The Questions,” a hip-hop trivia show, last week. Interspersed with the trivia questions are anecdotes about session drumming, career change, The Du-Rites and being sampled by Madlib, along with many other things. I scored 9 out of 15, which is 60% and a sign that my elephant’s memory is getting more selective as I get older! It was live this past Thursday but here’s the archive: Enjoy it here on YouTube!
Here’s the Concussion Percussion Promo. Enjoy this collage of all things drums & concussions. Video by J Nota (ReDefinition Records). Vinyl out now in very limited supply here. Once I’m out, I’m out! Enjoy.