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.

Kool and the Gang have been my music lessons since grade school. “Pneumonia” is one of my favorites – I first heard it as a 13-year-old self-taught bass player and it was the first time I’d run into an odd/shifting time signature. It tripped me up to play along to it until I played it for an older bassist and he explained what was going on. A decade ago when I took up drums (mainly inspired by K&TG drummer Funky George Brown), it was one of the first tunes I tried to learn once I got basic grooves down.

I recorded this video on Friday as a tribute to the song and the band (and George); I’d planned to post it one of these days. Then yesterday it was announced that founding member and saxophonist Dennis “DT” Thomas has passed away. A tremendous loss (along with the late, great Ronald “Khalis” Bell last year), but this music has done so much for me and so many people. It literally raised us. I’m just having fun playing along to a song that’s been a part of my education since I was 13, but on a wider scale a sincere thank you to Kool, George and the late great Ronald Bell and Dennis “DT” Thomas. Also to the band’s late guitarist, Claydes Smith, who wrote the song, and all members of the band past and present.

Today’s the day! Preview and pick up your copy here. Supplies limited!

Not big on drum covers but last week I recorded some James Black-inspired  drum grooves for multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick – right as I discovered the MOISES app. The app can separate instruments on any song so I was able to solo the drums to study James Black’s language much more clearly. Holy smokes. He’s always been a favorite of mine (all New Orleans drummers are) but the hand-foot combos and syncopation are in a class by themselves. He’s truly impossible to emulate, but I’ve been entrenched in James Black drumming all week and decided to use the app to mute the original drums and put my own spin on the groove from my favorite Eddie Bo tune (with Black originally on drums). Just having some fun grooving out and studying the greats. 

B.T. Express week comes to a close with my own take on one of my favorite B.T. grooves, “Energy Level,” originally played by my brotha Leslie Ming. Struggled with this beat till I met him and he showed me the minute details to make it groove (and make it my own. – for which I’d end up playing on a Du-Rites cut called “Bocho’s Groove”). A lesson from the architect himself. Brother Ming Mon, thanks for letting me tag along on your gigs and watch you throw down over the years. I was a pest of an understudy who probably asked too many questions. And salute B.T. Express always. Read my interview with B.T. on Wax Poetics here.