In their song ‘Arithmetic’ Water Seed proclaim they “got that funk”. And they most definitely do. That delightful, glorious funk, created with killer musicianship, so rare to find in new music being made around the world these days. We Are Stars, Water Seed’s most recent studio album, is a body of work made up of… Continue reading Water Seed Got That Funk
Tag: music
New York City Music Delights
How do people living in New York City find the time to work when the music and dance experiences on offer seem endless? That’s what I asked myself daily as I struggled to fit in the bare necessities of sleeping and eating while fulfilling my one and only New York commitment: soaking up as much… Continue reading New York City Music Delights
Bluesfest 2017 – An Awe Inspiring Wealth of Musical Experience
Byron Bay Bluesfest is all about the music. It’s not a festival you go to find a patch of luscious green grass to chill out on and catch up with friends. For starters you’re not likely to find such grass or any other festival spaces to chill out comfortably (unless you pay hundreds extra to… Continue reading Bluesfest 2017 – An Awe Inspiring Wealth of Musical Experience
H Is For Hip Hop And Its Queens
H in the A to Z of fusion goes to Hip Hop music – leaving aside here the other core elements that make up hip hop culture. Hip Hop earns its place because its creation definitely involves the refined art of fusion. From DJs mixing records they spin to studio producers/beat makers sampling, chopping, looping, sequencing, recording… Continue reading H Is For Hip Hop And Its Queens
Aaradhna – Brown Girl
The new album from New Zealand’s young soul diva Aaradhna, Brown Girl, is another wonderful opportunity to acquaint yourself with the uniquely-flavoured sounds of the South Pacific. Musically this album gives you a diverse fusion of flavours from smooth, smokin’ R&B to a hint of island skank and some cruisy country vibes. It’s simply the… Continue reading Aaradhna – Brown Girl
Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2016 – All Along The Jazz Continuum
Melbourne International Jazz Festival has again succeeded in bringing some of the world’s greatest musical innovators to perform on stages throughout Melbourne over 10 days; creators from all along the jazz continuum – some whose music we’ve known and loved for our entire lifetime so far, others whose new music we’ll benefit from knowing better and may… Continue reading Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2016 – All Along The Jazz Continuum
Orishas Reunited For New Album
Orishas only did two things that troubled me during their 11 years together creating stunning, one-of-a-kind Cuban hip hop music. The first was featuring Pitbull on one of their tracks “Quien Te Dijo” – and there ain’t no way of ever undoing that. The second and much more devastating thing was their decision to split up… Continue reading Orishas Reunited For New Album
‘F’ Must Be For Funk
‘F’ in the A to Z of Fusion must go to Funk. Why? Because put simply and personally, funk on the downbeat (like reggae’s offbeat) moves my body into action and takes me to a higher, happier place than any other breed of music in this world. More generally, because funk music in its original and many… Continue reading ‘F’ Must Be For Funk
The Putbacks – “Kung Fu Pyramids” Sweet Vinyl-Style
HopeStreet Recordings unfailingly gives its music releases a description that stimulates the imagination; that invites you to press play and enter into a kooky adventure. I’d usually call copying and pasting the exact contents of a press release to be a lazy Beaver’s game. But what the label says about “Kung Fu Pyramids” and it’s… Continue reading The Putbacks – “Kung Fu Pyramids” Sweet Vinyl-Style
Fat Freddys Drop – Beyond Easy Skanking
Every album so far delivered by Fat Freddys Drop has brilliantly captured and showcased the unique blends of soul, jazz, funk, R&B, reggae and dub that New Zealand music is known and loved for. Those albums have also captured the spirit and sounds of the epic live Fat Freddys Drop journeys – from which the group… Continue reading Fat Freddys Drop – Beyond Easy Skanking