Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking

It’s here! Make The Road By Walking, the debut LP from Menhan Street Band is out now on Dunham (an imprint of Daptone Records) and it has totally blown me away even more than I thought it would or could. 35 minutes of pure unadulterated soulful sounds have been beautifully crafted by a super-group comprising of ten members from; The Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas and the Budos Band, along with Thomas Brenneck (the musician/producer for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Budos Band). Their pedigree is strong and the results, I’m glad to report, are even more so.

Menahan Street Band came to the forefront of social consciousness last year when Jay-Z used their track Make The Road By Walking for his hit track Roc Boys, but not as a sample, in its entirety. An infectious track that oozes soul from its very grooves, it’s plain to see why it appealed to Jay-Z. Any keen or astute follower of modern funk, particularly through the Daptone and Truth & Soul record labels, will no doubt be familiar with the artists that complete the stellar Menahan Street Band lineup and the respective sounds that they produce. An astounding blend of funk, soul and afrobeat, tinged with latin and reggae sounds, within a purely instrumental guise that is both raw, smooth and ultimately mesmerising.

Tracklisting:

01. Make The Road By Walking
02. Tired Of Fighting
03. Home Again!
04. Montego Sunset
05. Karina
06. The Traitor
07. The Contender
08. Birds
09. Esma
10. Going The Distance
11. Heartbeat

Title track, Make The Road By Walking, initiates the proceedings. Previously heard via the aforementioned Jay-Z track, Roc Boys, and also released as a 7″ single by Daptone Records last year, it features a haunting brass undercurrent and a fierce choral melody – highly addictive indeed. Tired Of Fighting is the second track on the LP, it contains subtle parts to its stanzas that combine seamlessly with the piano melody and steady percussive arrangement to create a laid back, smooth funk-soul composition with a hint of a latin influence.

Home Again! kicks it with latin guitar, trumpet and a conga ensemble – a light, yet punchy downtempo affair with a soulful spine. It leads us into the absolutely stellar Montego Sunset, a track that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It has a ragga tempo to it and masterfully combines the loose elements of early reggae with latin vibes and funky brass stabs. Add in a pinch of ragtime piano, and an infectious beat to match, and you have one incredible track indeed.

mp3: Menahan Street Band – Montego Sunset

Warmth emanates from Karina, smooth brass with solid bass rolls over the guitar and piano. The melody is sincere and strong, creating an unlikely brass anthem, born from classic elements and blossoming into contemporary gold. The Traitor is one of the shorter tracks on the LP – a rich, steady affair with a distinct emphasis on the downtempo latin brass sounds. Seemingly simple, yet deep and intriguing at the same time.

The Contendor appears to carry on the melody from The Traitor, but takes it to the next level. Added layers of brass and of piano, a punchier beat, all contribute to this fantastic downtempo soul opus – a real delight with its midway guitar breakdown and latin crescendo. Starting with a latin beat and piano riff, Birds is slightly reminiscent of the Quantic Soul Orchestra’s work on Tropidelico, although there is no hiding the brass work on this track, but then with such a culmination of talented artists in one band, would it ever sound anything but incredible? Just incase you didn’t recognise that as a rhetorical question… the answer is ‘no’.

Esma is piano driven and latin in its stylings – then enters the brass, spell binding stuff. As with most the tracks on this LP, what really grabs you by the meat and two veg is the melodies, so on-point and intricate. The execution is, at most times, astounding, everything in its right place and then some. When I heard the start of the next (and penultimate) track, Going The Distance, I thought “hang on, I know this”, turns out I do. Originally written and composed by Bill Conti for the Rocky score and soundtrack, this Menahan Street Band cover is simply fantastic. Bill Conti will be wishing he had Menahan Street Band available back then for the originals it is that good. The final track is Heartbeat, a warm and slow-paced track and perfect outro material. It features some woodwind to accompany the steady brass and relaxed funk guitar – it’s the stuff sunsets are made of.

Even though I knew beforehand of the calibre this band possessed, I was still a bit taken back by the sheer quality of the final product. There isn’t a weak track on the album, it’s a totally rich, pure and exquisite aural experience. All ten instrumentalists contribute to this fine infusion of flavours, nothing sounds out of place or overdone. Everything is there for a relevant musical reason and not just for the sake of it. Alas, these are the words of someone who is a big soul and funk fan, hence if you aren’t a fan of such sounds then this LP will either win you over… or pass you by. If, however, you are a soul and/or funk fan, this will blow your mind, no doubt.

PODCAST: JLM Volume 27.5 Love Bulgaria

A special edition of the Jus Like Music Podcast, Volume 27.5 Jus Like Music Love Bulgaria!

This badboy is 19 tracks and one hours worth of bangers for Bulgaria. A little thank you and a huge shout out to all my България friends that read the blog and download the podcast – much appreciated!

It includes some classic Mr. Scruff and some Quantic, as well as 1000names, Roots Manuva and TM Juke. A distinct mixture that will be sure to captivate your ears and whisk you away on an audio-phonic journey. Unlike many previous volumes, 27.5 focusses less on brand new material and more on the classics – see it as an opportunity or second chance at stuff you might have previously slept on.

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Volume 27.5 JLM Love Bulgaria tracklisting:

1. Mr. Scruff – Here We Go
2. Cappo – Learn to Be Strong (Quantic Soul Orchestra Mix)
3. The Quantic Soul Orchestra – Babarabatiri
4. The Apples – The Bulgarians
5. 1000names – Melonball Bounce
6. Mr. Scruff – Test The Sound
7. Prefuse 73 – I Can’t Get My Eyes Off
8. Roots Manuva – UK Warriors
9. Fallacy & Fusion – The Groundbreaker
10. Daedelus – Sawtooth EKG
11. The Herbaliser – The Hard Stuff
12. Quantic – Westbound Train
13. The Sweet Vandals – Beautiful
14. Ino Hidefumi – Spartacus
15. TM Juke – Just For A Day (Bonobo mix)
16. Slide Five – Rhode Trip
17. Xploding Plastix – Sunset Spirals
18. Curtis Mayfield – We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue
19. J Dilla – Last Donut Of The Night

Hidden in there amongst the other gems is a track from Quantic’s latest project; Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno – Death Of The Revolution. Will Holland puts out a fair amount of product these days, always a busy man, but this one kinda slipped by a lot of people and it really is worth checking out. Staying on the latin theme, as previously heard on Tropadelico, Death Of The Revolution is an array of classic sounding cumbia and boogaloo style latin treats with an edge of dub and reggae about them – all served up in that typical contemporary Quantic fashion. Recorded entirely in Colombia, Quantic’s 10th full release on Tru Thoughts shouldn’t be missed.

mp3: Quantic – Westbound Train

Wax Poetics – Issue 31

The October/November issue of the only music publication worth buying, Wax Poetics, is now on sale. Wax Poetics Issue 31 has blues/soul legend Shuggie Otis on one side of the cover and mysterious masked emcee MF DOOM on the other.

The Shuggies Otis article looks into his rise to stardom followed by his descent from the spotlight. In his own words “I was into experimenting, leaving mistakes in because they sounded good, all that kind of stuff. I was into experimenting with sound. They don’t allow that on records now.” A multi-instrumentalist, Shuggie learnt to play guitar, piano, organ, bass and drums – but WaxPo gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the life of someone that has remained slightly left of the limelight for a lot of his career.

mp3: Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information

WaxPo also takes a moment or two to take a peak behind the mask of MF DOOM. A cult figure amongst the modern hip-hop fraternity, a few mouse clicks and you’ll know Daniel Dumile is an emcee that was born in Britain before moving to America, was part of the hip-hop group KMD and isn’t seen anywhere public without the famed mask. Alas it’s not too often, apart from within his cyphers, that we get to hear more straight from the horses mouth – so def worth checking.

mp3: MF DOOM – Vomit

Also included in Issue 31 are articles on; Disco demon Patrick Adams, Daptone funk crew The Menahan Street Band, dope DJ J.Rocc and also an interview with soulful producer/emcee Count Bass D. Not to mention a whole load of other superb content. It was no exaggeration when I stated that Wax Poetics is THE only music publication worth buying – everything else pales in comparison. So do yourself a huge favour and grab this whilst you can, cos it’s well known for disappearing off the shelves with extreme velocity!

PODCAST: Jus Like Music Volume 27

Volume 27 of the Jus Like Music Podcast is out now! A whopper 19 tracks on this volume of the podcast, including; fresh Madlib, J Dilla’s bro Illa J, some Juba Dance remixes, classic (and never released) Resident Alien produced by Prince Paul, some Scruff and a slightly different Squarepusher track from his new album Just A Souvenir.

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Volume 27 tracklisting:

1. Madlib – Anthenagin’ (?)
2. Count Bass D – Sunshine
3. People Under The Stairs – Gamin’ On Ya
4. SP – Wreckless
5. Illa J – R U Listenin
6. Harmonic 313 – Solve It
7. 2tall – Ritual
8. Juba Dance – Favorite Words (Flesh O.N.E. remix)
9. Count Bass D – Welcome To The Spot
10. Resident Alien – Horrorscope
11. Eliphino – Break Up
12. Juba Dance – Cachaça (Sicker Man thin remix)
13. Talvin Singh – OK
14. J.A.M – Roys Scat
15. Mr. Scruff – Hold On
16. Quantic – Cuidad Del Swing (Version)
17. Stacy Epps – Floatin
18. The Love Bugz – Guadalupe
19. Squarepusher – Yes Sequitur

I cant get enough of that track Gamin’ On Ya from Fun DMC, the brand new People Under The Stairs LP. They’ve gone all out with the video game samples on this track, but the gimmicks are left at the door, cos it’s an absolute banger with patented PUTS tight production! Fun DMC is out now on Gold Dust Records.

mp3: People Under The Stairs – Gamin’ On Ya

VIDEO: Rup – Something That You Like

Brand new video from the UK’s best kept lyrical secret, Rup. The track is called Something That You Like featuring Naim and it’s a little sneak peak of what to expect when Rup’s next LP drops (hopefully) around December time on Hear Today Records. I cant wait for that!

Rup first hit my radar with his appearance on TM Juke’s track Wilderness Kids from the LP Maps From The Wilderness back in 2003. Then in 2006 Rup’s debut LP, Rup On Zebra, was released on Zebra Traffic and it included his signature intelligent and conscious cyphers, as heard on tracks like Step…

mp3: Rup – Step

So open up your ears and clean out your eyes cos Rup’s gonna aurally abuse you in the nicest possible way, some time around December or there abouts – stay tuned!