Browsing Tag

70s Funk

Whitelocust funked it up to the rafters in their debut rock-licked hit, Your Way

The London-hailing prodigal sons Whitelocust brought the funk rock rapture with them when they released their debut single and music video, Your Way, on the 21st of July.

With the frontman emanating the energy of Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis and the sultry grooves of early Faith No More material giving the raucousness a sensuous touch of soul, Your Way is a nostalgic rock revelation that will leave you itching for it to pour from your speakers once more from the first hit of the addictively vintage 70s grooves.

After starting out in 2021, Whitelocust hasn’t failed to garner all the right traction to give their illustrious career momentum. It is only a matter of time before they are revered as London’s premier funk-rock outfit – especially after this juggernaut of a strong debut that will reel you in hook, bassline, and sinker.

Stream the official music video for Your Way on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MEVS sent a surge of funk-riding euphoria through the airwaves with his feel-good disco-pop anthem, Groovin’

Carving his own untrodden path back to the 70s, the Puerto Rican trailblazer, MEVS, unleashed the soul-stirring slice of euphoric funk-riding disco-pop, Groovin’.

While artists will tune in with envy of his capacity to release such a blazing debut, fans of funk, alt-RnB and authentic old-school soul will surrender to the danceable electricity in the progressively dynamic release, which paints across the brighter corners of the tonal spectrum.

Starting with the sultry rolling basslines in the smoky prelude before exploding into a riot of flavour with Nile Rodgers guitar chops and a strong brass section, immersing yourself in this intrinsically rhythmic earworm which uses ‘never give up, never give in’ as an enlivening reprise will always send a flood of dopamine through your synapses.

Groovin’ is the first single from MEVS’ debut album, Sentient Beings in the Streets, which is set to release in 2023. Even if you don’t stay tuned, something tells me his enlivening soul will be coming to a dance floor near you anyway.

Groovin’ is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take a rural trip with Mike and the Psychedelic Humans debut single, ‘UFO’.

Why listen to Alex Jones ranting about UFOs when you could listen to Mike and the Psychedelic Humans’ debut single, UFO, which brings small-town rural vibes to international airwaves and celebrates the quintessential nature of them?

UFO is a psych-rock soiree that takes you deep into the heart of the old-school Louisiana funk sound while tapping into the soul of raw Chicago blues. It’s a psychedelic trip that any city slicker will want to take. With vocal reminiscence to Frank Zappa, UFO is all too efficacious at abducting your consciousness and filling it with kaleidoscopic colour. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what comes next from Mike and the Psychedelic Humans.

UFO is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pat Girondi & The Orphan’s Dream – soul-funk-pop with new single ‘I Did My Best’

70’s Motown, funk, soul, and tinges of early 80’s pop-rock combine on ‘I Did My Best’, the second single from Pat Girondi & The Orphan’s Dream’s fifth album ‘Orphan’s Return’. There’s obvious links to Chic, The Temptations, KC and the Sunshine Band, or the Gap Band, but there’s also that oh-so-cool-again 80’s groove – Scritti Politti, Blow Monkeys, or Curiosity Killed The Cat – that makes it sound totally on point and up-to-date.

Pat Girondi is originally from the South Side of Chicago, and – aside from being an Italian-American singer-songwriter – is also the founder of a Gene Therapy company; the five albums recorded so far by the Orphan’s Dream focus around – as the name suggests – orphan diseases, and around Pat’s fight to cure Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease. In ‘I Did My Best’, Girondi tells the story of injustice within the healthcare system, and of over-prescribing and mis-representing patient’s best interests. It’s also a killer little soul/funk/pop tune in its own right, and while the subject matter is serious that doesn’t stop ‘I Did My Best’ being utter fun.

You can hear ‘I Did My Best’, and the rest of the ‘Orphan’s Return’ album, on Spotify. Check out Pat Girondi & The Orphan’s Dream here.

Review by Alex Holmes

SENTO – Lay Back featuring TATONKA: The Soul Driven Ambient Hit That Will Keep Your Synapses Firing

Swiss-Norwegian artist and producer SENTO’s latest soul-instilled Alt Electronica single ‘Lay Back’ featuring TATONKA is a sublimely idyllic feat of aural ingenuity. With enough ambience within the mix to offer you a sense of catharsis and plenty of digitally-orchestrated Funk to keep your synapses firing, Lay Back easily transcends the notion of genre and becomes somewhat of a paradox. It’s a grooving dreamy slow burner and a bass-riding groove-riddled entrancing hit, all in one deftly produced package.

With SENTO’s tendency to weave everything from Funk to Hip Hop to Neo Soul into his tracks, it’s always worth delving into their eclectically inspired sound, and thankfully, there is plenty more in the pipeline.

You can check out SENTO’s latest single via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast