November 20, 2022

The Power of the Groove: How THUMP & SOUL Might Save The Music Business From The Industry

We Gotcha Groovin'; Gotcha Dancin'; Gotcha Feelin' Good!

Allow me to introduce to some, and resent to others The GroovaLottos, a powerhouse soul - funk Afrobeat jam band on a mission to make music of the good vibes... for people who want to dance, groove, and feel good. The group has undergone quite the evolution over the last decade. From their origins as a fun bar, party and street band, comprised of veteran touring and session players, into a production team that yielded a multi-Grammy nominated album (Ask Yo' Mama, 2017), and the creation of their THUMP & SOUL sound and movement

It's 1 am in the morning, and the muffled BOOM of an infectious dance groove can be heard coming from a black truck parked in front of Polyphonic Studios. It's a remix of "BOOM Bu-Cha", the latest track by The GroovaLottos, undergoing the Quality Control Point G stage; "We always check the mix on a bunch of speakers, car speakers being the 7th and last checkpoint," explains drummer/ vibraphonist /composer/ vocalist/ producer, and mix engineer, The ZYG 808. "The Downstreeter Mix of "BOOM Bu-Cha" is ready for mastering.

Recordings like "BOOM Bu-Cha" and the Kwanzaa holiday inspired "7 CANDLES" represents The GroovaLottos reaching into their Afrobeat and Caribbean influences As a band of session players, Musical code switching is a signature aspect of the band, whose styles include soul, rock, jazz, funk, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, Afrobeat, and House Music. 

"Music isn't supposed to be about genres; it's supposed to be an emotional experience," said band keyboardist/ composer/ vocalist/ producer/ band director and elder statesman, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor, "when you hear our music, it's about good vibes... that's what makes it THUMP & SOUL ."

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Mwalim,who started his career in 1984 at the age 16 as a session musician, rose into the roles of multi-award winning songwriter and producer, earning numerous grants and fellowships for music composition. With his son and band drummer, The ZYG 808 following in his music making footsteps, and an acute shortage of commercial-grade recording studios in the area, he opened Polyphonic Studios in 2020 with the assistance of his bandmates, particularly guitarist/ bassist Chuck V., an accomplished recording engineer who is heralded as the independent music industries secret weapon. While opening during a pandemic cut down on clients, Polyphonic became a hot bed for in-house production projects as well as a home for projects by NPR, Harper-Collins, UNICEF, and Penguin Books. This also provided The GroovaLottos with the time and space to cultivate their Thump & Soul sound and production process.

What Makes One A GroovaLotto? Obviously the ability to groove is at the core. One journalist referred to the band as what would happen if The Grateful Dead and Parliament Funkadelic had a a baby, the ability to jam and improvise is essential to being a player in this band. "Not by design, but pretty much everybody who has been in this band had been in the jazz band of their high school."

One result was the album MAMA's HAMPER, the band wanted to re-create the vibe of a Saturday television music in the late 1970's; from morning cartoons, to Soul Train and karate flicks, to evenings dance grooves and the late night, Don Kirshner Rock Concert.

It did not take long for artists of the region to learn about The GroovaLottos sound and facility, leading to them collaborating with regional soul and jazz legend, Chops Turner to produce the Mwalim penned maxi-single, "GET TOGETHER" and Christmas season song, "THIS HOLIDAY WITH YOU".

The top priority of The GroovaLottos can be summed up by a quote from KRS- ONE, "Making funky music is a must." With a top level production facility and production team, a growing list of clients and a full roster of their own projects to release on Polyphonic Studios Records, the sky is the limit for THUMP & SOUL and The GroovaLottos.

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April 14, 2016

Music REVIEW: "So Happy I Could Cry" by Charlie Love

Album: So Happy I Could Cry
Artist: Charlie Love
Label: LovMil Records
Format: CD & Digital Downloads

Charlie Love is a bluesman's Chicago bluesman. An amazing singer, guitarist, songwriter and all around showman who is a treat to see and experience. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this titan of a journeyman, google him and soak in his videos and sound links.

"So Happy I Could Cry" is a nice intro for the uninitiated and a return to the magic for those who has caught his show at festivals or blues venues around the world. The CD offers six wonderful blues selections full of the reflection, wry humor and solid blues that are so much a part of Mr Love's music. I particularly enjoyed "I Called Your Mama" and "She Put Me Out." Five of the songs are covers of well known blues tunes, demonstrating Mr Love's prowess in the genre, as he makes legendary tunes like Muddy Water's "Long Distance Call" and Chester Burnett's "Trouble" his own with his amazing vocal and guitar inter-play.

Five STARS
Highly Recommended

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/so-happy-i-could-cry/id415399037

December 11, 2015

MUSIC REVIEW: "Countdown To Revolution" by Synnika Lofton

TITLE: "Countdown To Revolution" (E.P.)
ARTIST: Synnika Lofton
LABEL: Guerrilla Ignition Recordings
FORM: Download & CD
WEBSITE: www.guerrillaignition.com

The late 1990's and early 2000s saw the rise of the return to coffeehouse culture along with a generation of socially conscious spoken-word and indie soul artists come of age as the keepers of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70's. The members of this urban expressionist movement were able to succeed where other failed by cultivating and nurturing the younger generations of artists, furthering a 'new world Griot' tradition.

Synnika Lofton, multi-award-winning poet, entrepreneur, educator and keeper of this tradition, offers a highly relevant collection of selections on his E.P. "Countdown To Revolution", smoothly offering a frank and insightful assessment of the need for the Black Lives Matter, I Can't Breath!, and Justice or Else! movements.

Well crafted verse, with excellent guitar and vocal accompaniment creates a mood and tone of true urban soul, with such selections as "American Outlaw", my personal favorite from the album, "If I Die Before I Wake", "Leave a Light on For Me" and "Ready For A Solution".

My only criticisms of the project: Producer should have paid a little more attention to the mixing and mastering of the recording. While it's an excellent production, a little more attention to the dynamics of the instrumentation and hook singing against the voice. Also, I wish the project had more material on it. Just as you begin to get into it, it's over.

4 STARS: 

Highly Recommended

Link: to Purchase Download:

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VIDEO: "American Outlaw"


November 23, 2015

MUSIC REVIEW: "But You Caint Use My Phone" by Eryka Badu

Album: But You Caint Use My Phone
Artist: Eryka Badu
Label: Motown
Format: CD, Digital Download

Okay, so this blog is supposed to be about organic soul and indie artists, but our first review is by a major label artist using electronica. In the case of Ms. Badu, her vocal and personal style is so creative and organic, let's face it: she gets a pass.

A poet and social commentator, here Ms Badu utilizes electronica to more deeply explore and emphasize the metaphor behind her album: the importance of electronics in interpersonal communication in the new age, where our cell phone become a reflective extension of ourselves... iPhones, Androids and (now out-dated) Black Berries. 

The rather random feeling of the album definitely gives it a life and spirit that one rarely finds in today's music and releases. I particularly enjoyed the cuts “Cel-U-Lar Device”, “Hello” and "I'll Call You Back". Also gotta love the P-Funk influenced cover art.

4 STARS
Highly Recommended

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/but-you-caint-use-my-phone/id1061192979
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