Jan 16, 2021

RhoDeo 2102 Grooves

 Hello,


Today's Artists are is an American instrumental band from Staten Island, New York, formed in 2005. AllMusic describes the group as a "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch" that joins "musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk to '70s hard rock and late-'60s soul. They have described themselves as "70's Psychedelic Instrumental Music," and "Afro-soul inspired by Ethiopian music with a soul undercurrent" and "sprinkled a little bit of sweet 60's stuff on top... .........N Joy

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The Budos Band are a bicoastal American big band who describe their sound as "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch." Their multivalent approach bridges musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk to '70s hard rock and late-'60s soul. Their choreographed stage show is at once intense, spontaneous, humorous, and geared toward audience participation. The instrumental ensemble has been affiliated with Daptone Records since their inception and most of the bandmembers have backed the label's artists. Budos are a 21st century jam band. While there is room for improvisation inside their often-hypnotic, labyrinthine compositions, their arrangements are sophisticated, tight, and centered on infectious grooves. The group's early years focused on integrating the music they loved as individual musicians, from Mulatu Astatke's Ethio-jazz and Fela Kuti's Afrobeat to the hard and heavy funky soul of the Bar-Kays, Muscle Shoals, Tower of Power Horns, and the J.B.'s. Their recorded catalog, from 2005 through 2010 -- Budos Band I, II, and III -- appropriately reflected the outgrowth of those influences. With 2014's Burnt Offering, Budos shifted gears and wove in elements of early-'70s psychedelia and Krautrock, which added darker, more hallucinatory textural and dramatic dimensions to their sound. Over the next five years, as they toured and road-tested their material, their music evolved. In the aftermath of Burnt Offering, Budos were able to integrate their tried-and-true, energetic, danceable funkiness with raw, metal-tinged, high-energy psych rock. This meeting of musics resulted in the recording of V in 2019.
RZA quickly became part of the crew, as did several other local MCs, including Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa. The nine rappers made a pact to a form an artistic and financial community -- the Wu-Tang Clan wouldn't merely be a group, it would be its own industry. In order to do this, they decided to establish themselves through a group effort and then begin to spread the word through solo projects, picking up additional collaborators along the way and, in the process, becoming stronger and more influential.

 The Budos Band got together at a jam session hosted by Brooklyn's Afrobeat kings, Antibalas. Specializing in horn-driven world roots funk, the group has a sometimes-fluctuating lineup that includes David Guy and Andrew Greene on trumpet, Cochemea Gastelum on tenor sax, Jared Tankel on baritone sax, percussionist Dame Rodriguez, Thomas Brenneck on guitar, Robert Lombardo on congas, Mike Deller on organ, Vincent Balestrino on tambourine and shekere, Daniel Foder on bass, and drummers Brian Profilio and John Carbonella, Jr. The group released the self-titled The Budos Band on Daptone Records in 2005 and followed it with The Budos Band II, also on Daptone, in 2007. After a tour, and a lengthy break during which individual members contributed to other artists' projects, the band reunited to record a third album, aptly titled The Budos Band III, which was released in August of 2010.

The Budos Band were also willing to assist on others' recordings. They backed Blundetto (Max Guiguet) on "Mustang," the B-side of his 2011 "Voices" single. They also contributed "Black Venom" to the Resistencia Soul compilation that also featured Nicole Willis, Lee Fields, Alice Russell, Charles Bradley, and others in 2012. Speaking of Bradley, in 2013 the group backed him on his cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes" on the A-side of a non-LP single. In October 2014, the Budos Band re-emerged with Burnt Offering, an album that diverged from the path they'd previously carved for themselves; the set was deeply steeped in psychedelia and soundtrack grooves as well as Afrobeat and funk. A four-continent world tour followed and kept the band on the road for more than two years.

After the deaths of Daptone family members Sharon Jones in late 2016 and Charles Bradley in 2018, the group went through a mourning period, during which time Brenneck and Tankel moved to California. Previously, when they were all in New York, Budos wrote together every Thursday night. After the pair relocated, others became fathers. Life dictated that the Budos process needed altering. Brenneck and Tankel returned to New York to write and work on an album at the band's new Diamond Mine studios, in Long Island City in Queens. It marked the first time that the band had written and recorded an album at the same location. Titled V, Brenneck brought the tapes back to Los Angeles and mixed them with Daptone's Gabe Roth (who produced the first three Budos albums). First single "Old Engine Oil" was issued in February 2019 and became a club hit; it was followed in March by "Veil of Shadows." The full-length V was released in the middle of April.

The Budos Band celebrated their 15th anniversary with the release of Long in the Tooth in late 2020. It found the group further bridging the gap between the Farfisa-fueled Ethio-funk and break-laden hip-hop grooves of their first two albums, blending the psychedelic Black Sabbath-inspired rock riffs of the latter with a new dominant sound from their trademark Afro-jazz horn section.

 

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One of the pillars of the Daptone label alongside Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and the Sugarman 3, the Budos Band blend soul and funk and twist it with African music scales, particularly with their horn arrangements. Their self-titled LP showcases a band comfortable playing at nearly any speed, often with a brooding sensibility. "Budos Theme" expresses their sound with a high-octane sense of urgency. Prevalent are those aforementioned horns swirling in tornadic fashion, but the track also gets a dose of extra personality from drummer Brian Profilio's ecstatic rhythms. Far from conventional, the beat dances in unison with the bass guitar, played by Daniel Foder, creating a jittery backbeat. The follow-up track, "Ghost Walk," is itself an embodiment of righteous instrumental soul that slows down to a deliberate tempo. The jam starts with a crunchy drum break before being paced by an exemplary and hypnotic Tommy "TNT" Brenneck guitar performance. Fueling the groove are some accompanying extended organ chords and a two-bar conga solo that breaks through momentarily. The Budos Band even throw in a worthy cover of Sly & the Family Stone's classic "Sing a Simple Song." Although it lacks the pop of the original, in part because Cynthia Robinson isn't adding her fiery shouts, it's still a monster arrangement. Unrecognizable as a cover for the first 20 seconds, the guitar lick finally gives it away. For the first 80 seconds, the band plays it close to the vest before building up the suspense and then climaxing at the 1:45 mark. It's not the party starter as performed by Sly & the Family Stone, but it's a perfect example of paying reverence to a classic jam while still adding some original finesse. During a time when the neo-soul craze in urban music was waning, another movement of soul revivalism was starting to gain serious footing. For an instrumental band in the 2000s to be such a musical force in instituting a change in the guard -- even if only in a subset of the genre -- is a testament to the bandmembers' musical abilities in playing, writing, arranging, and performing. The album is a commendable piece of artistry not to be overlooked.



<a href="https://multiup.org/239d5e8bc8e04a8c5a7af7edd4344d68"> The Budos Band - The Budos Band</a> (flac   243mb)

01 Up From the South 3:26
02 T.I.B.W.F 2:40
03 Budos Theme 3:09
04 Ghost Walk 2:13
05 Monkey See, Monkey Do 6:01
06 Sing a Simple Song 3:18
07 Eastbound 3:43
08 Aynotchesh Yererfu 3:13
09 King Charles 3:09
10 The Volcano Song 2:50
11 Across the Atlantic 3:28

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This Brooklyn-based instrumental collective combines slow-burn Afro-beat rhythms with a '70s soul-jazz aesthetic, the latter sound well-known by those already familiar with the Daptone label's other releases. The retro, almost blaxploitation soundtrack groove pushes the predominantly Afro style into American soul territory. They call it "Afro-soul," which neatly sums up the style but doesn't entirely do it justice; only hearing it does. Horns and horn charts dominate, which, because these sessions were recorded live in the studio, exude a spark and swing that are somewhat ominous yet hypnotically contagious. The band cites both the Sugarman 3 and Antibalas as influences, and the resulting mélange is the flash point between those two acts. Unlike much Afro-beat, the Budos Band's songs are compact, with only two extended past four minutes. Titles such as "King Cobra," "Scorpion," and "Ride or Die" emphasize the underlying danger inherent in the vibe. Most impressive, though, is the collaborative aspect at work here. None of the solos are extended and the concise track times keep the music sharp and taut, creating a mood and getting out. There's a strong R&B undercurrent, especially in the bass on "His Girl," an innovative rewrite of the Temptations' "My Girl." "Origin of Man" practically begs to be the soundtrack to a film noir, and much of this would work as backing music to a typical '70s grindhouse flick, which is a high compliment. Its swirling sound crosses genres and eras with effortless precision, joining world-roots-funk with the thumping urban groove of the Western world.


<a href="https://bayfiles.com/P0vbN491pd/Th_Bds_Bnd_Th_Bds_Bnd_2_zip">  The Budos Band - The Budos Band II</a> (flac   219mb)

01 Chicago Falcon 2:53
02 Budos Rising 4:49
03 Ride or Die 3:35
04 Mas O Menos 3:40
05 Adeniji 2:45
06 King Cobra 3:40
07 My Girl 3:49
08 Origin of Man 4:52
09 Scorpion 3:51
10 Deep in the Sand 3:45

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This Brooklyn-based instrumental collective combines slow-burn Afro-beat rhythms with a '70s soul-jazz aesthetic, the latter sound well-known by those already familiar with the Daptone label's other releases. The retro, almost blaxploitation soundtrack groove pushes the predominantly Afro style into American soul territory. They call it "Afro-soul," which neatly sums up the style but doesn't entirely do it justice; only hearing it does. Horns and horn charts dominate, which, because these sessions were recorded live in the studio, exude a spark and swing that are somewhat ominous yet hypnotically contagious. The band cites both the Sugarman 3 and Antibalas as influences, and the resulting mélange is the flash point between those two acts. Unlike much Afro-beat, the Budos Band's songs are compact, with only two extended past four minutes. Titles such as "King Cobra," "Scorpion," and "Ride or Die" emphasize the underlying danger inherent in the vibe. Most impressive, though, is the collaborative aspect at work here. None of the solos are extended and the concise track times keep the music sharp and taut, creating a mood and getting out. There's a strong R&B undercurrent, especially in the bass on "His Girl," an innovative rewrite of the Temptations' "My Girl." "Origin of Man" practically begs to be the soundtrack to a film noir, and much of this would work as backing music to a typical '70s grindhouse flick, which is a high compliment. Its swirling sound crosses genres and eras with effortless precision, joining world-roots-funk with the thumping urban groove of the Western world.

This is kind of a world music version of funk. It brings to mind the tight American jams of old funk forty-fives and the dessert expanse of Moricone soundtrack all at once. It is true that this is not the most foreward-thinking record but it is really not trying to be. It is a deeply funky and excellent sounding album with sort of a throwback vibe to it. Every song on it is good and while all the tracks are built from the same sonic ingredients--horns, electric organ, guitar, drums, bass and world percussion--they are varied in tempo in mood just enough to keep things moving while keeping everything flowing consistently. I'm into it.






<a href="https://www.imagenetz.de/qwK3q">  The Budos Band - The Budos Band III</a> (flac   250m)

01 Rite of the Ancients 3:48
02 Black Venom 3:32
03 River Serpentine 3:10
04 Unbroken, Unshaven 2:58
05 Nature's Wrath 4:53
06 Golden Dunes 3:17
07 Budos Dirge 2:38
08 Raja Haje 3:57
09 Crimson Skies 3:34
10 Mark of the Unnamed 3:59
11 Reppirt Yad 2:57

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It has been four years since the release of Budos Band III, an album that signaled that the group had taken the funky Afrobeat-meets-vintage horn-driven R&B sound as far as it could go. They've incorporated new sounds into their mix: Middle Eastern modes, Latin rhythms, a touch of psych, and even Ethiopian jazz. That said, Burnt Offering is a whole new thing, developed as always with an ear firmly planted in the past: just take a look at the mysterious magus on the cover. This music is rooted in late psychedelia, soundtracks, funk, and sword and sorcery metal à la Black Sabbath and Pentagram. This date feels more like a whole group vibe than anything they've previously recorded. Guitarist Thomas Brenneck produced the album (as opposed to Daptone' Gabriel Roth) and it was cut live to tape with effects added immediately thereafter. The end result sounds like it came straight out of a fully loaded bong. The horn chart on "The Sticks" accents baritone saxophones and strident trumpets amid careening organ, frantic snare breaks, and mad fuzz guitar. Vamps evolve toward more intricate melodies which explode and fade at the tune's most intense point. "Aphasia" digs deep into a slow, heavy, Pentagram-esque riff, as a ghostly Farfisa and squalling guitar ride atop processional drums. When the horns enter, the music changes focus but never abandons its theme. "Black Hills" and Tomahawk Turn" are more overt explorations into soundtrack terrain, but with experimental textures, surprising melodic twists, and dynamic juxtapositions. The title track has an angular Sabbath-esque intro (à la Master of Reality), via striated horn harmonics underscored by a nasty distorted guitar -- that crosses metal with psychedelic surf -- a pummeling bassline and a careening tenor saxophone solo. Reverb is everywhere, but the live feel is unshakable. "Magus Mountain" is far more funky than anything else here thanks to an abundance of breakbeats. The groove is manic as Afrobeat cadences are contrasted with massive, frenetic guitar vamps. Burnt Offering is aptly yet somewhat misleadingly titled. While the sounds and vibe exotically reflect the more brain-baked hedonistic and dark spiritual indulgences of the '70s, the music is actually more adventurous and sophisticated than anything Budos Band has ever attempted. While the album's roots are deeply embedded in the past, the band has never sounded more present tense.



<a href="https://mir.cr/1T1LSQTX">  The Budos Band - Burnt Offering </a> (flac   265mb

01 Rite of the Ancients 3:48
02 Black Venom 3:32
03 River Serpentine 3:10
04 Unbroken, Unshaven 2:58
05 Nature's Wrath 4:53
06 Golden Dunes 3:17
07 Budos Dirge 2:38
08 Raja Haje 3:57
09 Crimson Skies 3:34
10 Mark of the Unnamed 3:59
11 Reppirt Yad 2:57

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2 comments:

  1. Hi Rho, thanks for the Budos Band! Unfortunately, the imagenetz link to "The Budos Band III" seems not to go anywhere; would it be possible to rescue the file from its parallel dimension? Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My apologies, Rho - the link is fine, it was my copy/paste that had the problem... Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete