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The rest of the band, of course, are great too, and the occasional vocals of Theryl "The Houseman" deClouet give it a great old R&B sound, but Stanton Moore is the glue that holds the band together. What impressed me most about the first time I heard Galactic's debut was that they were very clearly a New Orleans funk band, but their sound was neither an extrapolation of The Meters nor of the New Orleans brass band tradition. John's voodoo sounds, and classic 70's funk, merging it all into a sound that was uniquely their own. More recently, try Papa Grows Funk, which is a bit closer to The Meters, but with a nice, jazz-influenced saxophone.
Dan Prothero just managed to get a great, swampy sound from a lot of different musicians.Further listening: Any of Stanton Moore's solo albums, any of Robert Walter's albums. Robert Walter was the organ player for the Greyboy Allstars, which was a comparable acid jazz-funk band, but without the New Orleans base. Galactic's sound has changed a bit over time and for different labels, and while their live album is outstanding, I haven't been as fond of their recent studio material. That production does play in here as well.
The key to the success of Galactic is the brilliant drumming of Stanton Moore. This is the same label, and same producer that put out the first two Mofro albums, as well as Papa Mali's stuff (Dan Prothero). It was just a different sound, drawing on the emerging acid jazz scene, swamp grooves, Dr. I say this as someone who generally doesn't like drummers very much, so that should tell you something about how solid the rhythm section is here, and how critical they are to the sound.This album was first released on Fog City Records, which specialized in this type of Southern, swampy funk.
The key is to leave plenty of space between the beats because it is in that space that the rest of the musicians have room to work. Their first album, Coolin' Off, is still their best studio effort, and it is a masterpiece of tight, jazz-influenced funk. Funk is all about the rhythm, and Stanton Moore understands that the key to laying down the rhythm is not to play bombastic fills without so much as a millisecond between the beats (the way rock drummers do).
If this was done today, I would be very happy indeed. It was done in '98 so it's not too surprising. Since others have talked about the music, I'll just mention the mastering here. It sounds great, lots of dynamics, very little compression, NO clipping.all in all a great effort by the mastering guy.
Pop this CD in the player, roll down your windows, lean back, and enjoy the ride. If you are looking for some great, chill, laid back funk, then this album is it. Galactic really lays down the funk throughout.
If you're looking for an album that can get you movin, this is the one. Maybe it didn't change the face of music like Kind of Blue or Darkside of the Moon did, but it is truly great. BUY THIS ALBUM. If you're going to own a funk cd, or any cd for that matter, get this one. I don't throw the term "favorite album" around lightly, and this is definitely one of my top 3 favorite albums.
This band comes complete with and African-American singer, giving the music the soul of a black man with the blues, even though he only sings in a couple of tracks. There is also a percussion intermission with more guitaring, and the final song features trombone and organ solos, and a free-for-all jamming session, even though the whole CD sounds like a jam.
You want funk. Either way, this is good stuff, it made an impression on me at the very least.
This was my first funk/jazz CD, and it changed my whole perspective on music. The music then shifts to a jungley mood with great drumming and trumpeting.
Look no further. Amazing musicality built on such simple riffs and themes is present here, from the guitar to the organ, from the sax to the trumpet, no instrument overlaps another, everything is superbly organized and layered.
Other than that, the wah of the guitar provides the soul at some points, then it is replaced by a solo "battle" between the sax and trumpet.
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