Funk – 3hive

November 13, 2023

Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo

Guilherme Coutinho e o Grupo Stalo is the Brazilian album that you both never knew existed and never knew you needed. A true treasure of a find, the album incorporates elements of funk, fast-paced samba, tropicália, MPB (música popular brasileira, or Brazilian popular music), American-style jazz, and bossa nova. It’s lo-fi but highly technical, surprising, and interesting throughout.

Little is known about Guilherme Coutinho, who both plays keyboard and sings on the album. The record was pressed in 1978 at an obscure pressing plant in Belém, a city in northern Brazil seated at the mouth of the Amazon river. (The two major pressing plants, Polysom and Vinil Brasil, are located thousands of miles away in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, respectively.)

Guilherme Coutinho e o Grupo Stalo opens with perhaps the album’s most beautiful track, Atalaia, which greets us with a bossa nova chord structure, Coutinho’s soft vocals, and a backing melody played on what seems to be a theremin. A soft wah-wah effect, which stands as a characterizing element throughout the album, pulses within each instrumental layer. The same effect intensifies in “As Feras”, a funky, space-age-sounding track that shows off Coutinho’s technical prowess. Other standout moments include the breakdown of “Macaréu”, where an upbeat samba guitar (resembling a cavaquinho) picks up tempo and leads into “Fuga” which similarly plays with alternating rhythms in an interesting way.

The album closes on a high note with “Tema Pro Alvarito”, a 7-minute improvisational jazz track that more closely resembles the sound of an American jazz trio rather than a Brazilian bossa. Coutinho’s electric piano (not unlike a Rhodes–though it’s difficult to find information about the instruments used) stands alongside a pleasant, plucky upright bass melody and carries the track with impressive licks, fills, and runs.

Ultimately, you won’t regret spending a quick 32 minutes delving into one of the most interesting albums that Brazil’s underground has to offer.

Guilherme Coutinho e o Grupo Stalo is available now via MR BONGO’s Bandcamp page. Go and get it.

March 1, 2023

Fishbone

Fishbone the Red Hot almighty legends of ska & alternative rock music are back with a brand new single (the first with Cris Dowd in the band since 1994) “All We Have Is Now”, which comes off the new compilation Bottle Music For Broken People on Fat Mike’s new imprint (under Fat Wreck Chords) Bottles to the Ground.

“All We Have Is Now” was recorded and produced by Fat Mike and Norwood Fisher and is a teaser for a new EP to be released later this year. It implores us to live in the moment, “to take advantage of the gift of the ever present now”. It’s a bouncy track, packed with all the keys and horns you could want from a new Fishbone song, including a classic Angelo sax solo.

Check out the video and stream of the new single below and watch for Fishbone on tour, hopefully somewhere near you, with Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade starting in late March.

January 17, 2022January 16, 2022

Nathan Womack

Nathan Womack is one half of the fabulous Paces Lift & Ben Bounce project, as well as the guy behind the Wax Thématique label. He also just released his debut single Past But The Dream. Taken from samples found while crate digging in Bangkok, Thailand and Guangzhou, China, Nathan has constructed two killer tracks full of funk, soul and groove. You can check out both tracks below, I highly suggest that you do.

Past But The Dream is available now on vinyl via Wax Thématique’s website and digitally via their Bandcamp page. Enjoy.

July 10, 2020

Bananagun

Melbourne five-piece Bananagun bring their brand of funky exotica meets psychedelic rock goodness on their debut LP The True Story of Bananagun. This is a head-nodding, rump-shaking 11 tracks (including one with birds singing over the top of a killer bongo beat) of nothing but groove, it is safe to say this album has groove for days. Check out “Mushroom Bomb” and “Taking The Present For Granted” below, they will hook you for sure.

The True Story of Bananagun is out now via Full Time Hobby. It’s a good one. Enjoy.

July 6, 2020

Khruangbin

Khruangbin are back with Mordechai, their first proper album since their smash 2018 release Con Todo El Mundo. This new album has all the funk, groove and soul you’ve come to expect from a Khruangbin release, with the addition of vocals on most the tracks – which act more like an additional instrument rather than being at the forefront of the tracks – it’s a nice touch.

Mordechai is solid from beginning to end and perfect for those late night “stay home, stay safe” solo dance parties.

We have Mordechai on delicious transparent pink vinyl at the 3hive Record Lounge. It’s also available via Dead Oceans Records. Enjoy.

May 18, 2020May 18, 2020

Monster Rally

Take a trip through the tropical beats of South America and Japan with Monster Rally’s new two-part digital 45, Escape To The Cloud Forest. As usual, like everything MR releases, it’s really good.

Escape To The Cloud Forest is available now via MR’s Bandcamp page and you can sample its goodness below. Enjoy.

You can also pick up some other Monster Rally releases on vinyl at the 3hive Record Lounge. MR on vinyl is a treat, you won’t regret it.

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

Camino Sound

Recorded mostly before all hell broke loose in 2020; New Jersey trio, Camino Sound, has unleashed their debut Western Excuses, on the world.

Comprised of 8 instrumental “soundtracks” (that’s how they refer to each song), Western Excuses weaves it’s way through many genres including psych-rock, funk, surf and straight up rock ‘n’ roll. These guys have chops for days.

Listen to “You Are The Map” and “Disculpas Occidentales” (below) for a taste. Western Excuses is available now via Camino Sound’s Bandcamp page. I highly Recommend it.

December 26, 2019December 26, 2019

Todd’s Favorites of 2019

2019 was another great year for music, below are my top ten favorite albums 2019:

Business of Dreams – Ripe For Anarchy [Slumberland]
Select Level – S/T [Wax Thématique]
Pinch Points – Moving Parts [Roolette/Six Tonnes De Chair]
Oh Sees – Face Stabber [Castle Face]
Modern Nature – How To Live [Bella Union]
Cherry Glazerr – Stuffed & Ready [Secretly Canadian]
Trampoline Team – S/T [Hozac]
Cold Showers – Motionless [Dais]
Czarface – The Odd Czar Against Us! [Silver Age]
Altin Gün – Gece [ATO]

Also for your aural pleasure (and my own), I have attached a handy-dandy playlist of some my favorite songs from 2019…

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019

Rezin Tooth

Rezin Tooth is the secret dub project of Seattle’s Nathan Spicer along with most of his fellow bandmates from Polyrhythmics. Their self-titled debut is the “never meant to be released” album that somehow Wax Thématique is magically releasing at the beginning of 2020.

We are honored to premiere their debut single “Dub Crater” (below). It’s a laid-back, dub-filled jam flavored with hints of the funk and groove goodness Polyrhythmics are known for.

Rezin Tooth lands on January 10 and is one hell of a way to kick off the new decade. Enjoy.

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019

Select Level

Seattle multi-instrumentalist Andy Sells has been doing his thing for quite some time, (all in bands that I need to/ will be checking out) including playing bass for Nosretep, drums for Afrocop and being part of the electronic outfit FCS North.

Sells’ new project (with Joel Cuplin, Noel Brass Jr. and Jason Powell rounding out the band) is Select Level. Their upcoming self-titled album is a funktastic, 8 song romp of post-punk meets disco-groove goodness – seriously, these guys aren’t messing around, this is a solid contender for album of the year.

Give album opener “The Race” a spin (below), it’s just a small sampling of the groove packed into this album.

Select Level drops on June 21 and is available for preorder now from Wax Thématique, you should preorder this. We will also have some copies at the 3hive Record Lounge as well. You don’t want to miss this one.

<a href="http://waxthematique.bandcamp.com/album/select-level">Select Level by Wax Thematique</a>

Category: Funk

Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo

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Fishbone

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Nathan Womack

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Bananagun

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Khruangbin

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Monster Rally

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Camino Sound

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Todd’s Favorites of 2019

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Rezin Tooth

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Select Level

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