A valuable piece of Minneapolis’ musical history re-emerged with the reformation of Prince-founded outfit, The Family, now redubbed fDeluxe, as the sophisto four-piece releases its second album, Gaslight, released on Ropeadope/Sony RED and Art Of Groove/MIG Music (Europe).The band’s origin is nothing short of a who’s who dancing around Paisley Park in concentric circles. Having been formed out of the remnants of Morris Day’s The Time back in 1984, Day was naturally, the group’s first vocalist, but when he stepped out for other pursuits, Prince asked keyboard player St. Paul Peterson to step up to the mic to front The Family along with a newly added vocalist, Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of Wendy Melvoin of the Revolution’s famous subset, Wendy and Lisa, saxophonist/flutist extraordinaire, Eric Leeds (Prince, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, among others) and legendary funk drummer, Jellybean Johnson (of The Time, but also played/produced with Janet Jackson, George Michael, Mint Condition). Prince produced and released The Family’s first self-titled LP in 1985 on the aforementioned label/hotbed, which featured the very first version of the Sinead O’Connor covered smash hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U” and a top ten hit in “Screams Of Passion.”
Fast forward to just a few years ago. The Family had been on an extended, but amicable break, while still staying in touch when long-time friend, Sheila E. convinced the group to participate in a huge benefit concert at the LA Forum. The following year, friend and fan, ?uestlove from The Roots, would do the same, prompting The Family out for a return jam at his hot ticket post-Grammy party. Finally, after the better part of two decades, it stuck. While the initial mach of The Family was more or less a testing ground for Prince’s material around that time, the currently reformed fDeluxe is now solely the creative palette for Peterson, Melvoin, Leeds and Johnson with contributions from Emmy Awards winners Wendy & Lisa, Doyle Bramall (Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks) Oliver Leiber (Ke$ha, Adam Lambert) and more. The band’s new album, Gaslight, combines the essence of the original Family album with the band’s subsequent influences and diverse musical journeys.
Dance, romance and plenty of funk, fDeluxe is that rare band that combines clever, modern material, studio savvy and the stage experience to tear the roof off. Anyone who thought the Minneapolis sound died in the early 1990’s may be in for a shock. Gaslight was released in September 2011 on Ropeadope/Sony RED in the USA and Art Of Groove in Europe with other territories soon to be announced. Formed in Brooklyn NY in 1999, Ropeadope has been recognized worldwide as an eclectic and innovative music company. With a purists’ dedication to music, their roster includes historically important releases from DJ Logic, Antibalas, The Word, and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra as well as critically acclaimed collaborations with the likes of Christian McBride, ?uestlove, King Britt, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robert Randolph, and many others.
CEO Louis Marks says, “Ropeadope keeps a steady eye on the past to inform our musical present and future. fDeluxe does exactly that, all the while delivering the nasty soul and funk that keeps you moving. Perfect!” Art Of Groove, a division of MIG -music, is a new label specialized in Funk and Jazz music. The label, based in Germany is home to funk icon Maceo Parker, bass legend Larry Graham/Graham Central Station and multi-time Grammy winner Vince Mendoza to name a few. Art Of Groove head honcho, Joachim Becker says, “We are more than excited to be releasing this fantastic new album!”
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar