DO MUSIC RECORDS RELEASES FOLLOW UP BEAT FUNKTION RELEASE ENTITLED MOON TOWN RELEASING MAY 21, 2013PERFORMERS IN BEAT FUNKTION:
◊ Karl Olandersson - trumpet
◊ Olle Thunström - tenor sax
◊ Johan Öijen - electric guitar
◊ Daniel Lantz - piano, rhodes, organ, Moog
◊ Pal Johnson - electric bass
◊ Jon Eriksson - drums
ADDITIONAL STUDIO PERFORMERS:
Ola Bothzén - congas (#1,#2,#6,#8), bongos (#3,#7), triangle (#1)
Peter Plynning - congas (#5,#9), bongos (5,#9)
Viktoria Colonna, Susanne Ottebring, Anna Moberg - vocals (#2,#6,#9), breathing (#2)
Lina Söderholtz - 1st violin (#2,#4,#7)
Malin Thurén - 2nd violin (#2,#4,#7)
Katarina Bengtson - viola (#2,#4,#7)
Emeli Jeremias - cello (#2,#4,#7)
As evidenced by their debut album ‘The Plunge’, Beat Funktion is ‘one of the most tirelessly energetic bands in the world’ - as one US-based reviewer stated - and on their second album, they keep delivering the same energy, quality and imagination as before, but in a very well-produced and fine-sounding environment, helped by strings, vocals and percussion. Also, Lantz’ expanded arsenal of keyboards, like the Moog, Hammond and even acoustic piano, provides
us with a richer sound palette than before. If you thought their debut ‘The Plunge’ was great, be prepared to be blown away by Moon Town, as it reveals new dimensions of their music, while still
maintaining their raw, funky and dance- friendly formula that we know. Highly recommended!
~NIGEL F. MENDEZ (Canterbury Jazz Review, UK,)
Beat Funktion was born in 2007 in the Swedish town of Uppsala, just north of Stockholm, as a temporary five-piece constellation for a number of spontaneous club gigs wh!
ere trad
itional jazz music was needed for a young dancing audience. To shape the band’s repertoire of old jazz standards, pianist Daniel Lantz took the liberty of borrowing inspiration from musicians and bands within groove- based genres in the 70s and late 60s, such as James Brown, Bob James, Eumir Deodato, Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Fela Kuti, Curtis Mayfield, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and others, not to mention film music by composers like Lalo Schifrin and Bill Conti. This resulted in a series of original arrangements of jazz standards tailor-made for the band, which utilized the stable, dance-friendly and lush-sounding framework of pumping disco funk and R&B paired with the rhythmic and harmonic freedom of jazz improvisation. It became an immediate success with audiences, and accordingly, the very special jazz-funk sound of the band was born.
After a number of overwhelmingly successful performances, enjoyed by listeners as well as dancers, the band became a permanent working unit and since 2008 it is an impressive six-piece-band consisting of Karl Olandersson on the trumpet, Olle Thunström on the tenor sax, Johan Öijen on the electric guitar, Daniel Lantz on the Fender Rhodes, Pal Johnson on the electric bass and Jon Eriksson on the drums. Although keeping a few classic funk cover tunes as part of the repertoire, pianist Daniel Lantz nowadays provides the band with new, groovy original music in the vintage 70s vein. Additional musicians like percussionists and vocalists occasionally join the band for more powerful live performances.
In the autumn of 2010, Beat Funktion released their debut-album THE PLUNGE for Do Music Records, a production that has culled takes together from multiple previous studio and live recordings to form a whole. On the album, the sound of the band is enhanced with percussion, live acoustic strings, vocals and Moog synthesizers. It features a majority of Lantz’ own compositions, plus a funk version of George Gershwin’s classic jazz standard â Summertime”. The disc has received praise worldwide with agents and reviewers of jazz, funk, soul and rare grooves, not to mention DJs.
Early 2013 saw the release of their second album MOON TOWN, which is a concept album narrating the tale about a fictitious nocturnal sci-fi city, the psychedelic home of drizzling rain, neon-glowing women, mysterious criminal masterminds, funky ghettos and car chases. The album showcases the band’s trademark jazz-funk cocktail, again reinforced by strings, percussion and vocals.
Vintage jazz-funk outfit Beat Funktion takes you back to the roaring 70s with their second presentation of floorfilling funk grooves, meaty bass riffs and fiery jazz solos: the concept album Moon Town, telling the dark tale of a fictitious sci-fi city oozing with criminality, suspenseful action, drizzling rain and surreal inhabitants. Original compositions are merged with fresh takes on select funk covers, and the band is joined by percolating percussion, vocal choruses and orchestral strings for their trademark powerhouse sound.
The opener ‘Kareem’ (a tribute to one of America’s top basketball legends?) paints a crepuscular cityscape soaked in drizzling rain, but quickly turns into a spectacular blast-off into groove territory where guitarist Johan Oijen’s pulsating fingerwork forms the foundation for a true romp of good old funk. ‘Women In Neon’ is the album’s longest track, a soft funk waltz that is a nod towards the smooth jazz vein of Bob James; its long finale with sizzling guitar, panting voices, swirling strings and incessant funk bass is a highlight, giving this very smooth track a tougher edge than first impressions may reveal. Oliver Nelson’s ‘125th Street And 7th Street’ is a true forgotten blues gem, mainly built up of two chords throughout. The brass bursts of the bluesy main theme pave the way for Thunstrom’s meaty tenor solo, and in turn Lantz’ welcome contribution of a soulful Hammond B3 solo.
‘City Lights’ is something of an interlude on the album, as things quiet down and leave Lantz’ acoustic grand playing a gentle atmospheric tune to the backdrop of soaring strings, appropriately conveying the nocturnal spirit of the album. ‘Mastermind’ then abruptly kickstarts a dark, underground crime theme, as Olandersson’s muted trumpet and Thunstrom’s sparkling sax take turns to tell the tale of crime lords, police chases and various shady parts of Moon Town that no one would like to walk alone.
Thunstrom’s original ‘The Great Escape’ is where the real action kicks in, and to thunderous bass and drums, we find ourselves racing through the streets of Moon Town, as Öijen’s spirited electric guitar, Olandersson’s fiery trumpet and Thunstrom’s tasteful sax all offer the funky fuel. Lantz’ upbeat title track ‘Moon Town’ is without question a tribute to funky TV series music of the 60s and 70s, with wailing brass and talkbox guitar carrying the singable main theme. Strings help to propel the action, providing the undercurrents to Lantz’ sci-fi escapades on the Moog synth. As tenor sax and trumpet go in for a solo duel, the energy on this number is almost overwhelming, and proves to the listener that Moon Town without question is a place packed with action, danger and excitement.
John Coltrane’s classic ‘Impressons’ is turned into soulful funk by its slow but persistent drum beat, and the theme, now reshaped to merge with the new arrangement, comes out punchier than Coltrane’s original. Johnson’s ruminating bass solo is a spirited flight into the magic skies of Moon Town, making it one of the most tranquil, yet intense tracks of the album.
The final track ‘Driver’s Seat’ kicks off with a car crash, then accelerates and speeds off into the distance, taking us away on a veritable funk rollercoaster. Its pumping bass guitar riff continues throughout the song, while the powerful theme melody is presented by Rhodes, brass and angelic choirs. Oijen’s remarkable guitar solo is a genuine highlight, before Olandersson delivers s!
ome powerhouse trumpet playing. As the song nears the end, it slows down, fades away, turns into mist, as the rain keeps pouring down in Moon Town.
Official Video
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