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Sophistafunk lays down a good 'Real Vibration'

8 years ago

SophistafunkI never saw a Sophistafunk set where people weren't up, out, flying about in the middle of a great time.

The new album from Real Vibration the Syracuse funk and hip-hop stewmeisters keeps that vibe flowing. Jack Brown, Adam Gold and Emmanuel Washington will come together to celebrate the ebb and the flow.

It's a showcase for Brown's words and vocals, Gold's keyboard and bass (and vocals on one track), and Washington's drums (and vocals on two tracks). Ernie Chang adds sax, and DJ Sigma, aka Sean Chimento, works the turntable.

The album, their fourth, starts off with Translucent, a music revolution that won't let you keep still, and moves into the fresh rhymes and squeaky turntable of This Life, a fine sign of Brown's 'Cuse style and underground sound.

Cut three, No More War, rolls at you with funky waves, a peaceful mission that changes velocity as it urges the listener to alter thought pattern, attitude, behavior. "You're the one that has the power," is the lyrical message, something to groove and dance to, indeed.

Make Em Clap and MC think deep and funk hard, too, while Duke of Errl goes hard on the bass and title cut Real Vibration closes the matter with a blast that feels like the last ship just may have left the Planet Rock.

Moving stuff, yes. To the musicians, too.

"We are all very involved with Jocko (Randall) during the production process. Our recording style for this album improved upon a strategy that we devised for our full-length album 'Twenty eleven,' which paid close attention to drum sounds and loops, as opposed to the more 'live concert' feel of our previous EP 'Freedom Is,' " Brown says. ":We took our time with each song, agreed upon a strategy, and overall I think we were all able to work together better than ever before on this project. I also think this is the first album that really displays the emergence of Emanuel as an incredible songwriter and singer. For example, E helped with music and lyrics on 'No More War,' which is one of my all-time favorite Sophistafunk tracks. When we're in the studio, Jocko Randall is the x-factor who really takes us over the top. I especially marvel at his ability to balance contrasting ideas and improvise ways to bring them to life. This is our third consecutive album together, and our experience together really shows on 'Real Vibration.' "

This CD is available in the LPL Local Music collection.