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Of any style of music played wrong, nothing sounds much worse than bad funk, and that’s why I tend to approach new retro funk bands with caution. The trouble with a lot of today’s bands that try to bring back a 70s vibe is that they get too hung up on the schtick and the obvious outer trappings of the music, but I’m happy to say that Monophonics do not fake the funk, and although they aren’t quite a top tier band yet, they are well on their way. Monophonics pull from a number of sources to create their sound; classic funk from The Meters and The JBs, Afrobeat from Fela Kuti and soulful blues rock ala Buddy Miles. Some songs stay true to one style, while others may mix things up a bit. Although the Monophonics may not have the razor sharp precision of the JBs, or the impossible to duplicate syncopations of the Meters, any seasoned funk fan will tell you that these guys are on the right track. Their ensemble feel for rhythm is pretty tight, but unfortunately they still lack a really strong soloist to help push these jams over the top.
Some of the top cuts on here include; “Low Blow”, which is a dead ringer for an early Meters tune, “Gappa” an African groove with a nice closing flute solo, and “Loose Nukes”, their most heated number with a guest solo from Karl Denson. I noticed that the Monophonics are playing the college scene jam band circuit, I bet they are better than a lot of other bands playing that scene.