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Thanks to the acid jazz movement of the late 80s and the rare groove DJs, a lot of 60s music was given a new life. Genres such as blaxploitation soundtracks, exotica, psychedelic RnB and soul jazz were pushed aside in the 80s as being too much of their time period and way too kitsch for sophisticated tastes. Surprise, all of these genres became cooler than ever since the mid-90s and are continuing to hold a steady popularity among devoted cult followings. This leads us to the Budos Band who hit the scene in 2005 playing their approximation of Ethiopian jazz mixed with Afro-beat and other influences. In recent times, they have been sliding towards 60s psychedlic funk and RnB, which is the case with their latest EP, “Frontier’s Edge”.
This is a power packed EP with seven compact tunes and no wasted space. Budos is a large ensemble, featuring anywhere from eleven to thirteen band members. Their horn sound is very African, sounding similar to Cymande or King Tubby’s dub experiments. The foundation of the group is trap set plus percussion and their jams are driven with funky wah-wah guitar and Farfisa organ, tying the pop music of Africa with the sounds of early Funkadelic and the Chambers Brothers. There are occasional short solos, but mostly this band is about great melodies pushed by a polyrhythmic base and sprinkled with psychedelic pixie dust. The effects from analog tape delay and the characteristic feedback such machines can produce is a big part of their colorful sound. This is righteous vibes music, drop the needle and let the party start.