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STR4TA

STR4TA

STR4TASFEAR

    Welcome to ‘STR4TASFEAR, Bluey and Gilles’ second STR4TA album released.

    A collection of songs, melodies, grooves and sounds that sit perfectly in the brand new music world it’s part of. Gilles and Bluey are both men who emerged into the Brit funk world. They were both part of this truly thrilling chapter in the story of homegrown music; which manifests itself here in a sumptuous mixture of twanging basslines, spacey synth melodies, clicking beats and wispy, ethereal voices.

    And for this new set, they’ve got a few like-minded souls along to join the party. Multi-talented Neo-soul Godfather Omar, and celebrated vocalist, Valerie Etienne, both represent Brit funk’s first bounce. Also welcomed in to the fold is musical polymath, Emma-Jean Thackray, Brighton duo Anushka and Floridian trumpeter/vocalist Theo Croker. ‘STR4TASFEAR’ is Gilles and Bluey’s wide-open window into a timeless, wonderful world of Brit funk (Words by Mark Webster, 2022).

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: Str4ta make music that hints at the Brit-funk roots of both members, but transforms into something more than the sum of their parts. It's richly dynamic and endlessly twists from funk to disco via hip-hop and soul, effortlessly blazing paths between definitions with ease.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Galactic Fanfare
    2. City Sounds
    3. Turn Me Around
    4. When You Call Me
    5. Why Must You Fly (feat. Omar)
    6. To Be As One (feat. Theo Croker)
    7. (Bring On The) Bad Weather (feat. Anushka)
    8. Reflections (Chaser 1)
    9. Night Flight 05:25
    10. Soothsayer (feat. Theo Croker)
    11. Reflections (Chaser 2)
    12. Lazy Days (feat. Emma-Jean Thackray)
    13. Find Your Heaven (feat. Valerie Etienne)
    14. Virgil (Vocal Version)
    15. Something, Anything

    Str4ta

    The Invicta Mixtape (Mixed By Gilles Peterson & Sam Bhok)

      Brownswood Recordings are proud to present an extension of the ever-evolving world of STR4TA, the brainchild of long time friends and collaborators Gilles Peterson and JeanPaul “Bluey” Maunick. ‘The Invicta Mixtape’ is a limited edition cassette format mixed by Gilles Peterson & Sam Bhok (Worldwide FM/Stay Put). Available on pre-order from November 1st, released on December 3rd 2021 with only 200 available worldwide. ‘The Invicta Mixtape’ features an array of illustrious producers and polymaths unleashing their unique interpretations of STR4TA’s standout tracks.

      With a percussive stripped-back rework of ‘Dance Desire’ by Steve Conry & Takashi Nakazato; a funk-laced ‘Rhythm In Your Mind’ by Ashley Beadle plus Glasgow’s Nuovi Fratelli add a cosmic disco flare in the mix. Dave Lee’s rework of ‘After The Rain’. ‘Vision 9’ is reconceived by Melé’s rhythmic inventiveness & Delfonic’s virtuoso. Also iconic reworks by technopioneer Dave Aju, the spellbinding Demus Dub & DJ veteran Greg Wilson. The mixtape honours the importance of Radio Invicta, London’s very first soul station running from the late-60s to mid-80s. The B-side contains the complete STR4TA album.

      TRACK LISTING

      Side A

      A1. Dance Desire (Steve Conry & Takashi Nakazato Remix)
      A2. Rhythm In Your Mind (North Street West Space Funk Rework #1)
      A3. Rhythm In Your Mind (Steve Conry & Takashi Nakazato Remix)
      A4. Rhythm In Your Mind (Nuovi Fratelli Cosmic Disco Remix)
      A5. After The Rain (Dave Lee Alternative II Dub)
      A6. After The Rain (Dave Lee Alternative II Mix)
      A7. Vision 9 (Delfonic Mix)
      A8. Vision 9 (Melé Mix)
      A9. Vision 9 (Melé Dub)
      A10. Dance Desire (Dave Aju Remix)
      A11. Aspects (Demus Dub)
      A12. Aspects (Greg Wilson Mix)
      A13. Aspects (Demus Dub)

      Side B

      B1. Aspects
      B2. Rhythm In Your Mind
      B3. Dance Desire
      B4. We Like It
      B5. Steppers Crusade
      B6. After The Rain
      B7. Kinshasa FC
      B8. Vision 9

      Gilles Peterson has partnered with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick to reinvigorate the loose, protean energy of the early-80s Brit-funk scene. STR4TA sees them mine new musical possibilities outof that shared formative era. On “Aspects”, they revisit that important period and the spirit that guided it: self-taught, DIY vitality, and a raucous energy built on live performance. Bringing a fresh slant to a sound first developed by groups like Atmosfear, Hi-Tension, Light of the World and Freeez – with Maunick, it should be noted, also a member of the latter two bands – it’s the first material that Maunick and Peterson have released together in over a decade.

      It’s an idea that had been in the works for a while, but which was encouraged by a surprising catalyst: the award acceptance speech by Tyler, the Creator at the 2020 Brit Awards, where he shouted out the influence of “British funk from the 80s”. It was an acknowledgement of the particular sound that Maunick and his peers had honed, where their US influences were reoriented through their own circumstances. “Like everybody else who plays music, we tried to emulate our heroes,” Maunick says. “But we didn’t have the tools, we hadn’t studied music: were all playing by ear, and we were coming off bits and pieces that we liked off certain records.” This record is guided by the same ethos. An array of musical touchpoints have fed into the album’s direct, no-frills entries: each track’s parts are cut back to the bare bone. In writing and recording the album, the pair of them would work together to strike upon the point of departure – more naive, less considered – that had produced that killer Brit-funk sound. Peterson would dig out records that showed particular flashes or moods as jumping off points, and Maunick would then work with collaborators to build new directions out of those prompts or suggestions.

      It’s the latest chapter in a story that started with Peterson interviewing Maunick in his parents’ garden shed, the first interview that the former had ever conducted. Later, they would reconnect to put out a string of celebrated Incognito albums on Peterson’s pioneering, now-defunct Talkin’ Loud imprint. Now, linking up once more, they unpick an under-appreciated flashpoint in a vital musical lineage, one which each of them has been instrumental in shaping.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Aspects
      2. Rhythm In Your Mind
      3. Dance Desire
      4. We Like It
      5. Steppers Crusade
      6. After The Rain
      7. Give In To What Is Real
      8. Kinshasa FC
      9. Vision 9


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