Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s and other bits that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, among other things, our popular feature casts a spotlight onto a huge piece of funk, a few singer songwriters, a very commercial slice of goth metal and a welcome arrival on the pop scene…
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In 2016, David Pattillo released ‘Raised On Rock N Roll’, his second album under the Strange Majik moniker. The record cast aside all of the rap elements from the debut, and some of the funk, but in playing like a journey through the best 70s record collection in the world, its strong influences from Leon Russell, The Allman Brothers Band, Sly Stone and Todd Rundgren showcased a musician with great taste and a very broad talent.
It’s been less than a year since Strange Majik released their politically charged ‘Channel T’ album, but the ever-prolific David Pattillo and his crew are back with new material.
His name might not be instantly familiar to rock fans, but saxophonist Karl Denson was once a member of Lenny Kravitz’s band and has been a touring member of The Rolling Stones since 2014.
Regarding his jazz and funk oriented day job, he co-founded the excellent jazz-funk band Greyboy Allstars and has recorded with Jack DeJohnette, Stanton Moore, Dave Holland and others, as well as maintaining a fairly prolific solo career with his own Tiny Universe.
Diskopunk have been slowly releasing tracks across digital platforms since 2016. It was looking increasingly like they were going to tease the world with bits and pieces forever, but the beginning of 2019 brought a self titled EP and, with that, finally something more substantial for those who’ve enjoyed the previous digital singles.
In terms of their very European electronica, the bulk of this self-titled release is very assured in the way it throws catchy hooks into melodic beats. It also isn’t afraid to feel like throwaway fun at times either, but what comes across most is that old Scandinavian gift for a strong melody – something that’s often obvious throughout, even if you’re not really that big on dance oriented stuff.