Karate Boogaloo
Hold Your Horses
Karate Boogaloo are proud to present Hold Your Horses, a mesmerizing new long-playing disc of original instrumental
tunes from Melbourne, Australia's most dedicated.
Sitting at the core of Melbourne's burgeoning movement of cinematic instrumental soul, Karate Boogaloo's roots go deep
into the fabric of the DIY soul idiom. A mainstay of the Melbourne underground over the last decade, their now
sought-after series of LPs delving into hip-hop sample culture and its relationship to funk music, The `KB's Mixtapes',
are evidence of their long-standing contribution to the development of the Melbourne cinematic soul sound.
Henry Jenkins, Hudson Whitlock, Callum Riley, and Darvid Thor have been playing music together since their playground
days. Meeting as high school preteens, these four friends explored the teachings of the great small combo instrumental
bands à la Booker T & The MG's and The Meters. With these lessons in one hand and their characteristic sense of goofy
humor in the other, the ensuing 15+ years saw Karate Boogaloo develop the kind of shared musical language that can only
be built through countless hours spent together existing as friends and musical allies.
Karate Boogaloo's singular bond shines brightly on Hold Your Horses, the second album of original Karate Boogaloo
compositions. Following on from the cult classic Carn The Boogers (College Of Knowledge Records, 2020), Hold Your
Horses is a document of KB's distinct interpretation of instrumental funk. A bona-fide journey from start to finish,
each tune melds seamlessly into the next, deftly creating a world built on moments of cinematic tension, whimsical
melodies and eerie discordance and underpinned by undeniable super heavy funk. Hold Your Horses respectfully builds on a
legacy of soul music whilst remaining unimpeachably unique and authentic.
Recorded and mixed by bassist Henry Jenkins, the mind responsible for the sound of the entire College Of Knowledge
catalogue (Surprise Chef, The Pro-Teens, Let Your Hair Down, Karate Boogaloo), Hold Your Horses employs a methodology
for writing and recording music that mirrors KB's long relationship together. "It's always instrumental, and it's always
recorded live. We have a strict no overdubs policy," Jenkins explains. All of the songs were written collaboratively in
the studio, with no pre-prepared material being brought in by any member. It's a process specifically designed to
maximize the strengths of the band and their relationship to one another; KB's MO is enabled by their innate
understanding of one another as people and musicians.
Stylistically, links can be drawn to the deep funk of the late 60s and early 70s, certain examples of European film
music and new wave of instrumental soul. The restrained instrumental palette is limited to drums, guitar, bass and
organ, establishing a distinct and consistent tone throughout, yet the use of dynamics, space and finite execution in
the playing carves the experience, keeping the listener glued to their headphones from start to finish.
The artwork, created by Melbourne-based visual artist Drez, is a stunning visual representation of the 12-track medley.
To add to the experience, the LP cover creates an interactive optical art experience as the inner sleeve is removed from
the jacket.
Price
Genre
Format
LP - 1 disk
Release
03-05-2024
Label
Item-nr
1315658
EAN
0000000000000
Availability
Exp. 03-05-2024