One For The Weekend: Rogȇ with Menahan Street Band

Just in time for summer, Menahan Street Band go full-on 70s samba soul for "Tropical Man" with Rogȇ out now!

Here's the scoop...

"'Tropical Man' is the coming together of 2 of my musical worlds, Brooklyn and Brazil. The energy of Rogê with Menahan Street Band jumps right off the record." – Tom "TNT" Brenneck

It’s the origin story for a Samba Super Hero: Rogȇ, a mild-mannered sambista is accidentally exposed to intense levels of funk and  transforms into . . . “Tropical Man.” The song isn’t his first collaboration with Tommy “TNT” Brenneck, the producer behind Budos Band, Charles Bradley, Molly Lewis, and Menahan Street and more, but it’s the perfect introduction to the  Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist. Building off of last year’s Curyman, Rogȇ’s international debut on Diamond West Records, the Tropical Man 12” EP documents one insane night in the studio with the Menahan Street Band as they unlock a previously unreachable hybrid of samba and soul music.

On the “Tropical Man (Club Mix)” Brenneck re-imagines and refines the organic swing into three minutes of spit-shined samba funk. Rogȇ invites you to “só chegar” (just come) to his samba de roda, an informal, afro-brazilian samba session, but instead of the usual battery of percussion instruments, he’s backed by the tightest rhythm section in the business, soaring female vocals, kinetic clavinet, and joyful brass accents. Samba has never slapped so hard.

Over one insane night sandwiched between two weekends of Coachella performances for the east coast-based El Michels Affair (many of whose members overlap with the Menahan Street Band) Roge, Tommy and gang wrote and recorded two new songs live to tape at Diamond West studios in Pasadena, California. In addition to a few different mixes of “Tropical Man,” the 12” EP (released via Diamond West Records) features two versions of “Mis Filos,” a slinky mid-tempo ode to Rogȇ’s children that could easily pass for a previously undiscovered early-seventies slice of syncopated, soft-psych samba soul.

Have a listen to "Tropical Man" below. 

Catch Rogȇ on tour: 

August, 2024

Sun 18 - London, UK - We Out Here

Sun 31 - Porto, PT - Feira do Livro

September, 2024

Mon 01 - Rotterdam, NL - BIRD

Tue 02 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord

Sat 06 - Stockholm, SE - Fasching

Sun 07 - Oslo, NO - Cosmopolite

November, 2024

Fri 01 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre (Support The Budos Band)

Sat 02 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up (Support The Budos Band)

Watch The Budos Band & Sugarman 3 live at The Apollo

See the Budos Band rip through "The Sticks" followed by The Sugarman 3 doing "Witch's Boogaloo" below. 

The Daptone Super Soul Revue: Live at The Apollo 3LP is available right here. 

Watch What's In My Bag? with Menahan Street Band's Tom Brenneck

Tom Brenneck shows some of his favourite records in the new "Home Edition" of Amoeba's What's In My Bag?

Get a copy of The Exciting Sounds of The Menahan Street Band – with sleeve designed by Ariana Papademetropoulos – right here. 

LaRose Jackson steps up with "How Did I Get Here?"

Brooklyn's LaRose Jackson – last heard duetting with Charles Bradley – released her Dunham label debut single today! 

Here's the scoop from Daptone HQ...

LaRose Jackson, who you may remember from the "Luv Jones" b/w "Change Change Change" single - her 2014 party-certified smash duet double-sider with the incomparable Charles Bradley - steps into the spotlight with her funky solo debut, "How Did I Get Here". Born and raised in Coney Island, Larose's rich timbre and assertive vocal delivery caught the attention of producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck one night when he was in attendance at Charles Bradley's legendary "Black Velvet" show at Club Essence - where Jackson was a regular performer. 

LaRose's tough-as-nails delivery coupled with the infallible groove and sure-shot horn arrangement courtesy of the Menahan Street Band distills the track down to Soul in its purest form, without sacrificing any of the rawness one comes to expect from a TNT production. 

Get a copy of LaRose Jackson's "How Did I Get Here?" single with an instrumental version on the flipside via Bandcamp right here. Have a listen below. 

 

Menahan Street Band preview new album with "Queens Highway" & "The Duke"

Both songs are off the forthcoming The Exciting Sounds of The Menahan Street Band out Feb 26th. Check the clips below.

Here's the scoop from Daptone HQ...

Menahan Street Band, a veritable supergroup of some of today's most prolific songwriters, arrangers, and producers return with this beat-forward, cinematic masterpiece. Their unique brand of instrumental soul has not only been the foundation for some of modern hip-hop's most successful beats, it has also become the perennial soundtrack and veritable vibe-generator for countless parties, art shows, and restaurants throughout NYC and abroad. While this album carries the aesthetic torch that MSB has skillfully woven into the tapestry of their DNA, it also delves deeper into the experimental, exotic sounds that fill many of the coveted Sound Library and Soundtrack LPs of the late sixties and early seventies - an amalgamation of moog synths, electric pianos, drum machines, and a bevy of analog instrumentation, that ebb and flow in lush swells of Morriconian grandeur.

 

Out February 26th. Pre-order options include:

• Standard LP & CD

• Vintage Green with off-white splatter colour vinyl LP

• "Midnight Morning" b/w "Stepping Through Shadow" 45 (colour & standard)

• "The Duke" b/w "Stepping Through Shadow" Daptone Shop EXCLUSIVE 45. Will not be available for sale anywhere else.

• MSB T-shirt

Pre-order The Exciting Sounds of The Menahan Street Band via Daptone Records right here. Check out "Queens Highway," "The Duke" and "Midnight Morning" below. 

 

Tommy "TNT" Brenneck doesn't overthink shit

Guitarist/producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck gets a big up for his studio savvy on the B-side of the new Menahan Street Band single. 

Menahan Street Band - "There's A New Day Coming" b/w "Tommy Don't"

Originally recorded as a single backing track for Charles Bradley, the tune was ultimately shelved (like many other tracks) after Charles' passing. After some time had gone by the reel made its way back onto the tape machine and producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck had a eureka moment. He split the track into two sides and wrote some lyrics for the slower portion as a tribute to CB, which became "There's a New Day Coming". He loved the juxtaposition of having the slower, heavy tribute on side A, and the upbeat, lighter track on the flip.

When singers, Saundra Williams (Saun & Starr) & Alecia Chakour showed up for the session TNT played them what was to become "Tommy Don't". While it was playing Saun said "You know why I like working with you, Tommy? Cause you don't overthink shit". And with that Saun started singing "Tommy don't overthink shit." Brenneck started cracking up and said, "We HAVE to record that.". And with that...Voila!...a brand spanking new 45 from the kings of instrumental soul, Menahan Street Band. Get a copy of the new MSB single right here. Listen to both sides below.

Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band live on KEXP

Menahan Street Band preview new album

The Menahan Street Band, best known as Charles Bradley's backing group – whose song Make The Road By Walking was famously sampled for the track Roc Boys by Jay-Z thinking the Brooklyn ensemble's 2008 recording was some obscure funk 45 from the late 60s (d'oh!) – has announced their new album is finally finished and coming out in October.
In advance of the release of the forthcoming instrumental set called The Crossing, group leader Thomas "TNT" Brenneck has thoughtfully made available the album's title track which he describes as "music to an unreleased Sergio Leone western starring the Wu Tang set in 1992." Or conversely, like an El Michels Affair tune for a planned Wu Tang collabo shelved after a disagreement between the principle members. In any case, you can check it out right here

One For The Weekend: Charles Bradley

Here's the new video clip for Charles Bradley's stellar single The World (Is Going Up In Flames) backed by the Menahan Street Band. As previously noted, Bradley's ridiculously overdue debut album No Time For Dreaming is slated for release January 25 on Daptone's Dunham imprint.

Charles Bradley roars back with new single

In advance of Charles Bradley's long overdue debut album No Time For Dreaming (now scheduled for release January 25, 2011), Daptone's dependable Dunham subsidiary is putting out the motivational Joe Quarterman-penned title track as seven-inch single with the charging Farfisa-fired Golden Rule on the flip.

As with Bradley's previous Dunham scorcher The World (Is Going Up In Flames), both sides are produced by Dap-Kings guitarist Thomas "TNT" Brenneck featuring the instrumental support of his stone-solid Menahan Street Band with vocal enhancement provided by Daptone's own sweet singing Gospel Queens on loan from Naomi Shelton.
Before heading over to Daptone's online store to grab a copy for yourself, check out Mr. Bradley belting out No Time For Dreaming with the Menhan crew at Het Depot in Leuven, Belgium back in February. Some time-saving advice to diggers: Don't bother trying to track down Joe Quarterman's original recording of No Time For Dreaming – it was never issued.



No Time For Dreaming by Charles Bradley

Daptone's ever-expanding funk empire

With Kid Cudi and Billy Blue Fresh taking a sampling tip from 50 Cent and jacking the guitar hook from The Traitor by the Menahan Street Band to nasty-up their own joints, the Dunham label subsidiary of Daptone has decided to capitalize on the hip-hop community's obvious appreciation of the Menahan's dark vibe by releasing a rap record of their own.
But instead of collaborating with  some overpaid MC whose gonna demand that their entire posse get paid for a cloudy studio session, they've gone with some less-expensive rising stars, 3 Titans. Never heard of 'em? Well, they're actually three fresh-flowing fifth graders better known around the school yard as Khalil Jackson, Jorden Plaines and Dallas Ifill who drop some 11-year-old wisdom about the value of education on the message single College b/w The Life Of A Scholar. The tight two-sider is produced by Dunham mainman Thomas Brenneck (of Dap Kings fame) and drummer Homer Steinweiss who enhance the bumpin' grooves with righteous vibes sweetening and a solid boom-bap respectively.  Check it out...

College by 3 Titans


Life Of A Scholar by 3 Titans



At the moment, Brenneck is in the studio putting the finishing touches on the much anticipated debut album from hard-belting soul shouter Charles Bradley whose 2007 single The World (Is Going Up In Flames) is one of the highlights of last year's excellent Daptone Gold collection.

The World (Is Going Up In Flames) by Charles Bradley @ Barrymore Theatre, Madison Wisconsin Dec 3, 2008

While we're on the subject of Daptone, label boss Gabriel Roth recently sat down for an in-depth interview with Wax Poetics contributor Jeff "Chairman" Mao presented by Red Bull Music Academy.
In the lengthy but engaging chat, the producer, arranger, composer, engineer, plumber and musician breaks down the Daptone philosophy, reveals a few Bushwick recording secrets, discusses his tenuous relationship with the music biz and recalls some lessons learned the hard way.
Roth also previews new recordings from the Budos Band (at the Horseshoe April 1) and Sharon Jones (at the Sound Academy May 25) in addition to spinning some of the Dap Kings uncredited moonlighting projects. The bit about Clive Davis asking him to produce the new Rod Stewart album at the 47 minute mark is too good to miss. Incidentally, the new album from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, I Learned The Hard Way is due from Daptone April 6.

Gabriel Roth – The Mathematics Of Soul


LINKS
http://www.daptonerecords.com/
http://dunhamrecords.com/