Fresh Soul Frequencies (some Afrofreque)

"The revolution will not be digitized / Even though the Presidency has been idiotized"

In addition to the hyped national and international acts showcased at SXSW, local Austin bands also get to shine at gigs and events around town during the festival. And now that SXSW is over (not that I was there, mind you), I thought it was high time I got around to featuring one of those local groups who brought the funk to a couple SXSW related performances last week: Afrofreque, "Austin's favorite hip hop groove junkies."

Afrofreque starts with The Roots' live hip hop group template, but fashions a brighter sound with socially conscious lyrics and a heavy focus on '70s soul grooves and ultra-funky, feel-good jams. Added to the mix are healthy doses of afrobeat, spoonfuls of reggae, and the occasional dash of electro.

The group's debut album, Fresh Soul Frequencies, features ten joints written collectively by the band members (who've all honed their chops with stints in other Austin groups): Tigre Liu (raps, vocals), DJ Resinthol (turntables), Michael Hale (drums, vocals), Claude 9 (keyboards, vocals), John Siebenthaler (bass), and Fumi-Hito Sugarawa (guitar).

Hale's crisp drumming, which owes a bit to ?questlove's signature style, is extremely solid. Hale lays a strong foundation, along with Siebenthaler's bass and Fumi Sugawara's funky rhythm guitar (which occasionally stretches out -- he lays down a space jam solo and embellishments on "Cool Breeze" that could have flown from Al Di Meola's fingers in a '70s Return to Forever joint).

DJ Resinthol's scratches are often excellent. DJ Logic and Rob Swift are likely influences (you can hear echoes of both on "Illumination"), but elsewhere he reminds me of another Texas turntablist -- Dallas' underrated DJ Zero, best known for his late '80s and early '90s work with MC 900 Ft. Jesus. In addition to p-funkesque synth lines, Claude 9 favors old-school Rhodes and, most frequently, B3 (or B3-sounding) keys. Along with Resinthol's pastiche of samples, Claude 9's spectrum of keyboard sounds help craft the group's amalgamation of hip hop, soul, funk, and groove.

Leading the pac is MC Tigre Liu. At times, Tigre Liu raps remind me a bit of Chali 2Na (J5, Ozomatli) -- not so much his voice (which is not quite as deep), but his flow and, to some extent his delivery. Oh, and he does a little beat boxing on "Ice Age."

Actually, Jurassic 5 is not a bad touchstone for Afrofreque. At times listening to Fresh Soul Frequencies, I heard traces of The Roots lightened up with a bit of J5 (or even the Pharcyde), set to a soul groove that could have come from acid jazz funksters Brand New Heavies (sans N'Dea). No wonder I like these guys.

Afrofreque

In addition to "Illumination," which you can hear below courtesy of Afrofreque and Earthbird Music, other highlights include the hip hop / summertime party funk of "Smooth and Sweet," the beautifully melodic and jazzy "Born Soul," the B3, cowbell, and wah-wah guitar fueled turbo funk of "Whatcha' Gonna Do," and the catchy "Ice Age" (although I had a hard time warming-up to Tigre Liu's flow on that, and a couple other tracks, no pun intended).

Another standout is "Cool Breeze" which is an amalgamation of hip hop, '80s Minneapolis sound (Prince/Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis), breezy soul, a bit of p-funk, and a Nas Illmatic sample ("The World is Yours") snippet ("it's yours!") thrown-in for good measure. Check the short clip, below:

Illumination -- Afrofreque: Fresh Soul Frequencies

Cool Breeze (clip) -- Afrofreque: " . . ."

You know these guys just have to be fantastic live. Join the party if you're in Austin. Hopefully a tour will take them far from Texas soon. Definitely a band to keep an eye on as they grow and mature.

Purchase Afrofreque's Fresh Soul Frequencies from iTunes, GigaCrate, and CD Baby :: Afrofreque Website | MySpace

peace
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