THE
BAMBOOS "STEP IT UP" CD/LP
Heavyweight
funk act The Bamboos hail from Australia. Their first 7”
single was limited to a pressing of only 300 copies but the tracks
“Eel Oil” b/w “Blackfoot” quickly made
waves around the world.
Based on this first piece of limited-edition wax, funk-connoisseurs
and producers Kenny Dope and Keb Darge signed The Bamboos for
a single on their Kay Dee record label. “Tighten Up”
b/w “Voodoo Doll” cemented their reputation amongst
the global funk community and saw the band make new friends with
fans of heavy dance floor beats. UK based Tru Thoughts signed
the act for an album and Ubiquity picked-up the record for North
America. This will be the fourth record to be released under the
Tru Thoughts/Ubiquity arrangement following on from The Quantic
Soul Orchestra, Nostalgia 77, and Quantic album releases.
The Bamboos "Step It up" album collects the first single,
as well as new versions of the Kay Dee-released tracks. Also included
are exclusive tracks featuring Tru Thoughts vocalist Alice Russell
and a cover version of UK Broken Beat anthem "Transcend Me"
(originally by Afronaught). The Bamboos sound is most heavily
influenced by The Meters, James Brown, Eddie Bo, Grant Green,
Melvin Sparks, Jimmy Smith, Reuben Wilson, Boogaloo Joe Jones,
Idris Mohummad and other funk originators from the late 1960s
through the early 1970s.
The band performed as backing musicians for the Quantic Soul Orchestra
and Alice Russell in Australia, and have played many solo shows
there, too.
The Bamboos band leader, musician, and producer Lance Ferguson
formed his Bamboo Shack label in Melbourne back in 2001. The label
is Australia’s premier source for deep funk and is home
to The Bamboos and Cookin’ On 3 Burners, and plans to document
the Australasian deep funk scene with a string of slamming 45”s.
Comments on the first two 7" releases include...
"This is a boss first entry from any band, but as the first
funk single from a nation? Pow…"
Big Daddy Magazine (UK)
"The drumming is what really makes the whole thing kick --
rolling along like a JB's B-side, but with some of the tightest
electric guitar work we've heard on an underground soul single
in a while!…"
Dustygroove (USA)
To read more about The Bamboos, click here.
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