THE LIONS : JUNGLE STRUTTIN' b/w ETHIO-STEPPERS (WILDERSTYLE DUB) 7''' (UR7223)
ALSO BY THE LIONS: JUNGLE STRUTTIN CD x LP & CHOICES EP VOL. 1
 
Prior to the release of their forthcoming debut album, The Lions drop a limited-edition 7” single that features the album title track “Jungle Struttin’” and a dub version of “Ethio-Steppers” that’s 100% exclusive to this 7” release only.
“Jungle Struttin’” is a dj-friendly, dusty, Jamaican-funk joint in the vein of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and the flipside is a bass-heavy dub in the vein of Scientist or King Tubby but with an added Eastern/African/”Ethiopique” twist. This heavyweight exclusive 7” will be limited to 1000 pieces, so buy it while it’s hotter than hot.
The Lions is a unique Jamaican-inspired outfit, the result of an impromptu recording session by members of Breakestra, Connie Price and the Keystones, Rhythm Roots All-Stars, Orgone, Sound Directions, Plant Life, Poetics and Macy Gray (to name a few). Gathering at Orgone's Killion Studios, in Los Angeles during the Fall of 2006, they created grooves that went beyond the Reggae spectrum by combining new and traditional rhythms, and dub mixing mastery with the global sounds of Ethiopia, Colombia and Africa. The Lions also added a healthy dose of American-style soul, jazz, and funk to create an album that’s both a nod to the funky exploits of reggae acts like Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and Boris Gardner, and a mash of contemporary sound stylings.
With Lions album tracks leaking out to friends an immediate sense of anticipation and excitement has grown about the band. So far this led to two high-profile gigs for the previously unheard of act. An opening slot before friends Antibalas put the Lions in front of a packed-house at the Troubadour in LA (Check for the killer footage of band in action, including vocalist Shakespeare in his white tuxedo, at: UBIQUITY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
A second gig at the Sunset Junction Festival in Silverlake saw the band play alongside Breakestra to a sun-soaked crowd that swelled into the tens of thousands. |
