ZULUZULUU PUSHES THE FUTURE OF FUTURE FUNK ON 'WHAT'S THE PRICE'

 

With squiggling synths, irresistible rhythms, and a team of vocalists (including fav Greg Grease), ZULUZULUU look to give Afrofuturist funk from the 70s a modern update. The nods and odes to both P-Funk and Prince abound throughout their debut, but the fresh energy and defiant bursts of both joy and frustration make What's The Price stand on its own. 

The record kicks off with ZULUZULUU's cover of “Black Maybe” (originally penned by Mr. Stevie Wonder), coaxing the listener out from the elegiatic opening to the explosive future-funk conclusion. The stunning statement of pain and optimism is expanded on in the title track, which flat out asks the question of what's the price of trying to survive in an oppressive and racist society. It's the band's mission statement; not a complaint, it's merely a list of bullshit they refuse to give up in the face of. It's a question at the heart of every song, particularly the standout “Fall Behind.” With synths that would make George Clinton jealous, the band honors his legacy by doing not just taking inspiration from his aesthetic, but also his 50 year legacy of using it to ask tough questions. What's The Price is available now though ZULUZULUU's Bandcamp, Itunes, Spotify.By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK contributor

http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/new-music-zuluzuluu-pushes-the-future-of-future-funk-on-what-s

ZULUZULUU & Sarah White on Star Tribune's Minnesota's best albums of 2016 (so far)

Minnesota's best albums of 2016 (so far)

Sarah White, “Laughing at Ghosts”

“I don’t care if they hear us,” Sarah White sings with a steaming urgency in “Siren,” one of the songs on her perfectly cohesive, filler-less five-song EP where the lines between love and war are blurred. The former Black Blondie and Traditional Methods vocalist came out of the dissolution of a longtime relationship and her short-lived space-funk band Shiro Dame sounding stronger and more determined than ever. “Huesos” kicks it off with a jubilant R&B/pop vibe, but by the slow-burning “Ghost” (with guest singer Lady Midnight) both the lyrics and music take on a new edge that will cut through any box she might be put in.

Zuluzuluu, “What’s the Price”

Much like White, this six-man collective of local hip-hop and R&B musicians — which includes velvety falsetto master Proper T, DJ Just Nine and rapper/beatmaker Greg Grease — at once sounds futuristic and retro, as its edgy electronic dabblings and psychedelic grooves bump up against hints of hazy ’70s R&B and dirty-minded Prince. There’s a proud and adamant Afrocentrism to their seven-song debut collection, especially the P-Funky title track. But hooks like, “She rides me like a bicycle seat,” prove these guys are out to have a little fun, too. The whole album is a smooth ride. (Zuluzuluu opens for Femi Kuti at the Cedar Cultural Center on July 15.)

full list at Star Tribune

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-s-best-albums-of-2016-so-far/385043271/

 

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