The Witzard

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Live 2016 (SOURCE: Flea Market Funk) Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band (BRSB,) the mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany, have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7-inches and two critically-acclaimed full-length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly-titled Expansions, BRSB are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega-hits to deep album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is finding out what covers they chose. However, die-hard fans are, also, waiting to hear the original numbers, like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory." Its air-tight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and...

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band (BRSB) is a rather mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany who have amassed a cult following around the globe. BRSB features Ben Greenslade-Stanton & Björn Wagner and anywhere from one to eight additional musicians. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's previous two efforts, 55 & The Serpent's Mouth , boasted a wide array of genre-spanning steel pan instrumental covers, including 50 Cent , John Holt, Mobb Deep, Dennis Coffey, Faith Evans, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Dr. Dre. Mary J. Blige, Gang Starr, and Amerie. Now, BRSB have returned once more with the announcement of their third proper album, Expansions, due out later this summer on Big Crown Records. Expansions by Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band "On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, BRSB are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different," explains Big Crown within a press statement. Again, covering songs that span genres a...

Hamburg Spinners (Illustrations By: Erobique) "Palmaillerennen" is the debut single from Hamburg, Germany-based Hammond Jazz quartet Hamburg Spinners; a full-length album, Skorpion im Stiefel, will follow this November on Légère Recordings/Asexy Records. Hamburg Spinners features keyboardist and composer Carsten Meyer, guitarist Dennis Rux, bassist David Nesselhauff, and drummer Lucas Kochbeck. Meyer moonlights as live "party" pianist Erobique and Nesselhauf has a solo recording project dubbed Afrokruat. Collectively, Hamburg Spinners' members have written scores for German TV series, Der Tatortreiniger, recorded music under the guises of International Pony & Babyman for labels such as Skint, Acid Jazz, and Staatsakt, mixed and contributed to Funk, Soul & 60's Garage-style music, toured with the likes of Tetrao Urogallus, Trashmonkeys, Rhonda, and Thee Pounders, composed film scores, performed as session musicians, and have logged studio time with...

BOUNCE THAT ASS by ICE-T & CHARLIE FUNK vs. MIGHTY MOCAMBOS As you may recall, The Witzard published comprehensive interviews with both Ice-T & MR.X from EBE NATION , as well as Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band multi-instrumentalist/band leader Björn Wagner right around the same time just a few months back. Now, it appears as though Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band 's self-described "alter-ego" or "evil twin" band, The Mighty Mocambos have joined forces with EBE NATION founders Ice-T & Afrika Islam AKA MR.X under his zany Funk -tastic alter-ego, Charlie Funk . Here's how Björn Wagner tells it: "the story is rather short: we met Charlie back with [Afrika] Bambaataa in Hamburg , performed together at Reeperbahn Festival , and recorded "Zulu Walk" & "Battle" in Hamburg . The tracks ended up on The Future Is Here (2011) record." "We kept in touch and recorded more songs for the second album. When Charl...

Hip-Hop recently celebrated its 45th "Birthday" this past Saturday, August 11th on the anniversary of DJ Kool Herc's now-infamous Back-to-School Jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue AKA The "Rec Room" in The Bronx. Hip-Hop has gone through many stylistic permutations in the 44 years since, inadvertently birthing multiple sub-genres including: Boom-Bap, Gangsta/Mafioso Rap, Electro-Rap, Trip-Hop, Noise Rap, Chopped & Screwed, Trap/Drill, Horrorcore, New Jack Swing, Backpack Rap, and more. However, one of my personal favorites sub-genres of Hip-Hop is Instrumental Hip-Hop—no, not Breakbeat or J Dilla's Beat CD '05-style beat tapes—think, something more along the lines of The Roots with self-played interpolated "samples," rather than sampling actual records, tapes, CD's, etc. Aside from The Legendary Roots Crew, one of my favorite Instrumental Hip-Hop groups is Truth & Soul/Big Crown Records co-founder Leon Michels' El Michels Affair, w...