The Winston Brothers - Get On Down (Colemine) [Funk]

Hamburg has always had a solid soul (even northern soul) and funk reputation, mainly due to the long-running Mojo Club, the evergreen Légère Recordings, The Mighty Mocambos and reggae got soul boy Jan Delay, to name a few notables, so the fact that The Winston Brothers - driven by multi-instrumentalist Sebastian Nagel and drummer Lucas Kochbeck also hail from the city is no surprise. And if you're in any doubt about their credentials, then the fact that they call Ohio's discerning Colemine Record their label home should assuage any doubt.

The roots of the new material have dust, the drums having been laid down even before their accomplished debut album from 2022, The Drift, but when the music you are creating is rooted in the timeless, golden era of black music from half a century ago, that's not a cause for concern. But what has changed is the recruitment of some extra musicians, including, sax player Kimo Eiserbeck and the trumpet-playing Hans Stephan for a two-man horn section, Carsten Meyer on synths and even Max Whitefield for some extra percussive assistance. Not only has that put flesh on the band's bones, without sacrificing the raw funk essence, I guess it's also a statement of live show intent.

The Brother's sent out a summer smoke single that there is a new album scheduled for November 6th during the summer, with the start of night dance floor enticer, "Rolling" - the perfect sort of languid funk groove for the movers and groovers to start stretching out to before the sweat starts rolling. Well, limbs loosened, it's time for the peak-time funk of "Get On Down", and it's a banger. The tempo is high, the groove tight, the horn angular - giving the dancers a further prod up the arse, although with the insistent drums, bass and choppy guitar, it shouldn't really be necessary. There's no arrangement dressing here either, the only embellishment being a dub-like delay on some of the instrumental parts which give the track a gently stoned air, but one that accentuates rather than distracts from the pure, funky driving heart of the track. Couple that with an unrepentantly analogue, vintage sound aesthetic, and this is just the sort of refreshingly under-produced, back to the source, fearless funk antidote to today's increasingly soulless music by numbers landscape. Bring on that album.

And, if you need a further funk injection, head over the this great celebration of the Spring Records catalogue.

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Playlist Companion

Find the lads in the Slow Groove Playlist.