Friday, May 29, 2009

Fay Hallam Trinity "1975" (review)

Hello groovy ladies and gents. It seems I'm rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of my last commentary (The Diplomats of Solid Sound featuring the Diplomettes, May '08), and like many of you victims of a manipulated and mutilated economy I've had to put work before play to inhumane levels...and as it turns out running a label alone is not as party-licious and fancy-free as you would rightly imagine. The same can be said for those indie bands that we know and love and must throw our modest support whenever we can.

What keeps me driving head-first (and somewhat blind and dumb, but never deaf!) into that horizon of an ever-flattening world is simply the mainlining high of records like "1975" by the effervescent Fay Hallam Trinity. To be blunt, if you can't be swept away by the mod-gospely-goodness of this record or its gut-punching predecessor "Realm" (2006), then I fear you you may be a moron, drink too much, or consume dangerous amounts of sugar and should have that checked out ASAP. But let's assume that you are genius for a moment (which I know you are) and are just a cautious person that won't go a couple of days without food in exchange for a truly worthy pursuit...see a theme emerges to my opening remark!

Food (especially sugar) just makes you fat which leads to being fat in the head and likely to listen to the radio where you will be brain-washed into liking and buying (or even stealing) crap which leads to being a moron and hungry anyway...it's a vicious circle that will impact the lives of friends and family...and you should never hurt the ones you love!!!

FHT makes you smart and happy (and occassionally a little sad) but above all thoughtful and introspective (love, loss, redemption, sprirituality, and more!) which leads to ideas, which leads to food for the body and the soul. It's an investment people...a stimulous package of monumental possibilities. "1975" very well might save your life...I'm living proof.

© Kahlil Breithaupt for Hammondbeat
Originally published April 8, 2009 (http://www.hammondbeat.com/)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Fast Girls & Sexy Cars (new release)

The Link Quartet is the greatest Hammond beat band in the world and during their 3-year break demand has remained high. Resulting in: 3 compilations (Keep It Moving / Evolution / Long Live The Link) of out-of-print and unreleased tracks; continuous appearances on various artist’s packages from the UK to Japan; and a full-on assault of digital-download reissues (highlighted by even more out of print and unreleased). The Link Quartet also diversified into a whole host of new sounds and identities featuring the outrageously talented Paolo “Apollo” Negri disintegrating the plastic and ivory on nearly every kind of keyboard he could get his hands on: Fred Leslie’s missing Link (deep funk); Low Fidelity Jet-Set Orchestra (library/ nu-jazz); The Futuro Seven (space-fi); Wicked Minds/Electric Swan (prog rock); and the “A Bigger Tomorrow” (soul groove) solo album to name a few.

“This is Paolo…what a talent; if he’d been from the UK he’d have given James Taylor a very hard run for the UK fantasy-funk Hammond player/keyboardist.” (Craig Charles live on air – Funk and Soul Show, BBC, March 2009)

But there simply was no denying the compelling need to return to the raw Hammond blast of The Link Quartet groove where go-go girls, European performance cars, and espresso bars reign supreme. A mere week after Paolo’s March 2009 showcase at the SXSW Music Festival (Austin, TX), The Link Quartet were back in business with a session that resulted in two monster grooves built from pure energy and the basic instinct of that lustful DNA that few possess.

The pressure was on to deliver a master quickly for the looming summer tour, but the result has not a single ounce of seeming rushed, and confirms, underscores, and shouts to heaven in triplicate that the time for The Link Quartet’s return to rule the Hammond beat kingdom is clearly here and now.

“Fast Girls & Sexy Cars” and “Drummore” is their stronger-than-ever raw power in evidence: the breakneck power-pop pace of one and the laid-back-beat of the other. The soaring Hammond, sultry guitar, driving drums, and deeeeep bass have put The Link Quartet firmly in their own future – and that’s a place we all desire to be living.

Paolo “Apollo” Negri (Hammond) and Renzo Bassi (bass) are joined by new mates Marco “Majo” Murtas (guitar) and Alberto “Pato” Maffi (drums) and will be in the studio this autumn for the 6th album on Hammondbeat Records. Founding drummer Tony Face will continue as manager and part-time percussionist for the band.