Back in the 90’s hot label Acid Jazz delivered a stream of brilliant funk ridden albums from the likes of Corduroy, Mother Earth, The Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai, electric albums that urged you to put on those dancing shoes and throw out a few shapes, around the same time Pete Twyman, Miles Chapman and Andy Lewis were treading the boards as Brit-pop darlings Pimlico. Since then the trio have been seen spinning the decks for Blur, backing Paul Weller and performing with the likes of Mohair and The Bluetones whilst continuing to make music together.
Now the trio along with Alex Richards have signed to Acid Jazz to create an album as The Red Inspectors, that pays tribute to the glory days of the label by creating a combination of deep funk, bossa nova, jazz and electro-pop.
The mainly instrumental twelve track affair is a brilliantly fun, floor filler for anyone who love’s a bit of elastic bass, hard grooves, infectious instrumentation and pumping hammond organ.
Right from the opening number, Spectrum Boy we’re taken into the heady world of TV detective theme music, exotic porn and funked up cocktail parties. The musicianship is simply stunning with hammond organ trading licks with funky riffs whilst the rhythm section supply more bounce than a pogo stick on a trampoline.
Elsewhere we get added vocals on the undeniable funk rock of He’s a Menace, flutes, wah wah guitars and a seductive female countdown on future porn classic, Red Mercury. Elsewhere we’re dealt a hand of Swirling psychedelic funk on Monochrome Sunrise a middle eastern influence on the fantastically twangy Clutching At Straws.
Are We The Red Inspectors? Are We? may and nod back to the many past glories of the Acid Jazz label, but this is no mere pastiche, the band weld so many influences into their sound, The Red Inspectors still manage to sound fresh and invigorating. If you want an album that’s full of imaginative musicianship and manages to be both retro-tastic and a modern day floor filler you could do a lot worse than splashing your cash on this hot little nugget.
Rhythm & Booze Rating 8
www.acidjazz.co.uk