Dance beats meet funk, fusion and Brazilian elements on Fresh Out the Box (Lakeshore) by British dance act Mr. Gone. Led by bassist/multi-instrumentalist Simon T. Bramley, Mr. Gone is a band that uses live instrumentation to build jazz-funky tunes atop a foundation of infectious dance grooves.
Saxophonist and organ propel the funky “Equation: Boogie,” which also features a bouncy marimba solo, while the percussive “Les Cinq Notes Magiques” blends club beats with Brazilian rhythms and whispered vocals. Atmospheric keyboards float above rapid-fire drums and funky bass on the furious electro-funk workout “The Duke,” and Brazilian rhythms combine with thumping bass and piping flute on “Dance Like Nobody’s Looking.” “Mosquito Coast 2000,” a reworking of a track off the group’s first album, is all pulsing bass, peppy Fender Rhodes, Brazilian percussion and chanting vocals. Fresh Out the Box also includes Mosquito Coast ’98,” an intoxicating remix by smooth-jazz favorites Down to the Bone.
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