The next band I've chosen to feature is the Hot 8 Brass Band, and their recording of Rastafunk from 2007's Rock With the Hot 8. I like how this band has been able to situate themselves as a young group performing the genre of Brass Band music as close to its original style as possible. With their record label debut in 2007 they have come up along bands such as Youngblood Brass Band and the Dirty Dozen, but where those other groups have trended toward producing a more hip hop influenced product the Hot 8 have kept that hip hop influence within the original instrumentation.
I really enjoy the riff based head of Rastafunk, and I think if you didn't know the name of the band it would be easy to believe this was an older chart and recording. Despite the simplicity of the melodies the the level of the playing on this record is quite high. There is also a traditional "chant" section where members sing in unison. This is where the influence of hip hop is most evident. Below I've included a Spotify link to a more recent recording to show how even in the bands continued evolution they have held true to the traditional style.
I like the dirty sound of this ensemble. There is something that speaks to me, when I hear an ensemble not play perfectly clean in this atmosphere. There is an energy there that can be shared by a community, and it lacks the prestige of the concert hall.
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