InstruMental Institution
The Breakdown
(Soulciety/Soulkitchen)
Tune in – freak out!
“Singing is silver. Playing is gold”, as any musician will tell you: We’ve taken this bona fide motto, turned it inside out and upside down, and then put it on a pedestal at our InstruMental Institution. This establishment is a warm and welcoming place, full of love and life and rhythm, all unsung, of course. Imagine a soulful retreat, where it is – pardon the pun – instrumental to relax and be yourself. All the while listening, enjoying, and partying to some of the most sophisticated sounds on the planet. The players come from all over the place, to join in the fun, and let it all hang out. Both the percussive orchestra “Matthew Trip and the Visualizers” and the Beat-Colossus “Leonard Pain and El Cartel” come from the great city of Berlin, where they’re known to regularly freak out the tantalizing Tänzers at the Tausend. The late great “Godfather’s godfather” Bobby Byrd and his Pfunk-ness represent the deep and dark grooves of the American South with their exclusive instrumental versions of two of their most beloved hits. Vibes-master Roy Ayers & The Soul Society infuse “Funky Nassau” with a healthy dose of Manhattan madness, while Soulsister rad., her thunderous cohorts in Tower Of Power and the youngsters of Slide Five stroke it Oakland-style. Push and Max Beesley's High Vibes hail from the United Funkdom. The rare-groove-giants of the Lee Armstrong Express, the once legendary (now defunct) live-sensation Cole & The Gang, and the coastal cruisers by the name of Nicomatics, come from all over the place. Last but not least, there’s the delicious The Soulkitchen Cookin’ Crew, who treat Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” like the color-changing funk-monster it is. This music is instrumental, in every way imaginable. Or, to paraphrase the poet J.W. Goethe: “We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the instrumental institution of the universe.” Right on!
Dr. J.J. Green, in-house funkologist of the “InstruMental Institution”
