The Phunkguerilla & Cosmo Klein - Kingdom on Fire (2017) [Hi-Res]

Four years a er their debut album „Let‘s Work“, THE PHUNKGUERILLA, advanced from a musicians‘ network to an established band, now release their second longplayer under the creative patronage of COSMO KLEIN and with CLAUS FISCHER as musical director. KINGDOM ON FIRE tells stories about life and the wrong tracks of society of our times. Song-oriented Funk has remained the most important part of their work, yet the approach to the long-planned project album was different this me. While „Let‘s Work“ was recorded track by track on the computer of Cosmo and his long- me companion Claus Fischer, they decided to record the second Album as a kind of reminiscence of the good old days of the Funk, live with the whole band in the studio. So for one week the the six steady members of THE PHUNKGUERILLA locked themselves into the studio at the beautiful RED HORN DISTRICT to record nine songs. All nine pieces were in the box a er no more than a short trial period and a few takes. The work on „Kingdom On Fire“ was driven by the idea of giving the Funk a fresh cell therapy and, with all due respect to ar sts such as Prince, Chic, Marvin Gaye and James Brown, bringing it into the present.

Cosmo Klein as a songwriter forges a bridge from personal narrative („Up On The Hill“) through soul love songs fraught with memories („Hold On“) up to social criticism („Kingdom On Fire“) and motivating party Funk („Hightimes“). Emotional highlight of the album is - surely not only for Cosmo himself - „The Answer“, a declaration of love to his children.

„Kingdom On Fire“ is an impressive status report and a further blow of liberation after ten years of development, which the project THE PHUNKGUERILLA has accomplished to this day. It all started in 2007 with Cosmo Klein’s album „Human“ on the label 105 Music, which was widely ignored by the public. Having already released some successful singles and songwriting material before, this was a real disappointment for the young artist. Consistently and consciously Cosmo decided to turn his back on the Popcircus once and for all. With the decision to get Claus Fischer on board, the project took up more and more drive. Fischer had previously worked with artists such as Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie and Stefan Raab‘s Heavytones show band, worked on more than 300 albums and participated in 800 TV shows. So here was a street musician with great ambitions, fired from the popbusiness, and there was an autodidactic multi-instrumentalist with a huge background. And the two shared a vision. A er numerous „guerrilla sessions“, the 30-man network finally found the perfect musicians for the now six-headed THE PHUNKGUERILLA cast.

It was a trip with many stations, of which the album „Kingdom On Fire“ is the latest, but certainly not the last one.

Cosmo Klein, vocals
Claus Fischer, bass
Hardy Fischötter, drums
Hanno Busch, guitar
Till Sahm, organ, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes
Tobias Philippen, synthesizers, piano & Wurlitzer