The Fantastics! - Pyramid EP (2020)

London band The Fantastics! return to BBE Music with instrumental jazz-dance masterpiece ‘Pyramid’, the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album ‘Take A Shot’.

‘Pyramid’ was born fully formed in the musical mind of the groups’ saxophonist & flautist Mark Norton – an ethereal instrumental that’s 50% contemplative spiritual introspection à la Pharoah Sanders / Coltrane /Airto Moreira, 50% prime Dingwall’s dance-floor fodder.

Organist Greg Boraman conjured up the intriguing ‘Oblique’, which is a fairly curious musical hybrid. If you had ever wondered what a collaboration between 70’s era Charles Earland, Dexter Wansel and Roni Size for a KPM library music album might sound like – here’s your answer! Fender Rhodes, Hammond, flute and spacy synthesizers ride across James Smith’s sterling drum work, and Sulene Flemings’ ghostly wordless background vocals mark this track out as a spacey jazz-funk oddity.

‘Liquor & Poker’ is a homage to 1950’s organ & sax rhythm & blues became a firm favourite in the bands live shows – it’s combination of old school swinging drums, honking tenor, gritty guitar and organ is always a crowd pleaser, but didn’t quite make it onto the bands forthcoming long player ‘Take A Shot’ – so is included here as a bonus throwback slice of the good groove.