Sweets

Description

From the depths of the hard funk pocket, the Winston Brothers return to the Colemine label after four years away, with a second batch of tracks rooted in cinematic soul with seventies accents, rich in brass, and inspired by the work of soundtrack composers such as Issac Hayes, Willie Hutch, Roy Ayers and JJ Johnson. Led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Sebastian Nagel, with his longtime collaborator Lucas Kochbeck on drums, Sweets is a timely reminder of how the music scene in Hamburg, Germany, helps shape and influence today’s soul sound. The presence of musicians such as Kimo Eiserbeck (saxophone and flute) and Hans Stephan (trumpet), as well as the participation of Max Whitefield (born Weissenfeldt) on drums, bear witness to the close bond that unites these musicians. From influential groups like Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Angels of Libra and the Mighty Mocambos, Hamburg’s thriving groove scene has produced its share of worthy heirs to soul and funk. Over the years, these musicians have shared stages and studios, and have come together in various lineups that later gave birth to the groups mentioned above. “We started as a school project… We were just kids,” Sebastian recalls. “It’s a family story, and we really know each other very well.” Sweets is much more than just another addition to the collective musical heritage of this scene: it is a vibrant dispatch from the most forward-thinking frontier of funk.