A new review from Bruce Lee Gallanter, Co-owner of Downtown Music Gallery in New York City: "Rebellum is a smaller version or offshoot of the Burnt Sugar Arkestra featuring: Greg Tate on beats, loops & lyrics, Jared Michael Nickerson on bass, V. Jeffery Smith on saxes, Moist Paula Henderson on bari sax, Andre Lassalle on guitars, plus vocalists: Shelley Nicole, Mikel Banks, Lisala and Meah Pace. Guests include Mazz Swift, Vernon Reid, Micah Gaugh, Ben Tyree, Ronny Drayton and others. It has been awhile since the Burnt Sugar Arkestra has released something new, although they do keep busy on a variety of projects. Burnt Sugar are masters of the groove and layering several lines upon one another in an distinctive, magical way. On 'One Nation Under a Groove' by Funkadelic, George Clinton and Co. had evolved to the point where they could blend their own layers of vocal and instrumental lines into a fine cosmic flow. Rebellum is a smaller version of Funkadelic with only five instrumentalists plus four voices. This disc contains some twenty tracks which flow into each other and sound as if everything is part of one continuous party/groove/vibe... More than in the past, master bassist Jared Michael Nickerson's varied, infectious lines are the center of what goes on throughout. Some folks can't be bothered by vocals on "serious" music records yet here the different singers are integral to the kaleidoscopic series of inter-related currents. It is rather opera-like as the different voices each play another character, who are part of the evolving stories which unfold simultaneously. There are sections here when the music comes close to normal r&b yet it always morphs into something else. If you only buy Burnt Sugar discs for their instrumental prowess, you might not dig this one so much. However, multi-directional inventiveness is still there, sometimes buried sometimes floating on top or inside. Either way, I am down with this disc. It makes me smile and that ain't so easy nowadays." Our first review from France ... Clair & Obscur by Luca Biela (10 stars out of 10) You like George Clinton and Sly & the Family Stone but you are desperately looking for successors to these proud representatives of p-funk ? Well, here is a newcomer that will prove that p-funk is far from being the property of a handful of groups, and ready to ensure continuity. However, far from rehashing the codes of the genre, Rebellum, this is how the band in question was baptized, adds its own touch. In fact, their music is fueled with various influences, steming mainly from "black" music, namely gospel, jazz, hip-hop, r'n'b and trip-hop. More surprising, chill out is also represented here (the quite tonic "Young Fraknenstank" with guest star Vernon Reid), but this is part of a vision that our funny chaps wanted both adventurous and devoid of any border. The group even described their music as, hold your breath, "grown & sexy avant-agit pop bursting with warped soul harmonies, freedom-swing horn play, maggot-brained guitar implosions & arkestral loopadelics in the dark". It's therefore a long program that awaits us, and as you will see later on, this description is far from being stolen. And how to describe this album? Well, it's a real anthem to joy and music, with its strong voices, its dancing rhythms and its inspired solos, be they delivered by the synths, the guitar or the saxophone to name but a few of the instruments involved. Thanks to the diversity of ambiances, we don't get tired a single moment. From the poignant piano-voice balad "Somebody To Love" (later reworked on the album in a just as good r'n'b version) to the spectral trip-hop of "There Is A God (The Singularity)" and through to the serene nu-jazz of "Guelph" and the languid hip-hop of "Who's Loving You Now?", it's a rich work that goes through many various musical styles, presented as much with humour as with seriousness. All this effervescence is however expressed without effusion on the ground of the shambles of Mr. Bungle, we stay indeed within a well controlled frame yet very enjoyable. On the vocal level, many female vocals are delivered in a soul or gospel style, beautifully crafted and making a great impression. The rap voices, on the other hand, are not in a flashy style with a 10 words/sec flow, they are even quite elegant with their languid flow on "Rockstar Amnesiac" or on "Spank A Lick", and even sepulchral in the vein of Tom Waits after drinking many whiskeys on "Ten Times Left". To sum up, this time again, it is wonderful art, far from the amateurism of idle teenagers who would perform some hip hop to kill time and expecting to gain some fame in the show business with "cheap" rhymes and "cardboard" melodies. I mentioned jazz above, we can indeed take delight in the warm sounds of a Montgomery-like guitar on "Gyuto" or in the beautiful Coltrane-like saxophone on "Somebody To Love". Further on, on "Start Thinking Like An Afreakun", we are reminded of the craziest moments of Praxis with the saturated guitar samples, unexpected breaks, and a flute that comes from nowhere. Regarding the passionate saxophone-guitar duet on "Heart Seed" or these free-form keyboard layers on the Courtney Smokehouse mix version of "Spank A Lick", they sadistically treat bad a music that is chill out sounding overall. Similarly to Janelle Monaé, but pushing the boundaries farther by blending various styles and ambiances, here is an album that proves that it's possible to play inspired music with "commercial" songs. It should appeal to all ears hungry for hybrid sounds that don't wander in sterile experimental moods, but stay rather creative and communicative. Probably one of the best discoveries of this year. http://clairetobscur.fr/rebellum-the-darknuss/ Here in 2014 allow the Burnt Sugar Arkestra to introduce it's avant funk & roll splinter cell ... REBELLUM. Gripping the sum of REBELLUM's parts LIVE demands one apprehends these factions: The two-part super-fly vocal frontline of Mikel Banks & Shelley Nicole; those ace riddim section companeras, The Buckeye Bass Mack Jared Michael Nickerson & our 主要 Man from Japan on Kick & Snare, Hiroyuki 'Matsu' Matsuura, Valerie June Guitar Hero, Ben Tyree, Bari Sax Goddess for TVOR & Nick Waterhouse 'Moist' Paula Henderson, Billy Ocean Tenor Sax Hooksmith V. Jeffery Smith, William Parker Trumpeter of Choice Lewis 'Flip' Barnes, Vernon Reid Keyboard Liberator, Leon Gruenbaum. This very accomplished crew has playing credits that range from The Roots, Toshi Reagon, Charlie Musselwhite, DJ Logic, Gary Lucas, TV On The Radio, Tamar-kali, Phish, William Parker, Mark Ribot, Lizz Wright, The Holmes Brothers, Lady Kier, Freedy Johnston, Sandra St. Victor, Wadada Leo Smith, David Murray, Debbie Gibson, Joseph Bowie and England's The The. ON THE RECORDING a gaggle of Special Guests include Abby Dobson, Micah Gaugh, Kim Hill, Marc Cary, Ronny Drayton, Somi, Satch Hoyt, Courtney Bryan, Vernon Reid, Meah Pace, Andre Lassalle, la Bruha Desi la, Mazz Swift and "The Darknuss Co-Producer, Buddhabug Records' Luqman Brown. Let us also give a shout-out to our Master Blaster Master-eur Tom Ruff for Asbury Media ... Ya Heard! File under Grown & Sexy Avant-Agit-Pop. The 20 songs on REBELLUM's debut album "the Darknuss" on their own label, AvantGroidd Musica, burst forth a bloody profusion of exotic trace elements--warped soul harmonies, freedom swing horn play, maggot brained guitar implosions and arkestral loopadelics in the dark. REBELLUM's song titles loudly & proudly represent the ranting swoon of their Afro-Futurist insurgency: ''Start Thinking like An Afreakun'', ''The Darknuss'', ''Rock Star Amnesiac'', ''Who's Loving You Now?'', ''Chains & Water / No Coloureds Allowed'', ''There Is A God (The Singularity)''and ''Young Frankenstank''. The spirits of Sun Ra, Ron Hardy, Eddie Hazel, Gary Numan and The Emotions are all welcome here. "The Darknuss" Production Credits: Engineered & Produced by Luqman Brown for Buddhabug Records (Harlem N.Y.) Mastered by Tom Ruff for Asbury Media Executive Producers: Greg Tate for AvantGroidd Musica & Jared Michael Nickerson for Burnt Sugar Index LLC Cover Collage by Wangechi Mutu Photography by Nisha Sondhe Cover Design by LaRonda Davis Video Design by Amy Gail You think "The Darknuss" is monochrome? Is that air you're breathing ... Think again as your eyes behold : http://vimeo.com/burntsugarindex/thedarknuss What's Being said about "The Darknuss" "Soundtrack of the Summer so far!" - Rainbow Robert - Executive Director/Jazz Festival Canada "Oh my god. So cool. So crazy. This sound is unbelievable. I love this funky song, Young Frakenstank feat. Lisala … my favorite track: Young Frakenstank feat. Lisala." - Masashi Miyakaki - Bandcamp Purchaser "If P-Funk remains an inspiration for the Burnt Sugar collective it is by no means a limitation. As Rebellum, this latest satellite from the mothership shows, no cunning mutation of black music is beyond reach, and that can mean that the groove makes it all the way to the crack in your derriere while these master players put some flava in ya ear." - Kevin Le Gendre - Author of Soul Unsung: Reflections On The Band In Black Popular Music "Opening minds, sanctifying souls and devastating dance floors with their special brand of faith, funk and forward-thinking, these live-evil stepchildren of the mighty Burnt Sugar Arkestra have created something unmistakably unique: a life force and a force of nature worthy of the passion, poetry, politics and theosophy of Marvin and Miles, of Curtis and Trane, of Bird and the JBs. "The Darkness" is a bright light for humankind, a mystical movie wrapped in a soundtrack: imagine Buddah on the corner, rapping it out with H. Rap Brown in front of Fellini's cameras, with catered turkey wings, neck bones and molten lava chocolate cake for dessert." - Leo Sacks, producer of Raymond Myles, the New Orleans Social Club, Glen David Andrews and the 2014 Grammy Award-winning "Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex & Columbia Albums." Whenever the collective of New York musicians known as Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber releases a new album, there is ample reason to celebrate ... produced by Burnt Sugar co-founders Greg Tate and Jared Michael Nickerson along with Luqman Brown (FunkFace, D**e Sagittarius), the album features vocalists Mikel Banks and Shelley Nicole, drummer Hiroyuki “Matsu” Matsuura, guitarist Ben Tyree, with Nickerson on bass, plus a horn section comprised of ‘Moist’ Paula Henderson (Mois­tur­izer) on bari sax, V. Jeffery Smith (The Fam­ily Stand) on tenor sax, Lewis ‘Flip’ Barnes on trumpet, and Leon Gruenbaum on keyboards, plus a bevy of special guests. ”Young Frankenstank” finds Nickerson and guest guitarist Vernon Reid (Living Colour) steering a path through Greg Tate’s distorted beats and loops, while “There is a God (The Singularity)” is a gravity defying echo chamber of vocals layered over electronics and snippets of instrumental improvisation. On “Rockstar Amnesiac” vocalists Kim Hill and Shelley Nicole clearly relish their roles, with the catty call and response “who could ever forget you were a rock star? / never ever never ever forget.” “Somebody to Love You” is a more straightforward jazz trio featuring soulful interplay between songstress Abby Dobson, pianist Courtney Bryan, and saxophonist Micah Gaugh (the song is then deconstructed on the “beats version” track with Tate taking over the accompaniment). Trending even more toward the avant garde is “Start Thinking Like an Afreakun” with vocalist Meah Pace, and “Heart Seed” featuring guitarist Ronny Drayton dueling it out with saxophonist V. Jeffery Smith. Meah Pace returns on the brief but satisfying deep funk track “Lawd Knows You Do,” with Courtney Bryan riffing on the B3 and Ben Tyree tearing it up on lead guitar. Another outstanding track is “Ten Times Left” featuring the spoken poetry of Mikel Banks, coalescing at the conclusion with the bluesy chorus “ten times more making sweet love to you / so this mean old world don’t stop the record too soon.” A cosmic collision of genres and trippy electronic effects, The Darknuss hits like a bolt of lightning that will both shock and awe. Highly recommended! - Brenda Nelson-Strauss - Black Grooves/Archives Of African American Music & Culture/ Indiana University Track Listing & Track Personnel: 1. Young Frankenstank Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Lisala - Lead & Background Vocals Luqman Brown - Vocals Vernon Reid - Guitars 2. Chains & Water/No Coloureds Allowed Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Lisala - Vocals Luqman Brown - Spoken Word Vocals Ronny Drayton - Guitars la Bruha Desi la - Electronics 3. Heart Seed feat. Somi Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Somi - Lead & Background Vocals Ronny Dratyon - Guitars V. Jeffery Smith - Saxophones 4. Ten Times Left Greg Tate - Beats/Loops/Lyrics/Guitar Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Mikel Banks - Lead Vocal V. Jeffery Smith - Saxophones Mazz Swift - Violin Marc Cary - Keyboards Satch Hoyt - Flute 5.Somebody To Love You Greg Tate - Lyrics Abby Dobson - Lead Vocals Courtney Bryan - Keyboards Micah Gaugh - Saxophone 6. The Darknuss Greg Tate - Beats/Loops/Lyrics/Guitar Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Shelley Nicole - Lead & Background Vocals Andre Lassalle - Guitar V. Jeffery Smith - Saxophone 'Moist' Paula Henderson - Bari Sax 7. Rock Star Amnesiac Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Kim Hill - Lead Vocal Shelley Nicole - Background Vocals Meah Pace - Background Vocals V. Jeffery Smith - Saxophones Andre Lassalle - Guitar 8. Young Frankenstein feat. Vernon Reid Greg Tate - Beats/Loops Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Vernon Reid - Guitars 9. Guelph Greg Tate - Beats/Loops Courtney Bryan - Keyboards Micah Gaugh - Saxophones 10. Spank A Lick Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Meah Pace - Vocals Mikel Banks - Vocals Luqman Brown - Vocals Courtney Bryan - Keyboards Mazz Swift - Violin Satch Hoyt - Flute 11. There Is A God Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Meah Pace - Vocals Kim Hill - Vocals Marc Cary - Keyboards la Bruha Desi la - Electronics 12. Somebody To Love You (Beats Version) Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Abby Dobson - Lead Vocal 13. Trelle To The Lew Greg Tate - Beats/Loops 14. Who's Loving You Now Greg Tate - Beats/Loops/Lyrics Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Shelley Nicole - Lead Vocal Mikel Banks - Lead Vocal Andre Lassalle - Guitars la Bruha Desi la - Electronics 15. Broken Greg Tate - Beats/Loops Ben Tyree - Guitar 16. Lawd Knows You Do Greg Tate - Beats/Loops/Lyrics/Electric Bass Meah Pace - Lead Vocal Ben Tyree - Guitars Courtney Bryan - Keyboard 17. Gyuto Greg Tate - Beats/Loops Ben Tyree - Guitar 18. Start Thinking Like An African Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Meah Pace - Vocals Micah Gaugh - Saxophones Satch Hoyt - Flute 19. Heart Seed feat. Ronny Drayton Greg Tate - Beats/Loops Jared Michael Nickerson - Electric Bass Somi - Background Vocals Ronny Drayton - Guitars V. Jeffery Smith - Saxophone 20. Spank A Lick (Courtney Smokehouse Mix) Greg Tate - Beats/Loops & Lyrics Courtney Bryan - Keyboards Meah Pace - Background Vocals Mazz Swift - Violin Satch Hoyt - Flute