Featuring Charli 2Na (from Jurassic 5) & Boots Riley (from The Coup)
New Orleans-based Galactic started out over a decade ago as an instrumental act in the tradition of the Meters, the JB’s, and Booker T. & the MG’s – bands equally comfortable recording their own material or working with vocalists.
Their album From the Corner to the Block (2007) grew out of Galactic’s experiences touring with artists like the Roots, Jurassic 5, Triple Threat DJs and Gift of Gab. Although it features cameos from a ‘wish list’ of fan-favourite MCs, this isn’t a typical hip-hop album.
It’s a contemporary funk record that just happens to feature hip-hop vocalists. “We never set out to make a rap record,” explains Ellman. Adds Mercurio: “We wanted to kinda modernise the New Orleans sound.” With the release of From the Corner to the Block, the five-man group – drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonist/harmonica player Ben Ellman, keyboardist Richard Vogel and guitarist Jeff Raines – reaffirms their standing as one of the funkiest outfits around. The record exposes GALATIC’s organic grooves to an urban ear, while still maintaining their essential funk aesthetic.
