| · All hail the re-re-rebirth of funk.
Will Holland, the brains behind the brawn of Quantic Soul Orchestra, turns his attention away from his way out world of breaks and downtempo, and tackles vintage beat on Stampede.
The lo-fi/vintage movement has been spearheaded by the need to reclaim and, in some cases, reinvent organic dance music. Mr. Holland’s 11-piece orchestra is certainly not the first to take on vintage beat, a genre which includes, for the purpose of clarity, retro-fitted funk, afro-beat, soul, dancefloor jazz and anything else once considered dance music. This movement has been in gear for nearly 10 years in New York, anchored by such formative labels as Dap Tone, Soulfire and the now defunct Desco. Stampede incorporates the full bandwidth of that vintage movement, staying quite true to the lo-fi high-concept aspects of the movement.
Included here are re-rubbed tracks from 4Hero and Todd Terry. The inclusion of these "modern" dancefloor jammy jams is certain proof that dance music is as much a state of mind as it is a particular sound or genre. These tracks are also what separates Quantic’s vision and sound from a host of others.
The true success of Stampede, and what seems to really separate the various strains of the movement, is the ease with which the band plays. Indeed, much of the vintage movement has lacked the fluid musicianship and innovation that most originals had. While many current outfits have aped the sound and mastered the beat, the space that the original funk outfits offered has often been lacking. Too many "vintage" bands have approached the music with the beat on top, resulting in a funky sound without the feeling. This distinction, though subtle, is what separates the original innovators from mere style whores. James Brown never sounded as if he was trying to be James Brown – why buy the cover band’s album when you could go straight to the source? In this instance, the Quantic Soul Orchestra has succeeded in creating an album that is not only vintage but fresh, as much forward thinking as it is retrofitted – a rare feat that currently puts Will Holland at the forefront of the movement.
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