Crown cover
Released

Detroit’s Kyle Hall and London’s Steven Julien last teamed up ten years ago, dropping gnarled electro bombs as FunkinEvil (a play on Julien’s handle FunkinEven) and then carried on with their own solo careers and labels. Crown marks a welcome return, the two older, mellower but just as heavily indebted to funk. Which is fitting, since both hail from cities with deep roots in the stuff. “Page 2” and “Page 3” offset tough, skittering drum programming with synth lines bright and glossy enough to require shades. When the wordless vocals and honeyed sax enter on the mellow “Page 5,” it suggests the purgatory where funk and smooth jazz mingle. And when LA’s DāM-FunK adds knee-deep squelches and gelatinous low-end to his skate rink-friendly remix of “Page 3,” it drops a holy trinity of funk upside your head.

Andy Beta

Recommended by

Suggestions
Resavoir cover

Resavoir

Resavoir
Friends EP cover

Friends EP

Seven Davis Jr.
Moodymann cover

Moodymann

Moodymann
Suite for Max Brown cover

Suite for Max Brown

The New Breed, Jeff Parker
Total 5 cover

Total 5

Various Artists
Another Side cover

Another Side

Fingers Inc.
Next Door cover

Next Door

Leo Takami
Connection cover

Connection

The Maghreban