LIVE REVIEW: Breakestra @ Dingwalls, London (18th Nov)

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Breakestra, back for another European tour and back with their first album since 2005’s, are like sugar to ants for lovers of funk! They took it to funky town last night at Camden Locks Dingwalls – and although front man Mixmaster Wolf was not present due to apparent immigration issues, mastermind Miles Tackett lead the troop with his musicality and velvet soulful vocals.

Also up front was guest vocalist sensation Afrodyete, quoted as the “African goddess of Love”, which anyone seeing her perform in the flesh could very easily comprehend the origins of such a name. She dished the eager audience a feast of pelvic thrusting, hip flicking and kick ass vocals, which they just couldn’t get enough of and wanted to drink from the same funky cup. She was on fire!

Miles “Music Man” Tickett says, “What are the first three letters of FUNK?” If I was to accompany that question with a statement I would say “Just look at the audience!” There was a fair amount of left footing two steppers and jumping off beat from some of the dancing challenged behind me, but that didn’t matter because they were drunk on funk and having a ball. So Liz says, keep left stepping.

I was high off the funk too and felt the urge to intentionally lose my rhythm with them; it looked like so much fun!! However, I came back to my senses and realised it would have been virtually impossible to move against Breakestra’s serious grooves, It would be like running up a downward moving escalator. I mean seriously, they gave the crowd sweet funk, to hard funk; the audience were every which way funked.

The audience revered at the musicianship and the swift changes of instruments; sax to flute, bass to cello, cello back to bass. It was all very evident that this music was coming straight from the soul into their guts and bursting out of their fingers. You cannot hide Music Man Miles’ love for Hip Hop with their ensemble of old-school Hip Hop and breakbeat rhythms and a shout out to the likes of J Dilla and his close partner in music DJ Dusk (who died from a car accident); which their latest album Dusk Till Dawn is a tribute to.

The audience were hooked and sang along to some of their favourite grooves, which included “Come On Over” from the new album and features Afrodyete. The last time I saw this much energy and punch from a group of musicians is when I saw Soil and Pimp Sessions at The Roundhouse last summer ’08.

Keep up to date with Breakestra on tour va their website and MySpace:

www.breakestra.com | www.myspace.com/breakestra

Reviewed by Liz Amadi