The UK’s northeast is a particularly bright solar system in the ‘nu-funk’ galaxy these days largely as a consequence of the well-deserved successes of shining stars Smoove & Turrell. However, it’s also home to King Bee whose self-titled debut long player recently cast its few rays across the funk-iverse as well as Weekend Sun (presumably named for the fantastic Teeside climate) whose debut Forever Tomorrow pops up over the horizon shortly. Where Smoove and Turrell alternate between the sparkle of disco and the glow of their own ‘northern coal’ brand of neo-northern soul and King Bee operate in a 70s-lit world of jazz funk though, Weekend Sun instead fuse soul-jazz organs, double bass, hypnotic breakbeats and female vocals with a folk-soul feel to create their own blend of future funk, referencing but never aping the past.
Of their two prior singles, You’re So Good To Me makes it onto the LP in the original version though the excellent Feeling Inside only appears in its ‘2 AM Disco remix’ guise which, while not quite as pounding as Hero No. 7 remix, is respectable enough. Elsewhere you get the summery latin percussion of Her Name Escapes Me, the Akasha-meets-a-break-faster-than 80-bpm piccolo-led instro Jose Paronella and the Red Snapper-but-happier You’re Good To Me. Standouts include the insistent double-bass-driven opener Keep Running and the ethereal cinematic but folksy breaks of Love Remains which sounds like something Aim might put out if he’d had a particularly positive day. Which he doesn’t tend to, so it’s lucky these guys are around. Forever Tomorrow then – out six days from tomorrow…
(Out 4 August on Hero Records)