Whither next for steel drum funk heroes Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band? Turns out the destination in question is Hawkins, Indiana, where the band conducts a wildly successful experiment on the Stranger Things theme replacing the original’s 80s-style John Carpenter-esque synths with live drums and a 55 gallon topline all Dustin time (thank you, I’m here, all week!) for Halloween. It’s enough to flay your mind, right? Will they be able to find a flip-side to match it? Oh wait – what’s this? Turn that bit of wax upside down and you’ll only find a cover of an actual John Carpenter score – in this case, his 1978 Halloween theme now remade as a squelchy bit of horror-funk, again with a steel drum topline. Bloody hellfire!
(Out 16 October on Big Crown Records)