The Gene Dudley Group – Saturday Shifting

Now that Summer has officially started, and we kicked it off with The Grits on Friday, it’s time to continue the onslaught of really great Summer music. Here’s one that’s sure to quench your thirst for sure. The debut record on Wah Wah 45’s from The Gene Dudley Group (out 07.15.13) come straight out of Muswell Hill, North London and feature the talented musical stylings of multi-instrumentalist Gene Dudley. Playing every instrument on this record, lest a few horn solos on a couple of tracks, Mr. Dudley does a fantastic job with his first effort. Aurally pleasing to fans of the Daptone and Truth & Soul sound Dudley’s Funk and Soul offerings such as “The New Lots of Cooperstowns” and “When The Gorilla Get Grip” will completely fufill and hit like and El Michels Affair or Menahan Street Band lost tape. A bastion of sounds like Afro Beat (“The Hilo Bay Halfway”), Dub Reggae influenced tracks (“Learn To Jackpot/Teach To Jackpot”) sit along side a left field electronic stomper (“Waxing Unwaxed Lemons”) and blend in perfectly with the Funk and Soul. This record has some library record moments, some 60’s Michael Caine spy thriller moments, and some moments where you can picture yourself feet up, cold beer in hand on your deck chair in the shade relaxing nodding to this great record while someone is grilling some fantastic sausages in your yard. Gene Dudley is an unbelievably talented musician and for fans of hard drum beats, jazzy hooks and horn stabs, this record will not disappoint. In fact, play it for your granny, because she can get down to this too. You know she knows good music when she hears it. To tour, it would be hard for Dudley to play trumpet, saxophone, drums, bass, guitar and piano all at once, so he enlisted a top notch quartet to play round himself as he jumps back and forth on the bass and piano the whole show. Look out for this up and comer at a festival and venue near you. Not to be missed.