They say that the cream always rises to the top, and when Misha Panfilov (and Funk Night Records) get involved, it’s always the case. The Estonian funk maestro has his hands in all kinds of funk broadcast around the world. This time he gets together with Leonid Galaganov for a forty-five by Weizenberg Group. a two-sided and two-headed monster of a seven inch, the A-side, “Kÿllār”, falls somewhere in between psychedelic funk meets Wes Montogomery’s guitar in a library music vault that runs wild with freedom. The piano leads the whole track, moving and grooving like a late sixties West Coast band that brought their smoked out sounds from stage to stage. It’s heady, and with the dub effects and echoes, we were hooked after the first play. Panfilov has the Midas touch on records, in a sense they become sought after and cult-like in the funk circles. His sound is unmistakable and has garnished the artist much applause from fans around the globe. The flip, “Kålt”, is a down-home, Chitlin’ Circuit type track. The jangly guitar, lo-fi but tough as nails drums, and surprise, the edition of some off-kilter, psychedelic keys and chorus turns this straight forward funk track into a B-Movie original soundtrack side. They’re some notes of heavy jazz in there too, woodwinds and other sounds thrown in like a Yusef Lateef track. All the while, the backbeat bangs on, keep that head nodding throughout. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Misha Panfilov record that didn’t bang. This one surely does. Listen to both tracks below and order the 45 from Funk Night after the stream.
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