I saw Master Blazter perform at the Bowery a few months ago, it was impressive. The show was actually billed as ‘Dam-Funk with a live band’, and to be honest I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. In my mind I imagined something akin to the usual live dj/producer set with a bit of help here and there. What I got was something much more. These guys were a band in every sense of the word, a cohesive unit dedicated to not just playing music but putting on a show. There were lazers, smoke machines, keytar solos, the obligatory ‘unplugged’ moment, girls brought on stage to gyrate in ecstasy – it was a spectacle in the best sense of the word. And in the center of it all was Dam himself, a funk P.T. Barnum presiding over the rapture of his own electro-circus. Seeing him in that musical overlord mastermind capacity I had to consider a new stance on the guy and what could possibly lie ahead for his career. These days Dam-Funk is expanding the horizons of his repertoire by adding live instrumentation and forthcoming collaborations with Nite Jewel and Steve Arrington look promising. IF he continues along this trajectory while also delivering the kind of showmanship I experienced, he might end up akin to a modern day equivalent of George Clinton. Maybe he’ll pick up a modern day equivalent to Eddie Hazel somewhere along the way too, that would be pretty sweet.

Anyway, enough fanboy rambling, on to the music. This mix isn’t exactly a group effort, rather a collection of works from each individual member of the band designed to give you a glimpse of what they could possibly accomplish together. Here is the stream/download link (in mp3 form), the official verbiage below has all the details about this podcast including the tracklist.

Download: Master Blazter – Blazt Off Mixed by DJ Kutmah (podcast)

(more…)