MSR003 Mr. Bird

Mr. Bird – Dance Away EP (MSR003)

Hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Steve Bird AKA Mr. Bird is the latest artist to land at Matasuna Records‘ nest, hatching an exotic and fiery EP.

Starting on a mid flight ambience, before charging to catch its funky prey, Dance Away, the opening track, is a scorching collaboration with Chief Commander Yaaba, one of the lead singers of London based combo Yaaba Funk. Undeniably catchy bass line, afro horns blended with a string of unexpected beat variations, Dance Away is a call to the dancefloor, a celebratory ground to let loose, where mothers and sisters alike are beckoned to shine to the positive tune.

The Sasquatch, in turn, takes us into deeper, different coordinates. A constant, relentless beat foundation spiked with stabs of funky phrasing hooking the listener from its inception, regardless of language, in an almost hypnotic mantra of soulful discourse, this banger is assuredly one for the clubs.

Up-tempo, with a finely tuned built up, Floating Funk teases the less attentive ear into believing this is a simple beat statement but Mr. Bird slams and surprises with an irresistible bassline, perfectly balanced doses of guitar and a hovering – or floating! – horn section interlaced with a rhythmically proficient cowbell and cymbal section.

Angolan-minded breakbeat rhythm, kalimba grooves and funk-based keys and guitar, Carnival Beat is a contagious track. An expertly cooked platter of hot and spicy flavours served in a dish of well mixed groove which will drive any listener to get down and grind away with a smile, in what is also a true homage by Mr. Bird to his well-earned Lisbon heritage – his habitat for the past 9 years.

One can only wonder where Matasuna’s next flight might be headed as each release soars ever higher, towards certified dancefloor bliss.

Reviews:

We are always excited to hear from Mr. Bird, the English DJ and producer who now calls Portugal his home. He’s just docked his ship over at Matasuna Records and for 2018 has released a scorching EP of tracks to get you sweating where ever you call home. This four track EP should be on your radar if it isn’t already. The first single, “Dance Away” a collaboration featuring Chief Commander Yaaba, one of the lead vocals for London outfit Yaaba Funk, is an Afro Disco heat rock. It starts with a massive bass line and highlights great horn work as well as the call to the dance floor from Yaaba, who takes you higher with his voice and leads you on a path to the promised land. No stopping this track! Moving further into dance floor culture, “The Sasquatch” is a straight house banger that for sure will have heads and asses moving with it’s endless beat and funky hook. We like where this EP is going on Side A. Ending up on a club note, this track is catchy none the less. Flip the record over and we start with “Floating Funk”, with its heavy bass line and horn stabs, builds up into a frenzy of nu-disco bliss, and as the song’s title suggests, floats its way to your ears with cymbals, cowbells, pounding drums, whistles, and more. Let’s not forget the funk, it’s always with us. Rounding out the record we have “Carnival Beat”. This track travels back to Africa once again, reminiscent of Angolan breakbeats, rhythms, and grooves. It is definitely heavily influenced by past rhythms, simmering hot in a pot of African funk and dance parties that last well into the early morning. While the entire record is good on a whole, we definitely lean towards both tracks that have the African feel to them. Earthy and explosive, the entire platter that Mr. Bird is serving up is quite tasty. If you are familiar with some of his older work (if not, click the link), he’s definitely an artist that has put out some terrific releases, recording sessions with the legendary John Peele, as well as a great discography of sides. This release marks his first with Matasuna, and we are loving the direction he’s heading. Check out the first single streaming from bandcamp below, and pre-order the record, available 1/19. Flea Market Funk

Having previously excelled at crafting party-starting bootleg funk remixes and composing revivalist soul slammers, Mr Bird has now decided to turn his attention to Afro-disco, Afro-funk and Afro-soul. Typically, the results are impressive, particularly „Dance Away“, a hybrid Afro-disco/Afro-soul workout featuring the fine vocals of Chief Commander Yaaba. Elsewhere, he lays down a subtly housed-up take on Clavinet-happy Afro-funk (the superb, jazz-funk tinged „Floating Funk“), brilliantly breaks up the beats on the woozy, groovy and bustling „Carnival Beat“, and lays blissful vocal harmonies over a sumptuous deep house beat on „The Sasquatch“. juno.co.uk

We are always excited to hear from Mr. Bird, the English DJ and producer who now calls Portugal his home. He’s just docked his ship over at Matasuna Records and for 2018 has released a scorching EP of tracks to get you sweating where ever you call home. This four track EP should be on your radar if it isn’t already. The first single, “Dance Away” a collaboration featuring Chief Commander Yaaba, one of the lead vocals for London outfit Yaaba Funk, is an Afro Disco heat rock. It starts with a massive bass line and highlights great horn work as well as the call to the dance floor from Yaaba, who takes you higher with his voice and leads you on a path to the promised land. No stopping this track! Moving further into dance floor culture, “The Sasquatch” is a straight house banger that for sure will have heads and asses moving with it’s endless beat and funky hook. We like where this EP is going on Side A. Ending up on a club note, this track is catchy none the less. Flip the record over and we start with “Floating Funk”, with its heavy bass line and horn stabs, builds up into a frenzy of nu-disco bliss, and as the song’s title suggests, floats its way to your ears with cymbals, cowbells, pounding drums, whistles, and more. Let’s not forget the funk, it’s always with us. Rounding out the record we have “Carnival Beat”. This track travels back to Africa once again, reminiscent of Angolan breakbeats, rhythms, and grooves. It is definitely heavily influenced by past rhythms, simmering hot in a pot of African funk and dance parties that last well into the early morning. While the entire record is good on a whole, we definitely lean towards both tracks that have the African feel to them. Earthy and explosive, the entire platter that Mr. Bird is serving up is quite tasty. If you are familiar with some of his older work (if not, click the link), he’s definitely an artist that has put out some terrific releases, recording sessions with the legendary John Peele, as well as a great discography of sides. This release marks his first with Matasuna, and we are loving the direction he’s heading. Check out the first single streaming from bandcamp below, and pre-order the record, available 1/19. fleamarketfunk.com