Combining traditional African rhythmic textures with melodies and grooves steeped in American funk, soul, & jazz, Ikebe Shakedown offers a unique & powerful sound. The 8-piece, Brooklyn-based band formed in early 2009 and, after a slew of dates around NYC, recorded their debut 7” single and EP, Hard Steppin’, at Dunham Studios in June. The 5-track offering, released on Colemine Records, has already received high praise from critics, fans, & distributors.

In October, Ikebe joined Voodoo Funk DJ Frank Gossner for FELABRATION 2009!, a worldwide celebration of Fela Kuti. The night also served as a send-off party for the group’s first tour of California. The band then returned to the studio to record with producer/engineer Sergio Rios (Orgone, The Lions, Breakestra) at Killion Sound. The resulting LP is scheduled for release in early 2010 and provides a true window into the depth & variety present in Ikebe Shakedown’s music – the dance, the chill, & the straight-up get-down-and-groove.

Hard to classify, easy to dance to, mamarazzi's unique grooves provide for every serious music lover. Spontaneously combusting in summer '06 under the careless scientific supervision of a group of Wesleyan University Alum (the nonsensical institution that housed Santigold, MGMT, and Dar Williams), the band's unique afro-gypsy-funk sound has been born and born again through daily revivals of its earthly ingredients... The result, like a ripe grapefruit, is that just-right combination of unlikely elements: tart funk, acidic groove, and nectar of ancient lullaby. Members of mamarazzi have toured or performed with Questlove, Fred Wesley, Ali Farka Toure, Wyclef Gordon, and other notable luminaries. Dance, sweat, love, repeat.

Zongo Junction is Brooklyn’s hottest new Afrobeat experience. The ensemble, 13 pieces in total, is comprised of an eight-person rhythm section, five horns, and a vocalist. The band began when Drummer/leader Charles Ferguson returned from Ghana after studying Xylophone for 6 months in the fall of 2008. The core of the band were born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been playing music with each other since a very young age. All members moved to New York after High School to attend music programs at The New School and New York University. Their debut performance at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was a huge success, and resulted in the club asking the band back for a monthly residency. The music of Zongo Junction is a blend between the hard hitting Funk and Afrobeat grooves, coming out of Ghana, Nigeria and Benin in the 60’s and 70’s, and Funk music from the U.S.