The Menahan Street Band
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 by Julijasoul // funk
Lead by multi-talended producer Thomas Brenneck, The Menahan Street Band offers a solid blend of instrumental funk, late sixties sounding soul, latin grooves and afrobeat. Back in 2007, long before the group’s debut album, the Brooklyn based ensemble drew attention for their outstanding “Make The Road By Walking” track, which was sampled for the ubiquitous Jay-Z’s hit “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)”. “Home Again!”, a mid-tempo composition from the recently released Menahan album embodies warm guitar melodies and tightly structured horn arrangements.Entirely instrumental soulful goodness.
The Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking
The Menahan Street Band – Home Again!
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Last summer I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Stockholm, Sweden. The music scene is incredibly active there, but if you go expecting to see some DJs or global acts you know, you might be a bit surprised; the country produces so much music that it’s pretty self-sustaining. Amanda Jenssen emerged out of their Idol 2007 competition and just scored a #1 spot on the charts with this track, and yet, there’s hardly any coverage outside of Scandinavia. The chorus has an obvious pop sensibility, but her soul-driven vibe (think: Amy Winehouse) is showcased in the verses. (Thx, Christofer!)
I spent Saturday night in NYC watching the final performance of 
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I hate to be a label fanboy, but Brighton-based 
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Gilles Peterson would be proud of me. 
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