Recommendations of the Editorial team
“Black Butterfly” effortlessly proves that Brooklyn Funk Essentials have lost none of their energy and ingenuity since their formation in 1993.
The mix of alternative R&B and smooth jazz, which, according to founding member Lati Kronlund, is the soundtrack for a dream, ignites immediately.
The song is one of four precursors (including a funk cover of the Talking Heads classic “Life During Wartime”) for the new and eighth BFE album, which is also called “Black Butterfly” and will be released on Friday (May 15th).
Even if the raw, playful energy invites you to simply let the collective’s music wash over you, it’s worth the deepening. Because the music collective works to break down all genre barriers.
An association of poets, singers, DJs and musicians, founded by producers Arthur Baker and Lati Kronlund, the group has reinvented itself with every album. Lead singer Alison Limerick has been shaping the sound of Brooklyn Funk Essentials for just over ten years. At their side are Desmond Foster, who also plays guitar, Hux Nettermalm on drums, Kronlund on bass and Kristoffer Wallman on keyboards. The brass section is led by trombonist Ebba Åsman.
Anyone who has ever been to a live performance by the band knows that the hybrid of R&B, soul, jazz and blues can get even a couch potato dancing. Brooklyn Funk Essentials follow an organic approach and almost completely forego technology. About the new LP, the successor to the pulsating “Intuition” (2023), the label says: “Recorded live in the studio, the outstanding musicians on ‘Black Butterfly’ explore a wealth of multi-rhythms, analog instruments, funky jams and winning arrangements. Brooklyn Funk Essentials once again deliver a journey full of songs within a lyrical framework of love, respect, inclusion, hope and dreams.”
Brooklyn Funk Essentials: Black Butterly – Tracklist
1. 77 Blackout
2. Bust The Bust Stop
3. Never Give Up
4. Voodoo Gates
5. Come Back 4 Real Love
6. Shameless
7. Life During Wartime
8. The Girl From Outer Space
9. Black Butterfly
