I first heard about Sonic Soul through the website soundcloud.com around about a year ago and I was instantly taken in by their sound. On my latest visit to their page, I was overjoyed to see they had managed to get this 7 track ep released. Needless to say I bought it right away.
The day glo ep is definitely proof that the disco genre is certainly not dead, but to pigeon hole Sonic Soul's work on this collection to just one genre would be unfair.
The ep starts with the daft punk-esque '321',which is (in my humble opinion) a mid tempo funk colossus of a tune. Right away, you are transported into a world of 80's funk with a little hint of French Touch, provided by some nifty talk box work.
'321' is then followed by 'Shine Like Stars'. This tune is very reminiscent of the late 80/early 90's house era. A beautifully performed, gospel style female vocal which has been craftily propped up by some super hi fidelity synth work.
'Green Light' is next and by this time, you find yourself thinking "how funky can these guys get?"
Well... Imagine if you will a Chromeo track having a wrestling match with Parliament Funkadelic and you pretty much have the answer...Damn funky indeed!
The next song is a real hidden gem of the ep. 'How Long' without doubt has it's roots firmly set in the 1980's soul side of things. A real simple groove, played with such integrity. The bass line is so fat and hypnotic I can guarantee you will fall in love with this one straight away.
'You Were The One' follows, the luscious sounding filter at the beginning blossoms into a very unique sounding house track, with some touching sentiments lyrically. I'm reminded of the 80's when I put this one on but with a very modern edge.
The penultimate track, is an old skool mix of 'Shine Like Stars'. Which I presume is featured on the ep as a bonus track. This has a totally different feel to the original mix. It has more of a 'band' sound and really does well to show a different side of Sonic Soul's knowledge of the funk genre in general.
Another bonus track comes in the form of 'Electro Electricity'. This is a really fun track that is sure to bring a smile to your face as the lyrics boast 'Sonic Soul is in control' and that they are 'funky renegades'...Well I'm not going to argue with that at all!
To sum things up, this is a great ep to buy for any funk or disco fan. In fact, I cannot recommend it enough. It's just the breath of fresh air that is needed in the world of music today, not only in funk but pop music too.
I predict big things for this band in the future and hope to hear some new stuff real soon! Definitely one for the groovers!