The Mighty Mocambos dig into a new soundscape on their new album ‘A Higher Frequency’, with 10 tracks bursting with positive energy and power, rooted in a universal funk groove with excursions into many colourful branches like outernational, cinematic, soulful jazz, psychedelic & disco.

Germany’s iconic deep funk collective The Mighty Mocambos‘ brand new album A Higher Frequency was recorded with a nine-piece live to tape at the legendary MPS studio in the Black Forest. The album is full of spiritual grooves, soulful themes, loose funkiness and organic interplay, captured with state-of-the-art 1960s gear in a super-vibey room – but the title A Higher Frequency is not just about the pristine analogue sound quality of the recording, it is also a reference to a trancendant wavelength where minds meet and music connects.

Together with long-time friends and collaborators Daniel Kimaz on flute and Guillame Métenier, who worked his magic on the studio’s historic Bösendörfer grand piano and Hammond organ, the group spent a week in the Black Forest, with full focus on the mission to capture the live energy and togetherness of the ensemble, adding an airy, jazzy flavour to their trademark raw and breaks-heavy funk.

The common thread is a propulsive, driving-forward feel: “Open The Gate” welcomes us with hard-hitting breakbeats and dramatic crime brass, followed by the cool groovin’ piano-led soul jazz of “Get Loose”, while “Spinning” takes us on a ride through cinematic horn choruses and folky-psych flute and guitars.

“Back And Better” is singer Nichola Richards‘ time to shine, laying her sweet vocals over the sparse hiphop-infused soul beat to tell a comeback story. While “Sweet Company” is a lighthearted uptempo tune inspired by TV and library themes of the 1960s.

The swampy groove of “Sparks Of Joy” best reflects the fun of the band playing together and “Phantom Power” combines a trademark Mocambo breakin’ theme with an unusual instrument, an electric phin from Thailand – a nod to the many so-called world music & jazz recordings that the MPS studio gave birth to.

On “Can’t Stop This Fire”, soul singer Carlton Jumel Smith from New York City takes over the mic as a special guest and brings the house down with a heavy funk delivery, “When We Roll” builds another highlight where bouncy drums play off disco-jazz horn themes and finally, the gospel-flavoured cine-soul epic “Homebound” drives it all home.

Need we say it? The Mighty Mocambos have been a force to be reckoned with in funk for over 15 years now…and they’re nowhere near done!