Friday Funk: Matt Dickey

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Words By Karen Dugan (Tiny Rager)

Welcome to Friday Funk!!! In my humble opinion, there is no better way to end the week or start the weekend then with powerful music fueled by funk-filled vibes. It gets the blood pumping and the hips shakin’! Through this column, I look forward to sharing with you all things funk...

As my first installment of "Friday Funk" is landing on Christmas, I wanted to perhaps focus on a seasonal release. I was set to suggest George Porter’s newest CD release: Christmas In New Orleans "A Tribute to My Mother". Don’t get me wrong, you should take a lovely listen to this cd as George has truly invited us into his heart with this release, basing it on the fact that he almost lost his mother a few years back and she has always wanted him to do a Christmas CD. However, I have continually been pulled back to a newly released cd that came my way a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to turn off.

Brooklyn guitarist/composer/arranger Matt Dickey has taken his time, four years to be exact, in creating an original instrumental CD that combines the spirit of afrobeat, funk and fusion jazz producing an overwhelming sound that almost seems to produce a big-band feeling with his 9-piece band backing him. And he did it all within the confines of his own home.

Taking his time paid off for Matt as he has created a beautiful arrangement of songs with focus on showcasing the beauty of individual instruments as well touching on the various styles of music that skirt around the funk genre. The first song begins with Matt introducing his fingers/guitar to our ears and within a measure the funky horns and bass join. The funk ignites throughout the album but at times the songs become slower an more contemplative, even incorporating elements such as electronica and hip-hop. Featuring some of NYC’s best session artists, you may recognize names such as Adam Deitch (Lettuce) and Borham Lee (BreakScience) found performing on various tracks.

Matt Dickey is an artist who is meticulous in his work and yet at the same time can break out into incredibly obscure jams, challenging the borders of musical genre in every song. I encourage you all to take a listen and buy the cd ($9.99). It’s worth every penny.

mattdickey.bandcamp.com

www.tinyrager.com

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