Galactic - 'From The Corner To The Block' (Anti) Released 10/03/08

New Orleans has always been a musical melting pot, the result of its Creole heritage and diverse mix of European, Latin American and African American cultures. Considered to be the birthplace of Jazz, thanks in part to musical progeny Louis Armstrong, The Big Easy gave way to RnB in the 1950’s, Funk in the 60’s and 70’s and Bounce in the 80’s and 90’s. So it was more by organic design than coincidence that native Funk outfit Galactic should amalgamate their city’s entire musical legacy through their sixth studio album ‘From The Corner To The Block’. But how to do it… simple really, approach a carefully selected group of musicians, ask them to write about a corner, any corner, and collaborate with them. The end result is a gargantuan mish mash of style and substance, perspective and flow, with liner notes that read like a who’s who of pioneering and innovative MC’s and an unmistakably unique phat and phunky sound, the ph being obligatory not optional.

To successfully fuse Funk with Hip-Hop, RnB and Jazz is no mean feat by anyone’s standards, but Galactic seem to have pulled it off with relative ease, through an innate understanding of their own musicality and a deep rooted appreciation of those who feature throughout. The floor filling energy of the album is mapped out through the opening track ‘I Got It (What You Need)’ featuring the complex rhyming techniques of Lyrics Born and continues through ‘Hustle Up’ which features The Coup’s uncompromising self confessed communist Boots Riley. Of course no self respecting American corner or block would be complete without a street as seen from the front step of a porch and that street is brought to life through ‘…And I’m Out’ featuring Mr. Lif, the tense old skool feel of ‘Find My Home’ with Vursatyl and Hip-Hop producer Ohmega Watts, Lateef The Truth Seeker’s slow building vocal in ‘No Way’, Blackalicious MC Gift Of Gab’s heavy rhymes on ‘The Corner’ and ‘Think Back’ which features the instantly recognisable deep grooves of Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na.

The spirit of New Orleans is also honoured through ‘Second And Dryades’ featuring Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of Mardi Gras Indian Tribe the Golden Eagles, bringing to life the atmosphere of the famous Mardi Gras celebrations. The undiluted interludes of ‘Sidewalk Stepper’ and ‘Fanfare’, ‘Bounce Baby’ featuring DJ Z-Trip, ‘From The Corner To The Block’ featuring Juvenile and Soul Rebels Brass Band and ‘Tuff Love’ featuring Trombone Shorty all doff retro funk hats to 1970’s New Orleans and compliment the sound with a 21st Century edge through big ball shaking brass sections alongside electronic effects and layered drums. Taking the edge off the boundless energy is the laid back grooves of Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets) and Nino Moschella in ‘Squarebiz’ and the soulful stylings of Amp Fiddler in ‘I Want Peace’. And there’s another change of direction courtesy of the French , Calypso drenched ‘Lady Luck’ featuring Saian Supa Crew’s Sir Samuel and the electro infused red faced German rapping of Dendemann in ‘Valley Of Pain’.

By definition, every corner of every block forms a junction where two paths meet and Galactic have embraced that philosophy by taking two styles of music and bringing them together head on. On paper ‘From The Corner To The Block’ probably shouldn’t work or at least not as well as it does, but in reality its phucking phantastic (again obligatory ph applies).