The Killer Meters are back! After 3 years without any releases the band drop a "Killer" double 7" on Breakin Bread.
The original Meters hailed from New Orleans and virtually defined funk in the late 60's. The Killer Meters first emerged in 2005 with a stunning album of Meters covers. The Killer Meters tribute album gave more than a nod to the sound of the original band with incredibly dope rhythms and an authentic "swamp" sound and they even arguably improved on some of the classics with some bombastic singing from Karime Kendra. The Karime Kendra tracks from the album received more attention than their instrumentals and she's now a permanent member of the band adding that lead vocalist magic.
The band was originally the brainchild of Virgil Howe aka Sparo who has released his own album on Scenario records and is also known as one of the original DJ's on the legendary London pirate station Itch FM. Virgil and other members of the band also garnered attention for their dope musicianship and most of them have been honing their skills further doing sessions with acts such as Little Barrie, Shawn Lee and The Future Sound Of London to name but a few. After 3 years of heavy gigging the band are back with their own sound. The covers album led to a lot of bookings for the band and they've been playing gigs most weeks up and down the country and all over Europe. Inevitably they've tightened up as a band and developed their own sound over that time and they now have a rockier feel as well as that classic funk sound.
Their new rock edge is to the fore of the first track on the single. "Dance Move Shake" is, as the title suggests, an invitation to shake your ass. Karime really gives it some and the band join in too with an uptempo rhythm stomper overlaid with heavy guitar fuzz. Giving a nod to their roots there is a killer drum break two thirds of the way through the track. Ideal for daytime radio and the nightclubs, this track has it all.
The second track "Black Mountain" is much more of a traditional Killer Meters track bound to keep the funk fans happy. Shawn Lee was called in for production duties on this one and he's made the groove "bass heavy" and incessant. Karime Kendra also features on this one showcasing more of her range over the midtempo rhythm. For added value the double 7" pack contains both vocal versions and instrumentals and is beautifully packaged in a full colour sleeve with illustrations from the Brighton based artist, Sri.