Hey Mister! The Fantastics!

• 1 Hey Mister! 03:55
• 2 Hey Mister! (Art of Tones Extended Remix) 05:32
• 3 Hey Mister! (Instrumental) 03:55
• 4 Hey Mister! (Art of Tones Remix) 03:50
• Total Runtime 17:12

Info for Hey Mister!

According to Wikipedia 'Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960's when African-American musicians created a rhythmic, dance-able new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues'. That's a somewhat dry and academic description of one of the most influential of music genres of all time. Funk, whilst utilising jazz chords, and often incorporating latin rhythms is a fundamentally emotional and uncomplicated music - technical prowess taking a back seat to feel, guts and soulful expression.

Funk has been a major part of Freestyle Records DNA since the labels inception, and not only has Freestyle fostered many of the groups who revived the genre such as Speedometer and The Sound Stylistics, but also been lucky enough to release music by some of the artists rooted in the genre back in it's original heyday, Fred Wesley, Robert Moore, and of course James Brown's longest serving vocalist Martha High among others.

This selection pulls together some of Freestyle Records most renowned funky hard hitters, and stirs into the mix some slept on deep funk grooves from right around the planet - Australia's grittiest combo Deep Street Soul, London's The Fantastics!, the soundtrack inspired big band funk of The Andy Tolman Cartel, Tel Aviv's The Apples, UK super group The Perceptions, American legends Soulive and a whole host of other artists and musicians who all display their absolute mastery of The One!

The Fantastics!

The Fantastics!
Since their inception in 2003, The Fantastics have used funk and soul-jazz as a springboard to marinade their music in other styles and flavours including afrobeat, rhythm & blues, rock, disco, latin and reggae. It was an approach that worked as everybody from BBC London’s Robert Elms, Radio 2’s Mark Lamarr, Jazz FM’s Peter Young, 6 Music’s Craig Charles, and DJ legend Dr Bob Jones all loved and supported the group’s significantly different approach to many other contemporary bands. For The Fantastics themselves, probably the greatest ever accolade came when drumming legend Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie came into their dressing room at London’s Jazz Cafe to jokingly ‘apologise’ for jumping up onstage with no warning to jam along when they supported him saying “I hope you guys didn’t mind, you sounded so sweet – I couldn’t help myself!” ​

Other artists who have felt the same way include UK soul belter Noel McKoy who sang on the first album ‘Mighty Righteous’, Blue Note organist Reuben Wilson who selected The Fantastics to back him at The Saint Paul Soul Jazz Festival in France and of course, the Yorkshire born Sulene Fleming – the closest thing Britain has to Chaka Khan who appeared on 2011’s ‘All The People’ album and as special featured vocalist at their sell out shows at The Jazz Cafe, The Hideaway, Pizza Express Jazz Club, Band On The Wall and other club and festival stages across Europe.

This album contains no booklet.