Leeds afrobeat, devil funk and cosmic jazz 10-piece Mansion of Snakes are back, delivering their first single 'Concrete Money' from their upcoming debut LP M.O.S. through Hyde Park Book Club Records.
After releasing their eponymous EP back in March 2017 and a 7" single 'Mating Season' on Leeds label Come Play With Me in April 2018, Mansion of Snakes have been hard at work recording at Sundown Studios and this single is a perfect statement of what is to come from their album. Inspired by the gentrification of Deptford South East, the group harness their afrobeat and deep-jazz sound with the angular funk of New York's Talking Heads and ESG - this allows the fluid pulsating rhythm to drive the group as Vanessa Rani provides the impassioned social commentary.
The tight rhythm section of the group provides a natural grooving tempo synonymous with their live shows which are always spectacularly dynamic and bouncy, and this is complimented by the sharp, focused horns section. Matías Reed and Ben Riches on the guitars feature particularly impressively as their solos perfectly bridge the chorus to the breakdown for an inevitable build up of even more energy and passion. Rani's performance addresses those 'pushed out to the corners' and 'living [in] innocence, struggling to survive' as she highlights the social injustice to create a punchy and powerful anthem. Their infectious sound is clearly influenced by the afrobeat of Fela Kuti and cosmic sounds of Funkadelic, and they justify even more exposure than they have done already through BBC 6 Music, Worldwide FM and BBC Introducing.
After two seasons of festival shows at Shambala, Green Man Festival, Kendal Calling, Beatherder, Solfest and Smugglers Festival and touring around venues away from home in Bristol, Sheffield and London, the group will release their album on 1st November 2019, with a launch party accompanying it. Joining them are fellow Leeds jazz outfit Jasmine and the Soul Rebels DJs as they perform at Brudenell Social Club (link below). Album pre-orders are available through Bandcamp, and the group have already given us a taster of more to come through releasing a live session of their track 'Boom For Real' which will be on their debut album.
Welcome back Mansion of Snakes!
Mansion Of Snakes (LP Launch) / Jasmine / Soul Rebels DJs
Mansion of Snakes are: Vanessa Rani - vocals and percussion / Jack Davis - trumpet and percussion / Greg Cain - tenor saxophone / Ben Powling - tenor saxophone and flute / Anna Chandler - baritone saxophone / Matías Reed – guitar / Ben Riches - guitar / Matthew Aplin - keys / Sam Dutton-Taylor – bass / Charlie Grimwood - drums and percussion.
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