Not only that, they’ve got some of my favourites on the remix desk for a 12” following on from the ‘Walk Into My World’ 45 that came out late last year on the Peddler label. I said to myself then, “looks like the punks of soul-funk have grown up”.

In Dom Servini’s review in Straight No Chaser of ‘Walk Into My World’ he said, “Forget everything you thought you knew about The Baker Brothers.” Do you think people have put you in a pigeonhole when they think about the band?
No, people are generally quite unassuming, people tap in at different times to the music, we just do what we do and people can think what they like. We have got a strong reputation in the Brit-funk scene but don’t fully fit in with bands like New Master Sounds and Speedometer. I feel our music has a different identity to that sound. It was another stroke working with US beat poet/singer Nathan Johnson on the ‘Ten Paces’ EP Remix (check, ‘Don’t Turn Your Back’). Anyone who truly follows us will see a steady evolution. ‘Walk Into My World’ is another different stroke, a different direction but hey, we don’t want to just churn out the same old thing. I think Dom’s review is wholly positive!

Do you think it was time for the change?
Anyone who stays still for too long starts slipping backwards. All of us in the band have been brought up loving good ‘songs’. I think we just wanted to push ourselves. Doing the funk instrumentals has been fun, but we want more from music at this point.

Like Little Barrie?
Who said that? If people compare us to a great band, that’s nice.

How did the link up with Vanessa Freeman come about?
I met her on a church weekend away. Her old manager Russ Jones is a good mate. We made friends and enjoyed making music together. Vanessa and I wrote a whole album before we started pushing The Baker Brothers, so the single (and forthcoming album) have been a long time in the coming and I’m so glad to get this tune out.

She’s done loads of vocals tracks, what’s your favourite of hers
I love the ‘The Brightness of these Days’ that she did with Kyoto Jazz Massive and the jazz tune on Nathan Haines’Sound Travels album. Oh! Sweet melody.

The remix 12” is coming out soon, who have you got lined up?
We’ve got Domu on the broken beats, Trevor Loveys on a housey mix, Nostalgia 77 on a dub mix and Dr Rubberfunk on, like, a swinging hip hop mix. [The 12” is in fact out now, see below for details]

Following the release of In with the Out Crowd Chris spent the end of 2005 in the US on tour with a band called The Cinematic Underground whose “creative mastermind is” The Baker Brother’s poet in residence, Nathan Johnson. As Chris is now back in the UK, in addition to his recording duties, he’s back on the decks at his regular DJ gigs including the residency in Bournemouth at The Consortium and at FishSeeksBicycle events (see below links).

If the album is anything near as good as ‘Walk Into My World’, WOW!

Reviewed: The Baker Brothers - Walk Into My World (The Remixes) (Peddler) Cat. No. PDLR004 12”
Tracklisting:
A1. Walk Into My World (Domu Remix)
A2. Walk Into My World (Nostalgia 77 Remix)
B1. Walk Into My World (Trevor Loveys & Chris Pedley Remix)
B2. Walk Into My World (Dr. Rubberfunk Remix)

The Baker Brothers - Walk Into My World feat. Vanessa Freeman / Ponky Wockett’s Revenge (Peddler) Cat. No. PDLR003 7”

Links:
The Baker Brothers www.thebakerbrothers.com
The Cinematic Underground.com www.thecinematicunderground.com
TSUNAMI BENEFIT GIG Feat: THE BAYS/Chris Pedly
FishSeeksBicycle – Feb Freak Out 18th February @ The Opera House, Bournemouth
www.fishseeksbicycle
http://kyotojazzmassive.com @ MySpace www.myspace.com/kyotojazzmassive
Dr. Rubberfunk www.rubberfunk.net
The Consortium www.consortium-uk.com