Formed in the early ’90s when guitarist Jeff Raines and bassist Robert Mercurio relocated from Washington DC to the Big Easy, they decided to form a band that absorbed their new hometown sound.

Now signed to the Anti-, home of such disparate talents as Tom Waits, Jolie Holland, Michael Franti, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Cadence Weapon and Rogue’s Gallery , the release of From The Corner To The Block features some of our favourite MC’s.

The whole ‘concept’ was to get collaborators to think of important corners/street intersections to rap about and they got Quannum’s Lyrics Born, Gift Of The Gab & Lateef the Truth Speaker, Ubiquity’s Ohmega Watts, Mr Lif, Digable Planets’ Ladybug Mecca, Juvenile and many more. Not only that, the Coup’s Boots Riley and Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na will be their special guests at the Jazz Café, London when they come over to promote the album.

If you don’t like mixing your bayou funk with blues rock or conscious hip-hop with your brass band or even your breaks and soul, this is unlikely to be the album for you. That said, this group were already known for mixing up the old and the new on their previous six albums, so fans will not be too surprised; after all, Dan ‘The Automator’ Nakamura (he of the original Dr. Octagon) produced their 2003 Ruckus album.

UK date: GALACTIC featuring Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) & Boots Riley (The Coup), Jazz Cafe
Thursday 6th March, Doors 7pm £20 advance www.jazzcafe.co.uk
Jeff Raines (guitar)
Rich Vogel (Hammond B3 organ and keyboards)
Ben Ellman (saxophone/harp)
Robert Mercurio (bass)
Stanton Moore (drums)

Reviewed: Galactic - From The Corner To The Block (Anti-) Cat. No: 86889-2 Release date: 10 March 2008
Tracklisting:
1 What You Need (3:52) featuring Lyrics Born
2 …And I’m Out (3:29) featuring Mr. Lif
3 The Corner (2:58) featuring The Gift Of Gab
4 Second And Dryades (2:44) featuring Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
5 Think Back (3:56) featuring Chali 2na
6 Bounce Baby (3:08) featuring Z-Trip
7 Hustle Up (3:31) featuring - Boots Riley
8 Sidewalk Stepper (1:13)
9 From The Corner To The Block (3:19) featuring Juvenile & the Soul Rebels Brass Band
10 Squarebiz (3:23) featuring - Ladybug Mecca & Nino Moschella
11 Tuff Love (5:08) featuring Trombone Shorty
12 No Way (3:26) featuring Lateef The Truth Speaker
13 Fanfare (1:22)
14 Find My Home (4:01) featuring Ohmega Watts & Vursatyl

Links
www.galacticfunk.com
www.myspace.com/galatic
www.anti.com
www.myspace.com/antimyspace
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans
Metro Life 26th February, 2008: On My Ipod Guy Garvey (Elbow): Jolie Holland - ‘Alley Flowers’ “I’m absolutely stuck on Jolie Holland. This is totally gorgeous and utterly charming track, I definitely think it will be remembered for years to come”.