For their second release, Pangea International Recording Co. is proud to present two classics from Plainfield, New Jersey’s legendary Funkadelic redone as newly funkified Samba renditions. From the minds of producers Dan Ubick and Bobby Easton comes Os Zabelês featuring members of Fishbone, Parliament-Funkadelic/James Brown, The Keystones, Orgone/Say She She, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Mariachi El Bronx, Delta Nove, and others. In the vein of Jorge Ben’s famed Africa Brazil LP, we get to hear these well-loved songs re-imagined and refreshed by a true supergroup of musicians from Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, and Los Angeles.
Side A features “If You Don’t Like The Effects, Don’t Produce the Cause” from Funkadelic’s 1972’s masterpiece America Eats Its Young LP, getting the full samba treatment here by Os Zabelês with co-lead vocals by Diana Purim (Eyedentity, daughter of Flora & Airto) and Destani Wolf (Night Owls, The Pharcyde, Bobby McFerrin). Complete with multi-instrumentalist Bobby Easton’s surdo, cuíca, pandeiro & repinique adding Brazilian dimension to Oliver Charles’ funky drums, cavaquinho, and violão replacing the electric guitars of the original and Fishbone’s Norwood Fisher channeling the low end, rubber band-like bass of Prakash John.
Side B’s “Back In Our Minds,” originally on Funkadelic’s 1971 epic Maggot Brain LP, get a samba re-vamp here, again featuring Diana Purim & Destani Wolf in addition to the technicolor harmonies of sisters Kanami & Emina singing half in Portuguese and half in English. The original’s “flexitone” percussion sound is replaced here by Brazil’s equally distinctive cuíca played by Bobby Easton, but more importantly, Os Zabelês are so grateful to have the one-and-only Fred Wesley from Parliament-Funkadelic and James Brown’s band laying his ever funky trombone in the mix! “Hit me, Fred!”
“If You Don’t Like the Effects, Don’t Produce the Cause” b/w “Back In Our Minds”
Performed by Os Zabelês
Originally recorded by Funkadelic
Produced by Dan Ubick and Bobby Easton for DanUbe Productions
Recorded at Lions Den Studios and Fuzzy Sound Lab Studios.
Mixed by Dan Ubick with Bobby Easton.
Destani Wolf: vocals
Diana Purim: vocals
Kanami & Emina: backing vocals
Oliver Charles: drum set
Norwood Fisher: bass
Dan Hastie: piano & Hohner Clavinet
Rebecca Schlappich Charles: strings
Bobby Easton: cavaquinho, surdo, cuíca, melodica, pandeiro & repinique
Dan Ubick: violão, electric guitar
Fred Wesley: trombone
