The Du-Rites
Plug It In
Old Maid Entertainment/ Ilegalia Records
Buy via Bandcamp | Listen Below
Being massively funky is standard operating procedure for The Du-Rites. With seven albums in as many years, the duo of Jay “J-Zone” Mumford and Pablo Martin have a commitment to their crafts and the chemistry to create excellent music. Their seventh album Plug It In is another jewel in an increasingly impressive crown.
Part of the Du-Rites’ success comes from J-Zone and Martin figuring out a pretty solid division of labor. Zone does serious work on the drums, while Martin plays guitar and bass, and both put in work on the keys. At this point, the Du-Rites are a well-oiled funk machine. The duo know their strengths, but their music is never stagnant. They don’t sleep-walk through Plug It In, taking their music to interesting places and frequently offering something you’ve never heard from them before.
The album-opening “Can I Get Into It?” is a brief, high-energy, JBs-esque soul explosion, as J-Zone provides an amped drum performance, while literally blowing the whistle. Zone and Martin interpose dueling keyboard grooves, with the bass, synth and organ complementing each other well. Martin impressively does triple duty on the album’s title track, playing guitar, bass, and Monotron, as Zone cackles through his reverb heavy ad-libs. Zone breaks out the kalimba on “Tripwire,” balancing the trilling, fuzzy synths, while still giving air for Martin’s gritty guitar solo.
If the duo’s decision to release a project each year has any drawbacks, it’s that the Du-Rites almost always put out their material in the midst of fall or early winter. Which means listeners have to wait six to nine months before they can play ideal summer music in the right setting. “Bay B. MoMa,” Plug It In’s first single, is made to be bumped out the speakers of a drop-top Caddy, during a warm summer day or evening, as it rolls down the block. Fittingly, J-Zone again slips into the role of Brougham Fred, spilling molasses-like vocals over a heavy, creeping funk track. Martin also makes a rare appearance on the mic, singing through a vocoder.
“Hole In The Wall” is a two-part jazz fusion suite, and the duo’s best foray in the genre. Though guest artist Tre D’Ambrocia shines playing the vibraphone, Zone’s drum work is amazing as well, keeping things deep in the pocket. Zone later does superlative work on “Du-Bo,” keeping the beat with the precision of a Swiss watch, while also expertly contributing percussion work. Overall, the song is Plug It In’s most sonically dense entry. “Asbestos” is another wickedly funky entry, as Martin contributes a blistering performance on the organ, its tones drenched in distortion and reverb.
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Soloist Marianna D’Ama reappears on “Tioli.” The soloist first worked with the group on their Pressure EP (2021). Here, her vocals—sung in Italian—are almost a ghostly whisper. Longtime Beastie Boys’ keyboardist Money Mark is featured prominently on the album-closing “Funk Monk,” his intricate work flowing in layers throughout the song. Still, Zone shines the brightest, starting things off with an extended drum solo, and delivering complex percussion.
The Du-Rites could have easily been a one-off affair. Zone and Martin could have stuck to doing occasional session work and focused most of their energy on working as a rapper/producer and engineer respectively. Instead, both dedicated their focus to the group and have given us a discography that is beginning to rival some of the all-time greats. Seven years in, and the pair has become one of the best and most consistent instrumental soul/funk groups of the 21st century.
Notable Tracks: “Asbestos” | “Funk Monk” | “Hole In The Wall” | “Tripwire”
BUY Plug It In via Bandcamp
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