Ultrafunk — Ultrafunk/Meat Heat
The two CD’s come in a slim-line jewel case- this takes in a fittingly eye-catching colour scheme of deep reds, bright yellows & whites. With the set we get a 12-page inlay booklet- this takes in a new five-page write up about the project, their singles, and the two albums. Also featured are pictures of single covers & their labels
Via the booklet, we find out that Ultrafunk where a studio band, who were the brainchildren of bespeckled & portly twenty-year-old white man Gerry Shury from Brixton. Before forming the project he worked as a copyist in a music publisher, and wrote songs- while playing keyboards in various R&B bands at night. Ultrafunk where formed in 1974, and lasted until 1977- releasing a handful relatively well-received singles, and the two albums we have here- 1975’s Ultrafunk, and 1977’s Meat Heat- both albums originally appeared British soul, funk and disco label Contempo, which was formed John Abbey, who had previously in 1966 formed the Blues & Soul Magzine.
So on the first disc, the projects self-titled debut album-this offered up nine mainly instrumental tracks, that severed up a fairly layered & upbeat blend of jiving funk & cheeky disco grooves- with forays into jazz flute tripness, reverb licked almost reggae-like production, and swinging brass embellishment. The album opens with one of the projects most known singles "Kung Fu Man", which featured Mr ‘Superbad’ Freddie Mack on cool, jiving talking & slightly reverb edged vocals- which mainly see him talking about the wisdom, prowess, and powers of the Kung Fu Man- as well as repeating his name a lot. The backing of the track is a tight grooving blend chugging funk guitars, wowing bass, jiving keys, a disco/ funk percussion weave, and the occasional touches of trippy flute work. The albums other eight tracks are really standard instrumental funk/ disco of the period, and while none of them aren't terribly distinctive or very varied- each offers up an effective enough groove, that's filled out with some nice instrumental interplay & soloing. Bonus tracks on this first disc we get a 7inch version of "Kung Fu Man", an instrumental version of the same track, and a track entitled "Funky Al"- which is all strutting keys, jointing swing 'n' funking bass & guitar, weaved with some light & at times sassy hornwork.
Over on the second disc, we have the second album Meat Heat from 1977- this features a fairly risqué & frankly clichéd cover of a half-naked black women holding a cockerel in her hands- clearly suggesting either voodoo or similar. This album takes in five tracks- with album starting with another single “Gotham City Boogie”- and as it’s title suggests it takes swinging horn work of the original Batman theme, weaving into a tight disco almost ethnic tipped groove- which is edged by funkily chugging guitars, jaunting keys, and more layers of swinging horn-work. The other four tracks are fairly varied in pace- as we tight almost oriental chugging guitar work meets tribally funked drums, and snaking horn sway of "Sunrise". Onto the glossy & glittering disco meets sultry yet cheeky horn play of "Temptation", or the twanging & twitching funk guitar meets the swaying horn & spacey synth trails of the title track. On this disc, we just get one bonus track "Indigo Country"- which I’m afraid is just a little indistinctive slice of instrumental disco funk. On the whole, I’d say of the two albums the second is more appealing, as there seems more variation on display- through both albums work well as satisfying funk ‘n’ disco bound background music.
In conclusion, if you're on the look-out, grooving- though- not terrible original funk/ disco that has some effective interplay & soloing going on- I’d say give this double-disc set a look.