The Ruffcats - The Essence vol 2.

If you think Germans can't do a great job in funk, you were mislead. It’s high time for you to know the following name: The Ruffcats.
I mean, if you prefer listenting to real funk music with a lot of hammond and trumpet with tight drums (like The Bamboos [AUS], The Haggis Horns [AUS], The Qualitons [HUN], Dokkerman [HUN]).

I found The Ruffcats on the website of MeltingPot Records which is a German – mostly – hiphop label. (MPR released The BeatPower, a compilation album I wrote on the blog before and they are responsible for Suffy Daddy’s albums too). In this case there isn’t any hiphop but funk music presented by a band. Melting Pot defined The Ruffcats as the best live bands in Germany nowadays. You can order their vinyl and/or digital releases but from some reason they made their The Essence vol.2. album free so you can download it. And by clicking the picture below, you can listen to this album:

I really like those tracks that are sort of skits or just short practices (Und, Dann) because these songs are the most creative parts of the album. You can get uptempo funk music (Ritalin Kid, Betty’s Babies) and also some chilly beach psychedelic funk (Seven of Five). Junkyard Dog starts like a funeral ceremony and then it is evolving more like Tom Waits ballade or a Tarantino-movie soundtrack.

If you want more, follow these guys on SoundCloud or on Facebook.

Jefe