Melbourne funk-groove masters, Cookin' On 3 Burners have recruited a couple of Aussie hip hop luminaries in Mantra and Jane Tyrrell for their first release of new music in 2021, the soulful, old-school sounding 'The World Is Cold'.
Recorded and produced by the group (Jake Mason, Dan West, Ivan Khatchoyan) themselves, and mastered by Lachlan Carrick (Gotye, A.B. Original), 'The World Is Cold' came together during the band's longest break from touring in their 24-year history."Through bushfires and a global pandemic, this new 45" has been a long time coming," Cookin' On 3 Burners says.
"We are in love with the lyrical heat that this collab with Mantra and Jane Tyrrell has brought to our sound. Excited to bring this smoking new Burners 7-inch vinyl to the people."
The 7-inch vinyl comes with an instrumental B-side, a soul-funk interpolation of the 1999 Mos Def classic, 'Ms. Fat Booty' – an addictive rework that'll grab the attention of any hip hop, funk or soul music fan.
"We keep it all live and full of vibe in the studio. The Cookin' sound is about the collective funky web and embracing the gaps between the notes. It's all real instruments played by people, recorded on ancient equipment and then given a buff for 2021!"
Here, the group's guitarist Dan West shares five songs that have shaped the sound of Cookin' On 3 Burners.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 'What Have You Done For Me Lately?'
Track two off the Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings 2002 album 'Dap Dippin'' is an absolutely scorching funk version of the '80s Janet Jackson track. It's hard out NO DOUBT! Dope re-arrangement and that amazing Gabe Roth 'sh.tty is pretty' production aesthetic – HOT.As a band, Cookin' On 3 Burners have got big love for throwing in an unexpected cover version and giving it the funky breakbeat treatment. We've done instrumental flips of Gorillaz' 'Feel Good Inc.', Gary Numan's 'Cars' and even Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'.
We also dig pretty hard on the original samples used in lots of '90s and 2000s hip hop too; the B-side of our new single is an instrumental version of a Mos Def classic and we went back to the original Aretha Franklin track it sampled and referenced it in the play-out. Gotta go deep and respect the originators.
The Meters - 'Tippi-Toes' (from the album 'Struttin'')
All of us in the band agree that without New Orleans funk legends The Meters, there would definitely be no Cookin' On 3 Burners. Seriously, this crew is the template – killer part players and also able to rip out some great solos as well. The way the organ, guitar, bass and drums interact and feed off each other is incredible.'Tippi-Toes' has got this crazy chicken pickin' guitar thing that kicks off the track that drops into these super minimal and super tasty heavy duty parts. There's a heavy reference to the second line drumming in the breaks to where you hear drummer Ziggy Modeliste really lay it down.
Whenever I'm feeling a bit tapped out creatively, putting on The Meters gets me feeling GOOD!
The New Mastersounds - 'Nervous feat. The Haggis Horns' (from Keb Darge 'Presents The New Mastersounds')
The New Mastersounds are an awesome four-piece instrumental band straight outta Leeds, UK, putting out deep funk on wax early on and building in a parallel timeline to us.The group was born out of a weekly club night called The Cooker, which was part of a super active funk and soul scene that exploded globally in the late '90s, early 2000s.
'Nervous' is a total banger of a track, a funky dance-floor filler with special guests The Haggis Horns. I picked up a second hand copy of this on 7-inch vinyl when we were on tour in the UK at the London record shop Sounds Of The Universe.
The funk web is TIGHT on this joint with lots of rad syncopation, breakdowns, punchy horn stabs and screaming solos from Bob Birch on Hammond organ and Rob Mitchell on baritone saxophone. All killer no filler!
Richard 'Groove' Holmes - 'Misty' (from the 'Soul Message' album)
Recorded in the mid '60s on the Prestige label, this jazzy and soulful Hammond trio album is a hard-swinging longplayer. His version of jazz standard 'Misty' blew up back in the day taking it from a ballad to a more uptempo number.Like our organ player Jake, Richard 'Groove' Holmes holds down the bass parts with his left hand while playing chords and improvising with the right hand. It's a mindbender!
This record also has heaps of different amazing tones from the Hammond organ, marking its movement from the gospel church environment to a more popular setting.
Like Cookin' On 3 Burners, this record's got the classic organ, drums and guitar line-up and lots of fiery interplay between everyone involved. All live recording to analog tape too – classic, old-school jazzy vibes!
When gigs are happening in Melbourne, there is a fortnightly Hammond organ night at Bar 303 in Northcote which is super intimate and low-key. We'll often play a track off this album in this vibe when we are in session there.
James Brown - 'Funky Drummer'
I'm dedicating this selection to our drummer Ivan 'Choi' Khatchoyan who has been busting out hard-hitting drum breaks since Cookin' On 3 Burners first started.Released in 1970 as a seven-inch single and featuring the AMAZING playing of Clyde Stubblefield, this is another seminal inspiration for creativity. I mean, you know, this break is one of the most sampled beats of all time.
There is so much heat in this whole era of JB tracks and there is nothing superfluous in the musical parts, total balance and the feels are the business. This minimal approach to having all the parts in the right spot and not overplaying is a constant lesson in funky feels and drilling down on your own contribution to supporting a collective sonic good vibe.
It's not the notes, it's the gaps between the notes.
