Taking listeners on a colorful journey full of relentless groove and top tier musicianship, Synthonic has released their second album, Lampin‘.
Independently produced and written by professional UK jazz pianist Kieron Garrett, the epic project that is Synthonic features a who’s who of other stellar UK performers, including Vasilis Xenopoulos, widely recognized in the jazz scene, and Jack Birchwood, who has played on many pop songs and in the band Blackjack Horns.
Lampin’ offers a dynamic collection of instrumental songs, save for a few simple vocal samples used here and there, but the focus is undoubtedly on the chemistry of these incredible technical musicians.
The album kicks off with the banger “All Day, Every Day,” an electric burst of playful swirling synths and one hell of a funky psychedelic groove. Though the tone is powerful, the tempo sits steadily on meditative ground. The horns dance with each other, talking back and forth, while the saxophone becomes almost a vocal quality in this jam.
“Chameleons” follows, delivering a different dynamic from the other songs on the album. The rhythmic complexity and change in tempo with the keys keep you engaged and on your toes; you may never know what the next rhythmic section has to offer the listeners’ ears. This song highlights Garrett’s piano skill set, rhythmically and in the production quality and tone he adds as a touch of spice.
The fifth track, “Big Fat Funk!,” drives in with a vintage funkadelic whining guitar that hits with all the seductive in your face feels. Listeners can easily get swept up in this groovy number, as it shifts from a lot of juice and jam to more laid-back and mellow energy around the two-minute mark. The funk turns more atmospheric and psychedelic, with the bridge having a calm before the storm effect, as it soon reverts back to the primary groove, creating a fun full circle moment. The talents of Jeremy Dunning are featured on this track among others on the album.
The title track, “Lampin,” combines all the qualities and sounds the listeners have heard throughout the album. It has a revolving door element; the song grows and expands with the band’s slurred crescendo tone. The music is mind-bending and rounds in Garrett’s hard work on the sound he has created, which is expansive and kaleidoscopic.
Garrett was classically trained on both the piano and the tuba from the age of seven, and played in various orchestras and ensembles for many years before eventually undertaking a music performance degree at Kingston University. He’s played in numerous bands over the years, with Synthonic forming in 2018. The group had their album release show at the Sidmouth International Jazz Festival yesterday, May 24th.
If you long for the days of George Clinton, Parliament, and the like, let your ears take a trippy trip down Synthonic lane. The groove lives heavy within Lampin’.
