Of Cave Funk, Mysteries, and Ninjas

A few months back, I stumbled upon a contradictory, semi-coherent (and utterly fascinating) podcast from Aquarium Drunkard featuring "representatives" of one Clutchy Hopkins. Depending on whom you choose to believe, Clutchy is either turntablist/producer Cut Chemist's outlet for groove experimentation, a collaboration of beatmakers and musicians from SF-based Ubiquity Records, or a man who traveled the globe recording world funk musicians after training with ninjas and living in the deserts of the American southwest. (This last one, especially, is just too great of a theory for me not to want to believe in.)

It has certainly been a clever marketing ploy to keep the blogoshpere tossing around theories and obsessing over the identity of the artist. But buzz can only do so much and, thankfully, the music--whoever is responsible for creating it--is worth paying attention to. The three guesses above are only a sampling of the many floating about, but they do provide a clue about the kind of music that Clutchy puts out on his new release, "Walking Backwards". Think DJ Shadow performing in a cave with records replaced by live instruments or a late 70's groove session informed by hip-hop's willingness to borrow disparate sounds in the service of dopeness.

From Clutchy Hopkins' "Walking Backward"::

3rd Element

Alla Oscar

If you want to try to wrap your head around the podcast mentioned above go here.

For further nonsensical info and video go here.

Buy "Walking Backwards" at iTunes.