Ikebe Shakedown is an instrumental soul band from Brooklyn, NY. The group is named after a favorite Nigerian boogie record (and pronounced “ee-KAY-bay”), and consists of Barnaby Alter (drums), Dave Bourla (percussion), Michael Buckley (saxophone), Vincent Chiarito (bass), Jason Colby (trumpet), Nadav Nirenberg (trombone), and Robin Schmidt (guitar). Most of the rhythm section met at Bard College, and the band rounded-out and officially formed when everyone settled in Brooklyn in 2008. From there, Ikebe has emerged as a compelling voice on the progressive local scene. After a run of dates around NYC, the band recorded their debut 7” single and the EP, Hard Steppin’, which was released on Colemine Records in 2009, receiving high praise from critics and fans alike. The group was invited to record at Dunham Studios with producer Tom Brenneck and at Killion Sound in Los Angeles, home of engineer Sergio Rios of fellow Ubiquity act, Orgone. “The studios share a lot of similarities — the tracks were all cut live to tape with minimal use of headphones and overdubs. This basic approach allowed us to dig in and really focus on getting dynamic performances,” Chiarito explains. The old school mentality to recording spills over in lush, laid-back, and soulful funk joints like “Kumasi Walk” and “No Name Bar,” where the multi-layered horn section plays off a cavernous backing track of slick drumming, spacey Hammond organ, and nimble guitar riffing. The cinematic soul sound is warm and deep, with the 7-piece band sounding more like a larger ensemble as increasing layers leap from the tape. At the other end of the BPM counter, on “Tunjunga,” the band build a gritty African disco jam boasting a floor-filling percussion section, adding seductive guitar licks and an irresistible bass-line to set the horns ablaze. “Tame The Beats” is pure fire — bold melodies and heavy rhythms propel the song, with Meters-esque breakdowns providing only brief respite from the action.
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