Live Your Best Dream | CD | Redtenbacher's Funkestra

Product notes

LIVE YOUR BEST DREAM — THE FUNKESTRA WITHOUT ITS HORN ARMOUR After several years working as the house band for the Masterlink Sessions, Redtenbacher’s Funkestra returned to a full album of original instrumental music with Live Your Best Dream. Rather than follow the enormous international cast and expanded horn sections of Big Funk Band with something even larger, Stefan Redtenbacher took the music in the opposite direction. The customary brass architecture was removed, leaving bass, drums, percussion, guitars and keyboards to carry the arrangements. Hammond organ, Rhodes, Wurlitzer and acoustic piano sit alongside four very different guitarists: Carter Arrington, Tony Remy, Mike Outram and Scott McKeon. The result draws on the conversational character of groups such as Stuff and the Crusaders without attempting to recreate the 1970s behind glass. At the centre is the long-standing rhythm partnership of Stefan Redtenbacher and Mike Sturgis, joined across the album by percussionists Karl Vanden Bossche and Fergus Gerrand. The personnel changes from track to track, but the album retains the identity of one band rather than feeling like a collection of unrelated sessions. LISTENING Live Your Best Dream by Funkestra THE MUSIC The album opens with “Carol,” dedicated to legendary studio bassist Carol Kaye. Carter Arrington and Scott McKeon share the guitars, with Ross Stanley on Hammond organ. The title track reduces the band even further to guitar, bass, drums and percussion. With no keyboards or horns to soften the edges, Carter Arrington and Stefan Redtenbacher are given considerable room to stretch. “Mr W Chills,” co-written with Tony Remy, introduces a string section with a distinctly mid-1970s Philadelphia disposition. “Cat Herder Scuffle” leans towards blues, while “Ghostfish” slows the pulse before “Jonky” returns to a longer and heavier groove. “Get It” brings in a New Orleans feel and Joe Glossop’s Hammond organ. “Soul Crusade” and “Shinrin-Yoku” place Ross Stanley’s piano and organ at the centre, while the seven-minute “Hot Jam” gives Carter Arrington, Tony Remy and Stevie Watts enough space to justify the title. The closing “Ghostfish MkII (The Deep Dive)” revisits the album’s most relaxed composition from another angle. Apparently one Ghostfish was not sufficient. ITS PLACE IN THE FUNKESTRA CATALOGUE Live Your Best Dream is an important hinge record in the Redtenbacher’s Funkestra catalogue. It follows the large-scale ambition of Big Funk Band but brings the music back to the interaction of a compact rhythm section, guitarists and keyboard players. It also carries the live-in-the-studio character developed through the Masterlink Sessions into a complete album of original Funkestra compositions. Carter Arrington appears throughout much of the record, making this the clearest early album-length document of the musical partnership that continued through FUNKOPIA, “Truffle Shuffle” and the forthcoming The Exchange. Where Dr Hypenstein is compact, bass-centred and electronically detailed, and The Hang captures an open six-piece band playing live, Live Your Best Dream is leaner, guitar-led and shaped by everything the Funkestra absorbed while working with other artists. PRESS AND SPOTIFY EDITORIAL SUPPORT Broadcaster George Graham praised the album’s melodic and harmonic detail, high level of musicianship and consistency despite its changing personnel. He described the writing as “a cut above most funk revival groups” and also singled out the punchy, natural sound of the recording. The album received Spotify editorial support across four playlists: “Live Your Best Dream” — Jazz Funk “Live Your Best Dream” — State of Jazz “Jonky” — Jazz UK “Ghostfish” — String Theory CD EDITION Twelve original instrumental tracks Nearly 55 minutes of music Physical CD in printed card sleeve Artwork featuring Frank Le Funkmaus Released by RSB Records TRACKLISTING Carol — featuring Carter Arrington and Scott McKeon Live Your Best Dream — featuring Carter Arrington Mr W Chills — featuring Carter Arrington and Tony Remy Cat Herder Scuffle — featuring Carter Arrington Ghostfish — Masterlink Sessions Jonky — featuring Tony Remy Soul Crusade — Masterlink Sessions Get It — featuring Mike Outram and Tony Remy BDR529 Illinois — Masterlink Sessions Shinrin-Yoku — featuring Ross Stanley Hot Jam — featuring Carter Arrington and Tony Remy Ghostfish MkII (The Deep Dive) MUSICIANS Carter Arrington — guitarSarah Brandwood-Spencer — violinFergus Gerrand — percussionJoe Glossop — Hammond organDave Limina — Hammond organ and pianoScott McKeon — guitarMike Outram — guitarStefan Redtenbacher — bassTony Remy — guitarRoss Stanley — Hammond organ, Rhodes and pianoMike Sturgis — drumsSimon Turner — celloKarl Vanden Bossche — percussionStevie Watts — Hammond organPete Whitfield — violin and string arrangement on “Mr W Chills” PRODUCTION Recorded and mixed by James Welch at Masterlink Productions. Mastered by Tim Debney at Fluid Mastering. All compositions written, arranged and produced by Stefan Redtenbacher, except: “Mr W Chills” and “Jonky” — written by Stefan Redtenbacher and Tony Remy“Ghostfish” — written by Thomas Feurer and Stefan Redtenbacher Graphic design and Frank Le Funkmaus by Neil J Hart.Social media campaign by Alexej Baglietto. Released by RSB Records on 7 June 2024.Catalogue number: RSB15000.