Interstellar funk master, Freddy Todd, starts the year off with exciting news that’s been 8 years in the making: a new album, MOONFLAVOURS II. A deviation from his familiar sound of heavy, experimental bass, this project allowed Todd to continue exploring new musical territory – and takes us on the ultimate psychedelic trip.
The first Moonflavours in 2013 was my outlet to release more melodic and colorful aesthetics with less harsh bass music. I wanted an outlet to do whatever I wanted sonically and not worry about the dancefloor while flexing fun melodies and diving into other genres.
The cover art is just as expressive as the content. Todd recruited the efforts of his friends Stephen Kruse, who did the first MOONFLAVOURS artwork, and Wes Goodkinghippo Harden, who put the final touches on the dynamic piece.
It’s clear that a lot of TLC went into this album. Some moments are reminiscent of a disco dance floor while others, a peaceful meditation. There is so much creativity layered into each track – different styles of percussions, horns, otherworldly synths, feathery twinkling noises… This makes it even more fun that Todd orchestrated everything by himself.
“I self-released the first Moonflavours and thus have decided to continue that tradition with this one. I also did everything else in house: wrote, recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered the entire album myself, which is actually the first time I’ve mastered my own release.”
The album spans over 12 tracks that range from jazzy to funky and everything in between. And, in typical Freddy Todd fashion, they each boast a unique name.
“Exorbitant” stood out to us with its deliciously slick bass riff and droned vocals, creating the ultimate laidback tune. “Alchemial” showcases a variety of horns and sharp beats, giving it a fresh jazz feel.
We loved listening to “Pooling Reduction Bub”, a chill, slow tempo track that you can definitely envision in the background of a yoga class. The following track, “Cerebral Contagion” is more upbeat with a trippy synth melody, while still continuing that chill trajectory. Think yoga, but in space!
And we have to mention “Santa’s Closed Docking Station”, another track that has us floating through the Milky Way that then bursts into the coolest glitch break that can really only be described as …a distorted, burping frog. It’s pretty awesome.
We had a blast listening to this album. Check out the rest of the tracks below to experience and interpret Todd’s magic for yourself.
Connect with Freddy Todd:
https://www.facebook.com/freddytoddmusic
https://www.instagram.com/freddytoddmusic
https://twitter.com/freddytoddmusic
https://soundcloud.com/freddytodd
https://freddytodd.bandcamp.com
https://freddytoddmusic.myshopify.com