FUTURENOT is the brainchild of trombonist Jason Cressey and saxophonist Peter Daniel. Both veterans of the Seattle, Washington modern Jazz and Funk scene, the two began their collaboration way back in 2013. They met as members of the horn section in the band Funky2Death and soon began writing their own original tunes together. As time went on, the two musicians have been involved in numerous high profile national and regional projects.
Jason and Peter have performed together and separately with Macklemore, Odesza, Father John Misty, Monophonics, Durand Jones & the Indications, True Loves, Skerik, Stanton Moore, Nikki Glaspie, Ghost Note, Soul Rebels, Paper Boys, Liv Warfield, Polyrhythmics, Khu.eex and Lucky Brown. However, through all of their projects they never lost sight of FUTURENOT.
In March of 2020 FUTURENOT played their maiden gig, just before the pandemic shut the world down. They spent the remainder of last year in the studio recording their debut LP “Greatest Hits.” Released worldwide to all major streaming services on November 19, 2021, the record introduces a band with a classic Jazz-infused sound that harkens back to the era of Funk horn sections, Disco balls and the birth of Hip-hop.
The record’s opening instrumental track “In the Beginning” sets the scene with the unmistakable 70’s vibe of horns, strings, and a slow funk groove. The band brings Brooklyn emcee Moe Betta in for the tracks “Let us In” and the current single “Supernova.” The former pairs a Chicago inspired jam with Moe’s classic old-school flow. On the latter track, the rapper delivers a clever metaphysical rap complete with shoutouts to Yoda and the Buddha. Meanwhile the band delivers a fabulous downbeat Funk groove with plenty of bluesy guitar and a nice shot of psychedelia.
“Greatest Hits” returns to the instrumentals on the next three tracks. “Be The Change” pairs the FUTURENOT’s Tower of Power-style Pop/Jazz with a nice Randy Newman-style piano vamp. “Express Checkout” rides a wild, syncopated guitar/bass/drum rhythm while the horns deliver an exotic and sweeping melody for a cool cinematic feel. “Lamb’s Bread” continues the Jazz fusion mood with a series of smoking solos (guitar, keys and horns) over a laid-back and bluesy Funk.
Moe Betta returns on the stellar “Slide.” The track opens with a “Salt Peanuts” inspired horn riff before kicking into an upbeat Pop groove. Moe drops a super fun and catchy old-school rap. Disco feels and a killer organ solo round out this fabulous tune. “Outta the Blue” opens on some great horn funk before dropping into a tasty guitar Blues jam. The record closes on “This is the End,” an expanded reprise of the opening track.
Check out the excellent “Greatest Hits” below, or listen on your favorite streaming service. You can also hear the song “Supernova” on the Deep Indie Beat playlist and “Express Checkout” on Deep Indie Jazz. Follow the links below to connect with FUTURENOT. Get on their socials and get down.