Somewhere on the frontier between funk and soul, Brooklyn’s own Pimps Of Joytime are out there, fighting to bring their horn and hook laden dance music to the people. On their latest release, Third Wall Chronicles, the Pimps show how remarkably far they have come in their pursuit of the perfect groove. Having distilled their sound down to a lean, mean essence, the band has seemingly found the perfect blueprint to success with the tools in their shed.

Live For Live Music is excited to premiere the entire album today, just two days before its official release on Friday, March 24. Says Brian Jay of the album, “I’m excited to be putting Third Wall Chronicles out into the world. My heart and soul is in these tracks and I feel we hit a new level aesthetically. My biggest hope is that people will resonate with the work and get as much enjoyment out of listening to it as I did making it.” Stream the whole record below:

Case in point: the first track on Third Wall Chronicles, “The Funk (Give Me A Hand),” features some imaginative and infectious beats from percussionist Mayteana Morales and drummer John Staten that go far beyond the accepted norms. Morales’ fills manage to be ever present but not overdone while Staten’s rock solid pocket shows a complete grasp of scale and accomplishing more with less. This platform gives guitarist and vocalist Brian Jay plenty of room to wind his slinky leads in and out of bassist and keyboard player David Bailis‘ lines with an innate and impressive series of twists and turns.

Everyone in Pimps Of Joytime seems to be spinning multiple plates at the same time. Tracks like “Play” and “On Tap” you can tell that years of working together have given them a trust in each other that can only be earned. While “Play” has a youthful spunk that spreads smiles far and wide, “On Tap” smolders with a sultry and sensuous undercurrent that is decidedly more adult. Their command of a wide range of song styles stems from their overall unity. Tracks like “Jack Stackin” let everyone have a moment to shine but the brightest moments are when they are working as a unit, such as on this tune.

Though the Pimps are surely their own band, they take a few moments to honor the styles and sounds that paved the way for them. “Reverend Soul” could just as easily have existed in the sixties or seventies as the modern day. They even bring in a link to those halcyon days with Dumpstaphunk mastermind and impeccably pedigreed Ivan Neville on “Mud,” a slow simmering burn that features a classic break down coalescing into sheer funk gold. Even when they strip down their sound, as with Jay’s near naked tone on “Neara To Your Fire,” the Pimps are still as thick and greasy as any band in the land.

Third Wall Chronicles fills a much needed slot in the collection of any funk aficionado interested in the future and longevity of the genre itself. Listening to their fresh take on the best known conventions of the form is heartening and habit-forming at the same time. Each listen reveals an unheard fill, an unnoticed time change, or some other well-placed addition to the funkosphere. With dedicated students of the form like Pimps Of Joytime working hard to craft new grooves, it seems like the future of organic dance tunes is in good hands indeed!

PIMPS OF JOYTIME — SPRING 2017 TOUR DATES
3/22 — Gypsy Sally’s — Washington, DC
3/23 — Ardmore Music Hall — Ardmore, PA
3/24 — The Wonder Bar — Asbury Park, NJ
3/25 — The Bowery Ballroom — New York, NY
4/1 — The Sinclair — Cambridge, MA
5/5 – House of Blues – Parish – New Orleans, LA
5/6 – Howlin’ Wolf – New Orleans, LA
5/20 — VA Beach Funk Out — Virginia Beach, VA
5/26 — Rooster Walk — Martinsville, VA
6/3 – Sun Drenched Music Fest – Denver, CO
6/10 – Enchanted Forest Gathering – Laytonville, CA
7/2 – Waterfront Blues Festival – Portland, OR
8/4 — Salmonfest Music Festival — Ninilchik, AK