Ikebe Shakedown, the instrumental collective of New York City, has been one of my favorite musical discoveries of the past few years.
The band’s cinematic aesthetic with all its beautiful intricacies, and wildly personal quirks, is not just a treat to the ears, but to the mind as well. The pictures their music paints on your mind are joyous, kinetic, and dreamlike.
Recently, I caught up with the band to talk to theme about their new album, the inspiration of New York City and more as they get ready to play Jams on the Sand tonight.
You dropped The Way Home in 2017. How you do feel this record stands out from your previous release Stone by Stone?
On Stone by Stone, we started moving towards a collaborative writing process that took on full form with The Way Home, giving us a more unified sound from track to track. Plus, our bass player, Vince Chiarito, was the engineer on every tune, giving us more control over the production from start to finish.
Also…the obvious question…when can we expect a new record from you guys?
Oh, it’s coming. We’re actually putting out two 45’s before the end of the year, both featuring new material. And then the next full-length is set to arrive in 2019 in time for our 10-year anniversary.
Your sound is so cinematic. What are some scores that you guys love, and some that have inspired the band’s sound?
The Superfly soundtrack, Get Carter, and some of the other iconic ’70s soundtracks and scores have been pretty influential for all of us. We’re blown away by their ability to combine soul and orchestral sensibilities to help tell so many different stories. We also love the chances that Ennio Morricone and Bernard Herrmann took with their scores, figuring out ways to use minimal instrumentation to create these incredibly iconic melodies that capture such raw emotion.
Also, how much of an inspiration is being based in New York to your sound? To me, your music is the perfect music to be vibing to while walking around in the city.
That’s very kind of you. Soaking up the city is pretty much what we do all day. We live all over the boroughs, from the Bronx to Brooklyn, so we’ve got lots of different sights, sounds, and textures to feed our heads and write off of. Each of us has at least a few voice memos of tune ideas we’ve come up while just moving through NYC.
You’ve toured and performed with some pretty amazing bands — what was the greatest piece advice you received from a band you’ve performed with, and why?
Lee Fields once told us, “Make sure your paper is straight!” It’s the truth.
If someone has never seen Ikebe Shakedown perform live — what can they expect from your live show?
Tight, danceable grooves and some deep pockets you can just bury yourself in. We try to keep the focus on the music, so you can do what you do, find your own space, and just get down.
You’ll be performing right on the beach, steps from the Atlantic Ocean at Jams on the Sand. What are some of the more unique spots you guys have performed in?
We used to perform at these warehouse parties in Brooklyn where the walls were caving in, people were painted neon, and it seemed like the place would catch on fire any second. Definitely a trip.
What do you guys love about being in Ikebe Shakedown?
It’s a family. 10 years in, we feel fortunate to have a level of trust, creative expression, and collaboration that’s hard to get with something new. Of course, being together for a while means that we need to keep pushing ourselves to make our material fresh. But that’s the benefit of working with people who’ve proven over and over that they share the same goal of making the best possible music year-in, year-out.
