The Big Mackoofy: “If you fight you won’t always win, but if you don’t fight you will always lose”
The fat grooves, the dirty backbeats, the snap of a tight snare, the syncopated hits with a stellar horn section, the deep pocket against a smooth bass line…you’re probably grooving in your seat just thinking about it. Well don’t think about, just slap on “If you fight you won’t always win, but if you don’t fight you will always lose” by The Big Mackoofy. To be fair, members Jeff Lucas, Anthony Joseph and Eddie Blindell, will give you a whole lot more than the groove. They have imbued their music with at least one root element from every goddamn music genre you can think of – past to present. They mix all of that into a centrifugal force that passes through Funk, Rock, Reggae and Soul. The Big Mackoofy then garnish that with a plethora of voices – male, female, crooners, orators, mouthpieces, and the like. They may even drop the vocals altogether and forge fiery instrumentals. Their one goal, their one aim – the groove! Their songs made you think, shake your hips and just plain kicked butt.
“If you fight you won’t always win, but if you don’t fight you will always lose” is that insanely catchy, innovative, level of funky groove that few ever reach anymore. And if they do, it’s not in the way that The Big Mackoofy achieves it. You just need to read the song titles to understand what, I’m talking about, and where the band themselves are going with this.
Nothing these fellows do, is unto itself. So yes, there’s a whole lot of hot rhythms brewing on top, but under the hood The Big Mackoofy are bringing a series of coded messages and a ton surreal crossover sounds to the table.
Subtle political and social epistles run undercurrent if you take the time to read between the grooves. So there is plenty of substance to match the sonic aesthetics. Put this thing on at a party, and everyone will be on their feet. Put it on a pair of headphones and you’ll be gleefully intoxicated.
It’s a modern, funky record that shows how well these guys mix up their influences to create unique, new genre-defying music – sometimes mellow, sometimes fierce — energetic, diverse, and thoroughly dope throughout.
The Big Mackoofy is one of the tightest, modern groove outfits you’ll hear these days. Right from track one, “Refugees Welcome”, raw guitars, deep bass, swirling keys, and driving drums keep your body moving. Every one of its 13 tracks is superb. You’ll wonder just how 3 guys can achieve all of this layered, complex rhythms and sound.
The truth is, these dudes harmonize, jam, mix and twist so much together, they’ll suck you into each song. Starting from “Psychedelic Love Medicine (12.5 Million Strong”) onto “And the Lava Will Flow”, and the gutsy horn section of “Che Guevara” mixed with finely tuned retro synths, you’ll be hard pressed to put this band into any one box.
They’ll enthrall you with changes in direction, short interludes, and then get back hard into the groove, as they do “Armenian Love Train”, the reggae soaked “The Refugee Song”, and the exotic “Illegal Alien? Love 4 Everyone”.
Vintage and modern at the same time, The Big Mackoofy drive their instrumental groove machine with an almost rock n’ roll attitude, just listen to the percussive urgency on “Amsterdam (Pt.2)”. Yet one track later they can trip out into a spacey jam on “El Apetito Por Amor”, before closing the album down with “Be Good to Yourself”.
“If you fight you won’t always win, but if you don’t fight you will always lose” is an epic jam of funky proportions. Utilizing rock solid rhythms, soaring horn lines, multiple voices and just about all the sonic mastery they can muster together, The Big Mackoofy create a uniquely distinctive sound.
The result here is a great deal of diversity which goes down very well leaving you extremely satisfied. It’s hot, it’s groovy, it’s rhythmic, it has funk, it has spice, and plenty of energy – the perfect experience for any record collector.
