Brandon Faust | Ritz Section Manager

3/01/02

The day I heard that turntablist wonder Kid Koala had a band, I had to hear what they were like. And holy guacamole, it turns out that they're pretty damn slick.

It all started with a jam session in 1994. They wanted to bring something different and, most importantly, groovy to music. Bullfrog, the six-man funk crew from Montreal released their debut full LP this past October, A Little Ropeadope Disc. It is inevitably the best possible entrance they could have made into the music world. The release is jam-packed with upbeat tunes, indefinite funky grooves, and lessons on how to rhyme with “snowball” and “season” to “warm up” on your lyrical wizardry.

James Sobers, or MC Blurum 13, is Bullfrog’s emcee dominator...blessing many of the tracks such as “Reverse Psychology” and “Nice Try” with his nonchalant phrases and tongue-tying verses. Mark Robertson gets down quite enjoyably with the guitar and provides his tasteful vocals on some tracks, like “Shine.” Peter Santiago pitches in his four and a half cents with the bass and does an excellent job at the same time. On the sticks is the meticulous drummer Massimo Sansalone. And my favorite, Kid Koala, is on the wheels of steel.

Now, it’s important that I get into this because most people think that DJs that are with bands are useless and the bands are attempting to be “hip” or how shall I say it - urbanized? Well, for the most part, that usually is true. Ahem. But man, you have to listen to Kid Koala. You might have already heard of him if you’ve ever heard of the Gorillaz, Deltron 3030, or the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. Koala is no scratch-happy vinyl vandal. The turntable is simply another instrument when it’s within Koala’s reach. Prime examples of this are obvious in “Alright: Music for Morning People,” “Bullfrog Theme,” and “Snakeskin.”

Bullfrog is lazy, eclectic, and sweet to the ears. I recommend that you head over to their official web site and take a look. They have a couple of MP3s available for download, so I wouldn’t pass it up! And while you’re at it, check out Kid Koala’s site too. It’s all good music. That’s no bull.