Lord Echo - "Thinking of You"

Lord Echo is the project of New Zealand musician Mike Fabulous, who's best known for his work with the excellent reggae group The Black Seeds. With Lord Echo, Fabulous tackles similar territory, albeit with a touch more funk and disco. One of the clear standouts on his debut Melodies is "Thinking of You," a reggae reworking of the 1984 disco single by Sister Sledge. The track features guest vocals by Kiwi Lisa Tomlins, who also works with fellow New Zealand greats and Everybody Taste favorites Fat Freddy's Drop. I don't often associate reggae with funk music, but "Thinking of You" is the absolute perfect meeting point between these two genres.

Lord Echo - "Thinking of You" (from Melodies)

Must listen: Fat Freddy's Drop - "Boondigga"

A seven-piece concoction mixed with equal parts dub, reggae, funk, jazz and soul, Fat Freddy’s Drop is a dynamic and largely improvisatory group that plays what New Zealander’s call Aotearoa music—the native Māori people's name for New Zealand.

According to lore, the band came up with its name shortly after recording its first song—“Hope” in 1999—under the influence of LSD. The particular tabs featured the image of Fat Freddy’s Cat from the underground American comic strip, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Comprised of former members of local acts like Bongmaster and The Black Seeds, Fat Freddy’s Drop could easily be cast aside as another hazy, half-baked idea of a band—but that’s nowhere near the case here.

The group's instrumentals are always inspired and delivered with uber-talent, from Mu’s layers of beats to the swinging three-pronged brass attack, keyboards, and an often wah-wah affected guitar. And then there’s Dallas Tamaira. Channeling soul legends like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, Tamaira's voice is an infectious honey-dripped instrument capable of no wrong—only right. Their latest record, Dr. Boondigaa & The Big BW, is their second full-length studio release.

Fat Fredd'y Drop - "Boondigga" (from Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW)