KAVA KAVA: Maui

Kava Kava

Maui

© 2005 Chocolate Fireguard Music (634479655920)

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'space funk' - turbo charged UK live act with soulful vocals, guitars, brass, electronica, beats. "should be on every funk and disco playlist, period." (DJ Mag) INDEED. Featured in 'Weeds', 'Dirt', 'John From Cincinnati' etc; spun by Nic Harcourt (KCRW)

notes

Kava Kava are 'space funk' - turbo charged live act from the UK with distinctive soulful vocals, guitars, electronica, brass, strings and beats.

Lots of radio plays for tracks on Kava Kava's 'Maui' CD; monster groover 'Bank Job' has been played on 'Morning Becomes Eclectic' (Nic Harcourt, KCRW) while others have been used in Golden Globe award winning TV series 'Weeds', HBO's John From Cincinnati' FX series DIRT (3 songs), Hollywood independent film, 'Boys and Girls Guide To Getting Down' Check out www.myspace.com/chocolatefireguardmusic www.myspace.com/kavakavamusic and www.chocolatefireguard.com

Some US reviews for 70 minute CD album "Maui":

"Despite a hard rock appearance, Kava Kava creates party-worthy music by combining rock, funk, dance and soul.......Kava Kava has already been heard on Showtime series "Weeds" and has been spun by Nic Harcourt on noncommercial KCRW Los Angeles" BILLBOARD MAGAZINE

"Kava Kava has created a musical chimera that is equal parts P-Funk and Roxy Music, as indebted to Stax soul and the Philly sound as it is to the Manchester beat and Brian Eno. Maui is a strong antidote to the bland, lifeless music you'll hear on the radio, an energetic blend of heart and soul that will have you shuffling your feet in spite of your bad self" ALT.CULTURE.GUIDE

"What sets Kava Kava apart from other trancey, vibey electronica is the vocals of Pat Fulgoni. He's got a soulful, powerful voice that is also pretty hypnotic on its own" COSMIK DEBRIS

"Every song in this collection has a nice clean club sound that is distinct and different from anything else on the market. Definitely the hottest dance album in quite some time" STYLUS

"If you're in the mood for social commentary or introspection, keep searching. But if you dig on pretty sounds and funky beats (and I think you do), look no further." SPLENDID

"...intense dance-music (intense as in Junior-Senior, not the 300bpm dance marathon tracks)...rich instrumentation and solid production ensure for a tremendous experience" NEUFUTUR

"Cool grooves, phat beats, funky sounds. Awesome feel-good music...Funky, heavy synth, Brit R&B Hip-Hop dance vibe." HYBRID MAGAZINE.COM

"...a funky, soulful, bluesy feel with a dance house (almost break beat) rhythm. Kava Kava really raises the bar on dance music with 'Maui.' The energy level is through the roof." 1340 MAG

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Some UK press for 70 minute CD album "Maui" :

DJ MAGAZINE "........should be on every funk and disco playlist, period!...........Love it!" (4.5/5)

BLUES AND SOUL "It's not often that a debut artist album grips me on first listening but the organic vibe, inspired songwriting and impeccable production of "Maui" is a jaw-dropping phenomenon"
(5/5)

M8 MAGAZINE "A bit of an undiscovered gem, this album has a glut of deep soulful grooves and funk-driven songs with a vinyl album sampler to suit many different moods. Already gaining a great deal of attention from (UK) Radio One dj's Giles Peterson and Rob da Bank, so why not check this out for your more laid back gatherings and some essential summer listening." (M7/M8)

FUTURE MUSIC "the future of dance .......... you can hear why they are an essential live experience...."

BLUES AND SOUL 'one of the more distinctive and funky albums of the year"

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KAVA KAVA "MAUI" - description by Nicky Trax (phuture trax pr)

the new album "MAUI"....the music reaches out to me

Where Northern soul collides with electronica in a funked up stylee, there's even more amazing soundscapes on Kava Kava's hotly anticipated new album "Maui". With diverse fans such as Mary Anne Hobbs, Freddy Fresh, Capoeira Twins, Rob Da Bank (Sunday Best) through to Simon Mu (Back To Basics), Kava Kava are exploding as a kick ass band with more festival credentials under their belt than even Pete Tong! The new album sampler contains the big dancefloor number, "Don't Stop The Music" and the Cienna Remix of "Maui", and Kava Kava are hotting floors up with their heady mix of French -styled funked up disco, electro sounds, raw live acoustic soulful ensemble playing and some greats beats.

Impossible to pin down musically...they combine souped-up baggy beats and 80's atmospherics with richly melodic grooves, led by Fulgoni's crisp and uplifting Northen Soul vocals:...

Kicking off the album is the unashamed feel good "Don't Stop The Music" already getting the San Fran thumbs up, and set to be remixed for even wider appeal. "Space People" unleashes an upbeat breaks excursion with trumpets and strings, and another album highlight. Squelchy skanking Ram Jam Band sounds rocks "Terrorists" as Pat Fulgoni's strong vocal presence runs through. Then electro opens the irrepressible wah wah funk ridin' groove, "Sicfuck". The title track "Maui" unfolds in soft vocal n strings style as the breaks push this soundscape out into trippy terrain.

And then KK turn it up on the rockin leftfielder beats n guitar thrash, "Bank Job". "Swans" is a soundtrack style interlude before KK then spin back in time with their chirpy, breaky first single, "Funked Up And Freaked Out". "Beats For Cheats" adds a rave flava with Eastern sounds meshing with nasal beats and nagging keys that then breaks into funk...mad stuff. "Tic" is a more acoustic eastern "Beatles" styled jaunt and then more leftfield musical arcadia can be found on "nfa" alongside the closing instrumental oddity "Faith".

Funky with guitars, soulful and squelchy and you can dance to Kava Kava's music which mixes it all up with live musicianship, electronica, samples and beats. A bit Polyphonic, nu Talking Heads..it's one of this year's more out there album sets and all the better for it.

"Terrorists" would have fitted on 'Screamadelica". It's a soul shaking, chunky funking live mash up!" YEP

HISTORY

Surprisingly Kava Kava hail from Yorkshire, UK and were originally a 4 piece experimental live psychedelic funk outfit with heavy George Clinton influences! KK cut their teeth through the underground festival/party scene, with NME describing the band's "You Can Live Here" album as "gorgeous new psychedelic funk".

As independent experimental dance exploded (labels such as Mowax, Skint and Ninja Tune) Kava Kava started messing around with new technologies and the "Freedom" single and "Supalube" album saw the band expand accordingly into a cutting edge live dance outfit - turbo-charged 6 piece space funk monster with brass section, big beats and full live funk ensemble.

Kava Kava are a great live band. They have funked up clubs and festivals right across China, USA, France, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, Italy and of course the UK (including Glastonbury). Their 2001 EP "Funked Up and Freaked Out" rose to No 1 in the NME Club Guide Chart and revealed a timely fix of old school soul influences, over washes of lush bleeps, big beats, rocked out live funk and ass kicking underground grooves. New album 'Maui' takes the band's groove through the roof nailing their unique turbo charged live disco/funk/rock style and peppered with the distinctive soulful vocals of Pat alongside some outrageous guitars, electronica, brass, strings and beats.

LABEL

Yorkshire saying: "as much use as a chocolate fireguard". Chocolate Fireguard Music Ltd is an eclectic Huddersfield based independent label run by Kava Kava front man Pat Fulgoni, with various distribution deals worldwide.

Currently concentrating on developing hot new club acts The Bluefoot Project, Kava Kava, French hip hop outfit La Cedille, Practical Headz and girl punk rockers Mary-Jane, the new compilation 'Interesting Flavours' and acclaimed "Taster...Sounds From The Funky Underground" compilation series, the second volume of which was one of 8 import titles chosen for "Best of British" Virgin Megastores USA, Chocolate Fireguard are also names to watch for with their heady eclectic mix.
For vinyl junkies there's limited edition samplers of both "Funked Up and Freaked Out" and "Maui" available......

reviews

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  • Irresistible
    author: John Manning

    Solid grooves, guaranteed to make you want to move your body. "Funked Up and Freaked Out" is particularly infectious.

  • funky upbeat rock
    author: Maximum Ink

    Kava Kava “Maui” (Chocolate Fireguard Music) Spunky, funky upbeat rock that reminds me of older Lenny Kravitz in several respects. Cool and flowing passages mixed with hot and vibrant dance rhythms form a fulfilling release. (8)

  • Kava Kava Maui Chocolate Fireguard
    author: REV. KEITH A. GORDON - Alt.Culture.Guide

    Normally dance music tends to fall on deaf ears among the Neanderthals here at the ConMedia World HQ. The ACG staff's tastes run towards rock-n-roll, preferably that of the two-fisted, guitar-heavy, slash-and-burn variety. Every now and then, however, something catches our ears that is just so damn...well, funky...guilty pleasure or not, we've just got to make a noise about it. Witness Kava Kava, the brainchild of UK artist and Chocolate Fireguard label founder Pat Fulgoni. For the better part of a decade now, Fulgoni's Kava Kava has been a leading force on the British dancefloor scene. The band has charmed listeners across the island with an eclectic mix of Northern Soul, Clintonesque funk, electronic rhythms and a spirit moved as much by Thom Bell as it is by Fatboy Slim. Maui is the band's third album, and its first to be distributed stateside under a recently inked distribution agreement. As horny teens used to say to a young Dick Clark, "it's got a good beat and you can dance to it!" Kava Kava puts the magic in the grooves and spares no expense in blood, sweat and tears to pull the listener into their world, the "funky underground." After a deceptively clever, thirty-second Eno-worthy ambient into, Maui kicks into overdrive from jump street. "Don't Stop The Music" features an infectious, razor-sharp guitar lead straight out of the Ernie Isley playbook, complimented by a big-band, R&B Revue feel. The swirling fretwork is psychedelic in nature while Fulgoni's vocals are smooth, seductive and soulful. Much of the rest of Maui follows the blueprint laid down by its opening song. The title cut starts out with pastoral strings and slightly whooshing rhythms before settling into a Barry White-meets-Hawkwind jam with lush instrumentation and warm vocals guaranteed to melt the heart of any hesitant young lady. "Funked Up And Freaked Out" is an electronica-tinged rocker with Bootsy-inspired basslines, muted guitar riffs and an outer-space vibe that would have Sun Ra dancing on his grave. "Beats For Cheats" is a full-bore dancefloor rave-up with an Oscillator heartbeat and simply infectious instrumentation while "Space People (A&Rlien)" veils its jabs at the music biz behind a tidal wave of recurring beats, toasty rhythms and a message of unity and independence. More musically interesting than a lot of rock albums you'll hear this year, Maui is a work of no little inspiration. Kava Kava has created a musical chimera that is equal parts P-Funk and Roxy Music, as indebted to Stax soul and the Philly sound as it is to the Manchester beat and Brian Eno. Maui is a strong antidote to the bland, lifeless music you'll hear on the radio, an energetic blend of heart and soul that will have you shuffling your feet in spite of your bad self.

  • Kava Kava 'Maui'
    author: DJ Johnson

    What sets Kava Kava apart from other trancey, vibey electronica is the vocals of Pat Fulgoni. He's got a soulful, powerful voice that is also pretty hypnotic on its own. Also, the music is superior to most of what's going on in the genre, thanks largely to living, breathing musicians playing guitar, bass and drums. In fact, Kava Kava is a quartet with just one member, bassist Jason Riley, assigned to provide the electronica flourishes. Guitarist Matt Bond uses the instrument for delicate coloration and texture, a choice that works very well for Kava Kava, as each song sounds layers deep. Mick Reed is a solid drummer, always right in the pocket, and once in a while there's a little bit of startling electronic augmentation, like a hyper-roll laced into his beats. A very nice package, all together, with Fulgoni's voice ripping through the mix to grab you by the backbone. Great for 71 minutes of intense trippin'.

  • Brilliant
    author: Marc Evans

    For such a cohesive piece of work this certainly contains enough variety to surprise or to alter the tone yet Maui runs seamlessly from one track to the next to form a marathon of rich versatile sounds. The album has touches of talent from many genres, and particularly excels at departing from mediocrity with an effusion of dynamic synthesisers, funky guitars & bass drums all providing the perfect complement to the leading vocalist and backing singers. The backdrop is most apparent in lulls as the tempo drops and entices the listener with an abundance of sound, serving to emphasise the build up and maintaining flow.

  • yeah baby
    author: bongofury

    yeah baby! ras! killa live funk n roll

  • High Grade Space Dust
    author: Pimp from Holland

    The Funked up and Freaked Out song rocks in the way Fat Boy Slim would if he mud wrestled with Josh Wink and AC/DC and then slid in from the side with some blue eyed soul singers. Exteeeemely crucial cut closely seconded by the deep down and dirty Bank Job with all the Shaft business and digitales rhythms. Its one epic adventure. Beware the weak minded and hearted. High Grade Space Dust! Ciao

  • hot
    author: bill rankin

    this is one hot band. somtimes the tunes seem to be a bit repetitive but overall this is one amazing funky group!

  • Mauweee
    author: John

    I'm thinking Groove Armada meets Funkadelic meets Primal Scream behind an original male vocal with a big soul sound! I love this album! It is quite unique but still consistent in its diversity........'Terrorists' starts off like a classic old school hip hop tune, wanders off into funk rock and psychedelic soul territories and frankly any song with a chorus line "soul and love" has to be applauded in this day and age. 'Dont Stop The Music' has some high energy disco beats and an Isley Brothers feel before it kicks in some blatant house textures. 'Bank Job' is a sledge hammer of a song with big strings, brass and a Tom Jones vibe in a Daft Punk setting! I can't get enough of this and can't wait to see them live! What is it? I don't care. Its music and its about time someone pushed the boat out.

  • uniquely - funky!
    author: pipndale

    What strikes the listener right away are the quality vocals and funky flavour that permeates throughout this cd. Pat Fulgoni's strong vocals remind me of the late great Michael Hutchence of INXS fame. A great addition to any cd collection - uniquely funky!

  • On the outside an uptempo dancy feel good album
    author: sam jones

    On the outside an uptempo dancy feel good album - on the inside dark lyrics and very intelligent music. Kava Kava have produced an ecletic and interesting album that decends across the genres with the icing on the top in the form of Pat Fulgoni's slick vocals.A exceptional album!

  • Mauilicious Kava Kava
    author: Rachel

    I have always loved Kava Kava since seeing them at Glastonbury Festival, giving it all and kicking out the vibes. If you haven't been lucky enough to catch them, then "Maui" is a great introduction rammed full of soul, beats and funk. Some of the production here is awesome, Big funk outfit with huge brass, string sections and acid electronics complimenting Pat's wonderfully soulful voice. I've had the pleasure of working with these freaks so I am a bit biased, but I urge you to listen to some deep funky gems like "Don't Stop The Music" "Terrorists" and " Space People" and hear why they are one of the most interesting crossover acts on the UK live club circuit.

  • Love this band!
    author: Dee

    Wow. Love this band! Kava Kava come across somewhere between a Manchester baggy beat crossover with acid funk, rock and breaks influences. And they have a great singer too who really shines on songs ‘Space People’ and ‘Terrorists’ hitting hard with passion, soul and some fine cutting lyrics. The instrumentation is wonderful. Shaft guitars, horns, electronics, beats and some great bass guitar licks. Title track ‘Maui’ enlists a string quartet and a 4 Hero-esque groove, while ‘Tic’ is more disturbing, a Tricky meets Red Hot Chilli Peppers mash that could easily be the soundtrack to some weirdo cult sc ifi movie. All in all ‘Maui’ is a refreshingly diverse album from a highly original musical force. Single anyone? I’d pick the perky “Funked Up ‘n Freaked Out” or maybe “Don’t Stop The Music”  for unashamed funkin’ boogie tendencies with a positive message. (Dee)

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