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Taken from Orlando Weekly (Nov 20, 2024)
Orlando’s Universal Funk Orchestra drop debut album of ‘intergalactic funk-hop’
Mothership connection. UFO deliver interplanetary sounds at last
by Kendal Asbury
Universal Funk Orchestra. Photo by Matt Keller Lehman |
Orlando band Universal Funk Orchestra’s self-titled debut album collides with streaming platforms this week, introducing new intergalactic sounds to the cosmos of music.
Universal Funk Orchestra, oft-shortened to U.F.O. (naturally), launches their album into orbit Saturday, Nov. 23. The music will be available on most streaming platforms, as well as a limited vinyl release for the collectors.
Their music is notable for its groovy eclecticism, seamlessly intertwining elements of blues, rock & roll and funk, the way greats like Parliament Funkadelic did it. Members of the collective pride themselves on hybridizing disparate styles of music into a cosmic whole to capture listeners from all backgrounds. It’s right there in the band’s name.
“When we say ‘Universal’, it means all-encompassing,” Dizzlephunk, the bassist and DJ for the group, says during a telephone conversation with Orlando Weekly. “That doesn’t just mean funk. It means rock, hip-hop, blues and soul, electronic music.”
Dizzlephunk says this atmospheric fusion of genres is sourced from the band members’ varied experiences, influences and musical backgrounds.
“When we come together, we don’t put boundaries on what we write. Whatever comes out, comes out,” he says. “It’s everything. There’s no way to describe it, except intergalactic funk-hop.”
U.F.O.comprises five space-travelers on a mission to bring “the music to the people,” with an undeniable gravitational pull. The ensemble is headed up by Dizzlephunk, joined by Chris LeBrane on drums, JaWaan LaRue handling vocals, The Jester on guitar and Billy Meether wailing on the saxophone. And writing songs is a family affair.
“Some of the lyrics reflect the people who wrote them, their personal experiences or our experiences as a group,” Dizzlephunk says. “We want these songs to convey a message that means something significant to each individual.”
While some of these new songs are reflective and introspective in nature, others are about the occasional need to throw down. “Calm Before the Storm” centers on refusing to get“kicked down anymore”and standing your ground, while“Guilty by Association”is a“classic hip-hop beef song,” per Dizzlephunk.
“Some of the lyrics actually speak of revolt and riot ... and some are a rebuttal to some- body,”he says.“But every song means something different to every person. One song is going to connect with somebody on a total different level than another one.”
The album has been in the works for several years, spanning a burst of songwriting before the COVID-19 pandemic through sessions last year. “We’ve been sitting on it for the right time,” he says.“It just feels like right now is a perfect time to release it.”
Following the album’s release, U.F.O. plans to continue gigging at venues across Florida while plotting a tour to promote the album. The band are also keeping the creative momentum going, already at work on a new EP which may even be released by the end of next year.
Most immediately, Universal Funk Orchestra are hosting two different release shows to prop- erly debut the new record. First up is Saturday, Nov. 23, at Dees Brothers Brewery in Sanford. This party starts at 5 p.m. and U.F.O. plans on playing a lot of material from the new album. Brand-new vinyl copies of the album and a specialty beer, “Thunder and Lightning: Special Strike,” will be available for purchase.
Next, Orlando gets our turn at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Will’s Pub. The band will be joined by musical comrades E-Turn, Creativangel, Warm Fuzzy and DJ K1X.
U.F.O. are excited to share the new music and “hang out and party”with fans and new listeners.
“Pretty much every single one of us came to fruition through the Orlando scene,” Dizzlephunk says.“At least four of the five of us have Orlando to thank for who we are — as far as the culture and our influences and how we create music, that’s for sure.”
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