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Taken from Glide Magazine (Jan 12, 2025)
420 Funk Mob Revolutionizes Space Funk With Debut Studio Album 'The Emperor Has No Clones' (ALBUM REVIEW)
by Matt Hoffman
420 Funk Mob - The Emperor Has No Clones. Coverart |
420 Funk Mob, led by Parliament-Funkadelic’s own Mike “Clip” Payne, is ushering in the next era of Funk with their debut studio album, The Emperor Has No Clones. But while the album is flush with P-Funk veterans, don’t expect a nostalgia trip: it’s a full-fledged funk revolution, a 14-track testament to the power of groove and the enduring legacy of P-Funk.
From the opening notes of “Flirt,” featuring the icon George Clinton, it’s clear that this album is steeped in funk royalty. Clip Payne and his crew, including longtime P-Funk veterans Mike “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton, Lige Curry, Greg Thomas, and Gregg Boyer, channel the spirit of those iconic jams. “Up South” burns with a fiery guitar that evokes the late Garry “Starchild” Shider, and the group takes a mind-bending detour through the Grateful Dead songbook with “Estimated Prophet,” featuring prominent horns and guitar wizardry built atop a rhythm section that’s tighter than a spacesuit.
420 Funk Mob at @brokengobletbrewing on December 27th 2024. Photo by Alisa Shargorodsky |
But while the album follows in P-Funk’s footsteps, blending well-studied funk, rock, and soul with improvisational flair, it’s more than just a tribute to the past. The Emperor Has No Clothes also introduces the next generation of torch bearers, with Chogyi Marco and Harry “Garrett Shider” Green stepping into the ring with knockout grooves on “Prizefight” and “Eyes on the Prize.” And “Slaves,” a collaboration with DRUGS: The Prescription for Mis-America, is a raw, groove-heavy monster that’ll leave you begging for more and for mercy at the same time.
The album is also an international affair, recorded everywhere from Paris to Berlin, Woodstock to hotel rooms on tour. French players Eric Rohner and Gilles Garin (together, the HornDogz), played on “Estimated Prophet,” and the band cut “Too Good To Be True” in Berlin with Iwan “Rock Attack 10” Van Amesfoort, from the Dutch band, Gotcha.
420 Funk Mob captures the energy and excitement of their legendary live shows. The Emperor Has No Clones is the next evolution in the funk universe: a fresh, bold statement from the very artists who helped to start the Funk. It’s an album for the true funk heads, the genre-definers, and the rule-breakers. Prepare to get funked up on January 15th, when the album drops.
Photo by Alisa Shargorodsky @earth_algorithm?
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