Tomás Doncker has been a formative figure in the New York arts and culture scene since the 1980s. He’s toured with the likes of Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello, Madonna, Ivan Neville, The Specials and Patti Smith and played in ‘No Wave’ and ‘Punk Funk’ bands including a personal favourite of mine, Defunkt. If you not familiar with them I would urge you to fill the gap in your funk knowledge by listening to their 1982 seminal album Thermonuclear Sweat.
Doncker’s current band is The True Groove All-Stars and the single ‘Wha-Gwaan’ is a collaboration with The Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ Frank Benbini. Of the track he says, “Wah Gwaan’ is a Jamaican Patois greeting that means ‘what’s going on?’ or ‘what’s up?’. The lyric is a modern day riff on Marvin Gaye’s classic ‘What’s Going On’. Through an Afro Beat/Funk-Rebel music lens. It was designed to be a wake up call response to the seemingly increasing presence of social injustice in the world today. The hypnotic dub-funk groove is brought to the boiling point by the legendary Frank Benbini (Fun Lovin’ Criminals/UB40/Uncle Frank), who I’m thrilled makes a guest appearance on drums and hype vocals.”
‘Wha-Gwaan’ is a fluid mix of reggae and funk with cavernous drums that splash and stomp around undulating bass, organ punctuation and a guitar line that acts like a compass keeping everything pointing truth north. Over the top those hype vocals hold everything together and fly over bursts of gospel backing harmonies. It’s as captivating as the Penrose stairs (aka the ‘impossible staircase’) that climb round and round; the key doesn’t change and there’s no chorus, but the magic thread is in the irresistible groove it all rides on.
March 7th 2025 – The 100 Club, London (Supporting KillerStar) March 8th 2025 – The 100 Club, London (Supporting KillerStar) July 27th 2025 – High Tide Festival, Twickenham
