Live Review: Thundercat ‘Them Changes’

LA’s multi-disciplinary musical maverick THUNDERCAT, aka Stephen Bruner, is back with a mini-album set to ruffle things up a bit with its groove-laden funks.

He’s from a strong sonic set, as his father drummed for Diano Ross and The Temptations. Bruner’s been Erykah Badu’s bass player and has already released a couple of albums on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint. Most notably, Bruner was the mastermind behind Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. It’s safe to say that Thundercat’s got credentials by the bucket load.

‘Them Changes’ is jazzy, funky and soulful, with the kind of maverick understanding of how to layer a beat together that is reserved for the likes of J Dilla and Madlib. It’s not just the textured beats that are noteworthy – the opening line demands your attention too, as Thundercat sings in a high-pitched voice ‘nobody move, there’s blood on the floor / And I can’t find my heart’.

The slow swampy beats wop-wop along under a progression of piano chords, melodic keys, electric bass and sax, before blending into calming ‘ooooooh’s halfway through at the bridge. Thundercat’s eclectic taste is influenced by futuristic-afro beats, a love of anime and interest in South Korean cult films.

He’s a musical encyclopedia and a serious modern jazz artist, but his music is playful and coy. His sixteen minute, six-track mini album The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, which he dedicated to some of his late friends, was released digitally via Brainfeeder last week. Go listen!

Words by Katie Rowley

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CAPTAIN MURPHY 'BETWEEN VILLAINS' FT. VIKTOR VAUGHN, EARL SWEATSHIRT & THUNDERCAT