The New Mastersounds (NMS) are a world-class, world renowned, instrumental funk band with 8 years of live performing, 5 full-length album releases and 21 seven-inch single releases under their belt. NMS in their original set-up are Eddie Roberts (guitar & tambourine), Pete Shand (bass), Simon Allen (drums), and Bob Birch (Hammond). All four of them met in Leeds/UK and, as a BBC reviewer says, "NMS may produce some confusion: how can a collection of (mostly) pasty-faced Northerners produce with such authority the dusty funk grooves of the early 70s? It doesn't matter - they just do."

In the late 1990's, guitarist and producer Eddie Roberts was running a club night in Leeds called "The Cooker." When „The Cooker“ moved into a new venue with a second floor in 1999, there was space and the opportunity to put a live band together to complement the DJ sets. Roberts and Allen had played together in 1997 as The Mastersounds, though with a different bassist and no organ. Through friends and the intimate nature of the Leeds music scene, Shand and Birch were added on bass and Hammond respectively, and The New Mastersounds were born. Though it was raw and more of a boogaloo sound at first, it was powerful from the start. Their first rehearsal was hot enough for Blow It Hard Records to release it as an EP in 2000.

As a band, and as individuals, they have since clocked up collaborations with an impressive array of musicians DJs and producers, including: Lou Donaldson (Blue Note), Corinne Bailey Rae (EMI), Quantic (Tru Thoughts), Carleen Anderson, Keb Darge & Kenny Dope (Kay Dee Records), John Arnold (Ubiquity), Mr Scruff (Ninja Tune), Snowboy (Ubiquity), Fred Everything (2020vision), Andy Smith (Portishead), Norman Jay MBE, James Taylor (JTQ), Adrian Gibson (Freestyle), LSK (Faithless), The Greyboy Allstars and Karl Denson.

So far in 2006 the band has toured all over the USA and Japan and, closer to home, in France and Spain. In August they finished recording their fifth album, 102%, For the sessions of this album they won the saxophon player Rob Lavers, who since plays with them.  At end of 2006, organist Bob Birch bowed out due to commitments at home and for 2007 the band are joined by another Leeds player, Joe Tatton (Hammond & Rhodes) who has depped for Bob in the past as well as working with UK soul star Corinne Bailey Rae and funk renegades The Haggis Horns. 2007 started auspiciously – on their very first Jamcruise (an American funk festival on the high seas) the NMS were playing Meters tunes with George Porter Jr sitting in - just one of the highlights of a legendary 3-hour set. On their return to the UK the band were greeted by a capacity crowd at London’s prestigious Jazz Café venue, for the album launch of 102%. They also performed tunes from the new album for Mark Lamarr on BBC Radio Two.

Amongst other bookings so far for 2007, the NMS have been invited to play the House of Blues, New Orleans during Jazzfest, and also to open for The Headhunters in Chicago in July. Meanwhile, Milan-based label Record Kicks is putting together an album of NMS remixes by underground beats producers for September release.

The New Mastersounds are at the very top of an elite selection of acts that bring the true soul out of funk.

An Introduction To THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS, a retrospective collection of fifteen NMS tracks, is their first ever release in Germany and will be accompanied by a tour in autumn.

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS are:

Eddie Roberts: Gitarre & Tambourin
Joe Tatton: Hammond Orgel, Keyboard, Piano
Peter Shand: Bass
Simon Allen: Schlagzeug
Rob Lavers: Saxophon

www.newmastersounds.com
www.myspace.com/newmastersounds

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS WILL BE TOURING GERMANY IN NOVEMBER 2007!!!
You Shouldn’t Miss It!!!

BOOKING

Electric Chair
Helmut Heuer
c/o Lounge Records
Lindenallee 19a
20259 Hamburg
Germany
fon 0049 (0)40 879 769 13
fax 0049 (0)40 879 765 41
helmut@electric-chair.de

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Légère Recordings
Lindenallee 19a
20259 Hamburg
Germany
fon 0049 (0)40 879 769 13
fax 0049 (0)40 879 765 41
helmut@lounge-records.de

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