Karate Boogaloo

The four members of Karate Boogaloo have been making music together since their school days. In Melbourne, bassist Henry Jenkins, drummer Hudson Whitlock, organist Callum Riley and guitarist Darvid Thor began by covering songs by Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters. Almost twenty years on, they have distilled those influences into their own brand of instrumental funk and soul. Hammond organ, guitar, bass and drums form the foundation for playful melodies and the tension of an old film soundtrack. The music is recorded live without overdubs, clearly demonstrating just how well the quartet plays together. Their new album, ‘Access All Areas’, is due for release on 9 October. For this new album, Karate Boogaloo stripped away everything that made the tracks more complicated than necessary. Recorded on four tracks and with as little embellishment as possible, the album showcases how Karate Boogaloo have fully made the instrumental funk and soul of their heroes their own.