MANDRILL — Beast From the East (review)

MANDRILL — Beast From the East album cover Album · 1975 · Funk Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
Although Mandrill had started out in the early 70s as an idealistic and eclectic ensemble that mixed funk-jazz, progressive rock and African fusion into their own signature sound, the latter part of the decade found them trying to adjust to an increasingly conservative and money driven music market. Beast from the East is a fairly commercial album with a disco undertone, but to Mandrill's credit this album shows that they hadn't lost their instrumental and vocal skills, creativity, artistic integrity and the ability to put out great interesting music within a more confining commercial space.

Groove music from this era was expected to have that steady disco kick drum thud on every downbeat, but Mandrill does a great job of turning to African highlife, Latin rock, Calypso, blaxploitation soundtracks and hard funk to dress up this repetitious beat and keep it interesting. At the very end of the album Mandrill gives us a taste of their more progressive past with two excellent instrumentals. Aqua Magic opens with cascading piano arpeggios from keyboard virtuoso Claude Cave, then the woodwinds break into an ancient melody before the band kicks into a hard Latin groove that rivals early Santana. A semi-classical keyboard section interrupts their rampage before the band is off again, this time topped by a jazzy dissonant flute solo. These guys can play! The album closes with a mournful space/lounge jazz tune with a cool 'futuristic' exotic synthesizer melody.

Although this album shows Mandrill heading further from their progressive roots, it is nice to hear that they were able to get with the thump-thump-thump 70s in a way that was creative, intelligent and not damaging to their artistic integrity. If you like IDM from the 70s, then you might dig this somewhat commercial, but very high quality effort from Mandrill.
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