Use of smooth bass and web-savvy style draws new fans
By Greg Waldock, Staff Writer
Session musicians are performers who supply backup and supporting instrumental roles for studio or live shows, generally as bass, piano, and snare. These artists give a steady, reliable act, and rarely achieve fame on their own. Very occasionally, however, session musicians will separate themselves and rise from the background. In 2011, Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Joe Dart, and Woody Goss of the rhythm section at the University of Michigan did exactly this and formed Vulfpeck. Inspired by legendary German music producer Reinhold Mack, the members refined their presentation and styled themselves as a German take on American funk.
Vulfpeckâs raw, minimalist instrumental style attracted the attention of critics across the country with âBeastly,â a piece that brought particular attention to bassist Joe Dart. His deceptively bare-bones approach and lengthy solo are extremely reminiscent of â60s live bands. An important aspect of those bandsâ styleâand Vulfpeckâsâis the balance of instruments so that no one sound is dominating a performance. This allows supporting instruments like snare and bass to have a greater impact than in most forms of funk. The style persists through Vulfpeckâs four extended plays and two studio albums, making them one of the most unique and iconic funk bands of the 2010s.
The quartet largely came to public notoriety with the release of the completely silent album Sleepify in March 2014. Hosted on music streaming service Spotify, the band encouraged fans to play each 30-second track on loop while they were sleeping or away from home. This allowed the band to collect large royalties without producing any music, a stunt called âcleverâ by a spokesman from Spotify. Vulfpeck made roughly $20,000 before Spotify removed the album in August 2014, which the band used to fund a free tour later that year.
To date, the bandâs most popular songs are âWait for the Momentâ and â1612,â both featuring vocal performances by Antwaun Stanley that reflect the bandâs minimalism. Inclusion of vocals is continued extensively in their latest album The Beautiful Game, released in October 2016, which, for the first time in the groupâs history, has more vocal than instrumental tracks. Despite this, Vulfpeck retains their original philosophy of maintaining a balance between sounds. Another major source for their current popularity is their music videos. Simple shootings of the live music sessions are filmed with an old camera and filter, giving the videos their grainy 1970s appearance, coupled with all the hip-swinging expected from funk.
With 34 tracks in 5 years, the quartet is one of the most prolific funk bands on the scene today, and their use of online streaming and Sleepifyâs headline-grabbing stunt has made them among the most popular in the genre. Vulfpeckâs simple, smooth, and balanced style has been a return to form for modern funk.
