Description
Theyre the greatest band youve never heard of. Unsung heroes whose music was political, spiritual, and generations ahead of its time. Their story has never been told. Until now
Cymande, a group of black British musicians who all came to the UK from the Caribbean as children, released three brilliant albums in quick succession in the early 70s and were embraced in the USA. But, in the UK, they faced a music business beset by prejudice against home grown black talent and were largely ignored. They split in 1975. However, their music lived on, as successive generations of artists and fans found and embraced their songs.
2022 looks to be a new beginning and a rediscovery and rebirth for the legendary UK band. The brand new reissue of the bands seminal self-titled album, Cymande, was remastered at Abbey Road Studios in 2022.
This year, Cymande were also the subject of an acclaimed documentary titled Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande, which had its world premiere screening at SXSW. Getting It Back was directed by Tim Mackenzie- Smith and features interviews with a galaxy of musicians and producers influenced and enthralled by their music, including Mark Ronson, Jim James, Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Maseo and Louie Vega. The film also screened at this years BFI London Film Festival, which ran October 5-16.
They turn grim urban reality into an empowering statement, a forward-looking philosophy that still resonates MOJO (5*)
Cymande stands as a slippery classic on its own terms Uncut (8/10)
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