The Pharaohs - In The Basement LP [RSD Edition]

During their ephemeral career, The Pharaohs dropped just one release with their masterful LP, Awakening (1971). But when the San Francisco-based jazz-funk reissue label Luv N Haight reissued Awakening in 1996, they did so with a new CD of previously unreleased material of theirs titled, In the Basement.

Where Awakening sounds like a more Afrocentric version of Earth, Wind & Fire (which several members of the Pharaohs would go on to found in 1973), the more jazz-leaning tracks here sound more like Sun Ra jamming with the P-Funk All Stars. The 11-minute take on the Stylistics' "People Make the World Go Round" is absolutely indescribable, a mix of other worldly horns and psychedelic guitars over a non-stop African-style groove. Other highlights include the all-rhythm "Drum Suite, "a hypnotic blend of organic polyrhythms and chanting.

TRACKLIST: In the Basement | People Make the World Go Round | African Roots | The Pharaohs Love Y'all | Drum Suite