Magic Moves of the Pimps of Joytime

The Pimps of Joytime are one with funk as can be heard on their new album Magic Moves. The band has been grooving since their inception around 2005. First out of bustling Brooklyn, where the first four albums were recorded. After that, the band relocated to New Orleans, the city where funk originated. The new album was recorded with some outstanding musicians from the crescent city.

Garrett "Startchild Jr" Shider was born on the mothership. As the son of Garret Shider, the “diaper man” of George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, he was initiated into P-Funk at an early age. After his father died, he followed in his footsteps and played for years in Parliament and Funkadelic. Garret is now the guitarist of the Pimps of Joytime. On lead vocal you hear him on Getten To Know You, a track with a groove reminiscent of Try Jah Love of Third World. On drums we hear Eric Bolivar, a renowned drummer who has performed alongside high-profile musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Bonerama and saxophonist Karl Denson. Listen to the bright and beautiful trumpet of Preservation Hall Jazz band member Aurélien Barnes on Back In The Groove. Frontman Brian J Gitkin brought in several other musicians, including some long-time allies from New York. Each contributor brings personality without overpowering the core: songs that feel played, not programmed; groovy, not busy; soulful without unnecessary polish. The result is an intriguing album where blues, soul and funk are brought back to the essence and then fused together.

We were fortunate to speak with Brian J Gitkin about the band and the new album.

TNF: On your website it says Magic Moves marks a deliberate return to funk. Would you say there is a difference between Brooklyn funk and New Orleans funk or is funk universal and not bound to the places you are from or where you create the music?

Brian J: “Yes and no. Funk, in my estimation, is a universal energy, it can manifest anywhere. But location does shape it. Brooklyn has this sharp edge to it, it pushes you toward originality, and the cultural diversity there bleeds into the art. New Orleans is a completely different thing, it's got that deep tradition, it's the birthplace of some of the most soulful music ever created. There's something mysterious and spirited about the city that just resonates on a soul level. So yeah, funk is universal, but it picks up the flavor of wherever it lives.”

TNF: You already released a number of songs of the new album on streaming platforms before the release date. Did you create the songs of the album over a longer period?

Brian J: “Yeah, some of these go way back, one or two are almost ten years old, a few are pandemic-era, and a few are pretty recent. They just sat there unfinished until now. It wasn't planned that way, that's just how it came together.”

TNF: What are the moments that the magic happens for you when making music?

Brian J: “The magic shows up differently every time, sometimes it's this immediate spark at the start and you chase it down a rabbit hole, only for it to not quite land. Then you'll open that same track a year later with fresh ears and suddenly know exactly what it needed. Other times a song feels like a puzzle, you can feel that something special is in there, but you have to earn it, figure out how to unlock it. Then every once in a while, everything just falls into place without even trying.”

The release party of Magic Moves will take place during the famous Jazzfest in New Orleans. The tracks from the new album can be heard in various New Funky Spotify lists. As soon as the record will be released on vinyl, it will be available at The New Funky Vinyl.