Tomás Doncker & The True Groove All-Stars has today released their new single titled ‘Wha-Gwaan!’ featuring Frank Benbini from Fun Lovin’ Criminals via True Groove Records.
A new school groove with a world beat and a universal rhythm, Tomás takes his beyond original soulful take on what vocals should be and combines that with a guttural sequel to a Marvin Gaye classic. And, if you know the meaning of that Marvin Gaye classic, then you get an idea of what the necessity of ‘Wha-Gwaan!’ truly is.
Almost touching the core of all that drives and moves us, ‘Wha-Gwaan!’ is one of those tracks that makes you think as much as it makes you feel, and does it with all the feels. This is music at it’s core. That driving force that unites those of us who listen and divides the ones that refuse to get it.
I hoe this is where the indie music scene is headed.
Check out our other features with Tomás Doncker & The True Groove All-Stars HERE.
About ‘Wha-Gwaan!’
Tomás Doncker has long been a prime mover on the New York music, arts and culture scenes. From the early 1980s, as a member of groundbreaking No Wave and Punk Funk bands The Contortions and Defunkt, international touring, recording and songwriting collaborations with luminaries such as Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello, Madonna, Ivan Neville, The Specials and the legendary Ms. Patti Smith, to helming his own band, The True Groove All-Stars, Tomás has established himself as a cross-genre innovator without peer.
Doncker’s previous works have seen praise from the likes of BBC, CNN, Huff Post, MOJO, Spin, Brooklyn Vegan, NPR’s ‘All Songs Considered’, Guitar World, All About Jazz, Paste Magazine, Rolling Stone and Blues Matters Magazine where he was a recent main cover feature.
‘Wha-Gwaan!’ follows September’s EP ‘The AMPlified Soul Remixes’, Doncker’s most recent collaboration with the late acclaimed, grammy award winning ‘ambassador of funk’ Amp Fiddler, renowned for his performances with the likes of Prince and Seal.
The track serves as a wake up call to the increasing levels of social and racial injustice and the lack of acknowledgement of it.
On Wha-Gwaan!’s subject matter, Doncker says, “The Legendary Nigerian Godfather of Afro Beat, Fela Ransome Kuti once said: ‘Music is the weapon of the future’. Well… The future is most definitely NOW! ‘Wah Gwaan’ is a Jamaican Patois greeting that means ‘what’s going on?’ or ‘what’s up?’. The lyric is a modern day riff on Marvin Gaye’s classic ‘What’s Going On’. Through an Afro Beat/Funk-Rebel music lens. It was designed to be a wake up call response to the seemingly increasing presence of social injustice in the world today. The hypnotic dub-funk groove is brought to the boiling point by the legendary Frank Benbini (Fun Lovin’ Criminals/UB40/Uncle Frank), who I’m thrilled makes a guest appearance on drums and hype vocals.”
Alongside the single’s release Doncker is also pleased to announce a show at London’s legendary Cumberland Hotel, a venue steeped in rich cultural history which has seen previous performances from the likes of Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Holly. The event will be run in conjunction with Eel Pie Records, a music studio originally founded by The Who’s Peter Townshend and reignited as a record store / music culture hub by Kevin Jones and Phil Penman hoping to keep its rich musical legacy alive. Jones and Penman are also the lead producers / curators of Twickenham’s beloved High Tide festival. The show will feature some very special guests and sees Doncker backed by his True Groove All-Stars band which include members of The Specials.
Doncker is fast becoming a mainstay in venues throughout the UK and was recently invited to support KillerStar at their upcoming two night stint at London’s The 100 Club, a band which features an array of David Bowie’s most trusted musical collaborators.
About Tomás Doncker & The True Groove All-Stars
For over a decade, Doncker’s expansive creative endeavors have found a home with his label / production hub True Groove Records. Projects have included work with Ravid Kahalani, P-Funk alumni Michael ‘Kidd Funkadelic’ Hampton and Amp Fiddler, Hip Hop pioneer Keith Shocklee (Public Enemy/Bomb Squad), and iconic bassist / producer Bill Laswell.
His ongoing musical collaborations with New York Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa yielded the critically acclaimed albums Big Apple Blues, The Mercy Suite and The Black Magnolia Project. Most recently, Doncker and Komunyakaa joined forces with visual artist Floyd Tunson to create ‘ENDANGERED’ in June of 2022, an immersive multimedia experience which addresses the historical conundrum that black men in America are endangered. Inspired by Tunson’s Afro-Futuristic and politically charged artwork, and powered by lyrics from Komunyakaa, Doncker composed a sonic journey to freedom, a modern-day Revolution of the Mind, that has been hailed as “a socio-politically charged audio-visual soundtrack of 21st Century dissent, discomfort and reclamation.”
LINKS:
https://tomasdoncker.com
https://www.facebook.com/TomasDonckerMusic
https://www.instagram.com/tomasdonckerofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6On4s2o0VoJgjFQRdSuAEz
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tom%C3%A1s-doncker/468939501
https://music.amazon.com/artists/B00GVMR32E/tom%C3%A1s-doncker
