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The New Mastersounds: A Rare Groove

Jim Mina
Jim Mina

The New Mastersounds
Credit The New Mastersounds
New Mastersounds drummer Simon Allen

For the last 16 years The New Mastersoundshave developed unique blend of Jazz, Soul and Boogaloo. Formed in Leeds in the late 90’s by drummer Simon Allen and guitarist Eddie Roberts, the duo eventually added bassist Pete Shand and keyboardist Joe Tatton. 

Their sound borrowed the organ meets funky soul grooves of Booker T and The Meters, occasionally adding vocals and horns into their compositions.  Over the years a heavy touring and recording schedule has produced 24 7” singles, 9 studio albums, 2 live albums, a DJ remix album and 3 compilations. 

The band is currently on their Summer 2017 tour taking them from Japan, through Europe, and finishing in the States.  HPR's dj mr. nickcaught up with drummer Simon Allen during his show Bridging the Gap

Also listen to guitarist Eddie Roberts on HPR’s talk show The Conversation

The New Mastersounds perform at the Blue Note Hawaiithrough Saturday. More information and tickets can be found here

Nick Yee’s passion for music developed at an early age, as he collected jazz and rock records pulled from dusty locations while growing up in both Southern California and Honolulu. In college he started DJing around Honolulu, playing Jazz and Bossa Nova sets at various lounges and clubs under the name dj mr.nick. He started to incorporate Downtempo, House and Breaks into his sets as his popularity grew, eventually getting DJ residences at different Chinatown locations. To this day, he is a fixture in the Honolulu underground club scene, where his live sets are famous for being able to link musical and cultural boundaries, starting mellow and building the audience into a frenzy while steering free of mainstream clichés.
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