Synthonic scores majestic and suave funk tunes on "Lampin'."

Endowed with surplus funk and ingenuity, solo moniker Synthonic's newest project "Lampin'" takes instrumental experimentation to another notch: decadent grooves and unexpected twists team up in a series of dynamic records, all shaping up to be yet another successful milestone for the talented composer. 

A Jazz pianist by profession, Kieron Garrett has donned the 'Synthonic' alias on a creative agenda: to blur the lines between electronic music and good-old, raw funk music; the London-based producer has quickly gathered a sizable streaming audience with his creative vision. Synthonic seems to be taking cues anywhere from 80s Boogie to contemporary Jazz-fusion (as demonstrated on well-received tracks like "Heads Banging" and "Sunshine"), coming up with a versatile merger between vintage and modernistic sounds. This has also granted him further limelight on various events, with "Lampin'" set to be revealed during the Sidmouth International Jazz Festival on the 24th of May.

"All Day, Every Day" begins on a laid-back note: this opening instrumental is embellished with flaring trumpets bringing in a sense of drama, and a fluid bassline that feels straight out of a G-Funk record. The drums have a casual demeanor, almost replicating chill-hop with their sequencing. Right after, "Big Fat Funk" justifies its title with cheery rhythms— squelchy low-end and upbeat brass push the groove forward— as a surprise alteration trades the lively bebop for a solo segment replete with keep-it-cool guitar riffs and soulful chords, going right back into the fray by the end of that minute.

On "El Paseo," the composition strips away to basics with the flowing bass notes and droning chords, with electro-funk inclinations sewn into the beat. Ironically unapologetic for the prior groove overdose, "I Said I'm Sorry" is laced with an elegant and percussive backbeat, as the first half rejoices with the dominating trumpets (not to forget the tonally-shifting vocal snippets), with the finishing from a rippling pianoforte, which offers an emotional coda.

Of course, this discussion is far from over without the titular track: the song adopts a similar relaxed hip-hop tempo, in cohorts with wah-wah guitars, free-flowing piano, and a meticulous saxophone serving as the proverbial cherry on the top. Another notable addition afterward is "Spiral," where syncopated and brisk jazz-rock harmonies come together with a prominent lead synth as its main star, contorting and gliding like nobody's business. Before departing, listeners are treated to the only vocal number, "Tonight": embedded with an artistic demonstration in dissonance between the singing and the rest of the ensemble, this unconventional technique renders this as a special ending to this LP.

Listen to "Lampin'" on Spotify, and stay tuned with Synthonic on Instagram.