ROCKERS GALORE – “SWEET SENSEI”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
Get ready to bask in the glow of Rockers Galore‘s newest masterpiece! One of Philadelphia’s finest reggae-hip hop collectives is back to ignite our souls with “Sweet Sensei”, a summer anthem that’s pure sunshine in sonic form, involving an appearance by vocalist Talia Morris – so fitting due to her incredibly warm vocal timbre.
This new single is a sonic embrace of the tropics. With a rhythm that washes over you like gentle waves and melodies as warm as the summer sun, it captures the essence of island life. The music, a potent blend of Marley’s optimism, Black Uhuru’s raw energy, and Steel Pulse’s conscious lyrics, creates a hypnotic soundscape that transports you to a white-sand beach, the salty breeze carrying the infectious beat into your soul.
Soon the band will be releasing their debut album Vamos a la Playa, – the product of many years’ work, following a steady stream of singles and EPs. This new single and most of the album tracks were recorded, mixed & mastered at Milkboy the Studio by Tommy Joyner (of Digable Planets), who has overseen recordings by James Taylor, Dave Matthews and Miley Cyrus, among many other notable artists.
Founded in 2008 by seasoned multi-instrumentalist Blayer Pointdujour, Rockers Galore began as a solo project, gradually involving other artists who were passionate about vision and based on a fruitful songwriting partnership with guitarist Adam Benites. The band debuted as recording artists with their Port Au Prince EP in 2011.
Most recently, they released the single “Blood In The Sand”, along with a fun and vibrant video. That single brings double the fun with guitar prowess by way of virtuoso Joe Jordan (Oxymorrons, Pure Hell, JJX) and a passionate Spanish spoken word performance by Sydelle Prosopio towards the end of the song.
With a fantastic and infectious fusion of old-school funk and brand-new spunk, Rockers Galore’s music is a clever blend of roots, hip hop, reggae, rock, Haitian kompa music and Latin rhythms. Vamos a la Playa is the culmination of four years of songwriting, rehearsals, pre-production and arrangements across distances. From initial sketches through to full realization, the tracks found on this album eventually crystallized in a professional studio, where the final recordings were completed and ultimately mixed and mastered.
“For this album, we took our time and waited until we felt inspired to write. This is a mix of rhythms we enjoy playing. We aim to honor our diverse backgrounds in music and create a new sound that people have not heard before. We believe this is our best work to date,” says Blayer Pontdujour, adding, “I grew up with a lot of first-generation Americans. We all came from different backgrounds but we learned to respect each others’ cultures. I try to mix the genres in an effort to bring everyone together.”
Since Rockers Galore released their debut EP Port Au Prince in 2011, they’ve released the singles “Philando”, “Cultivation”, “Bloody Crown” and “Big Haiti’s Dream”, as well as three EP’s – Sak Pase in 2019, Troddin Out of Babylon in 2021, and Promised Land in 2022.
“Sweet Sensei” is out now from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Their Vamos a la Playa album will be released on September 13.
Credits
Music written by Blayer Pointdujour & Adam Benites
Blayer Pointdujour – Lyrics, Vocals, Keyboards and Bass
Adam Benites – Guitar
Joe Jordan – Guitar
Sydelle Prosopio – Spoken word (poem reading)
Tyler Hayduk – Keyboards
Michael Pipitone – Drum Programming
Chris Tolomeo – Trumpet
Josiah Krawiec – Saxophone
Produced by Blayer Pointdujour and Adam Benites
“Blood In The Sand” mixed & mastered at Creep Records by Arik Creep
“Sweet Sensei” recorded, mixed & mastered by Tommy Joyner at Milkboy the Studio
Cover artwork by Michael Pipitone
Artist photo by JP Tolomeo
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Video Credits
Video filmed by @Southstphilly, Carlie Sweeney & Melissa Rivera
Video edited by Marques Adams
Blayer Pointdujour – vocals and guitar
Charles Francis Duquesne – conga
Julius Rivera – djembe
Talia Morris – backing vocals
While you’re here, you should also soak up the first video introduced from their debut album – for “Blood In The Sand”, featuring Joe Jordan:
Rockers Galore
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: August 20, 2024
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: JP Tolomeo
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