Paris, France’s The Hypnotiks are a genuinely unconventional act. Built around a core lineup of musicians, they also deploy a stable of guest singers, meaning no two of their tracks are truly alike.
By Graeme Smith
The concept recalls Mark Ronson’s various projects, and the band certainly have a similar penchant for classic grooves. Their latest single, Stone Cold Sober, feels like it could have been lifted from the ‘60s or ‘70s yet tells a very modern tale.
“I had reconnected with my cousin who had cleaned up after spending years on the streets of L.A., and as we talked, the lyrics for the song just started coming,” says band leader James Startt.
It’s a story that touches on inequality and desperation, delivered with genuine, powerful emotion by guest singer Wolfgang Valbrun. I was interested to know how the rotating vocalist structure works for the band.
“We work with several singers,” says Startt, “although we have a core group that includes Athéna Mawuena, Kissia San [lead singer of The Excitements] as well as Gabe Zinq and Wolfgang, both [of whom] also have their own solo projects.”
Playing live the band always have one male and one female singer on stage. “One of the comments we receive the most is just how much the band has a sound all its own, regardless of who is fronting us on any given night.
“We have a special connection with all of our singers, and we have a real shared history with them, but I think they know that when they play with us that it is going to be different from most soul bands because we have a unique sound. There is a real push and pull to our music.”
That unique sound comes through in Stone Cold Sober too, blending timelessness with modernity, energy, and dynamism.
When I asked Startt who he’d love to work with he lamented that most of them are no longer with us, name-checking Charles Bradley, O.V. Wright, and Ann Peebles (who is thankfully still going.) Kelly Finnigan from the still touring The Monophonics also made the list.
Though now based in Paris, Startt grew up in Chicago, USA. A formative experience was seeing Muddy Waters perform when Startt was a teenager. He’s also seen Buddy Guy play several times. “As a result, I really look for musicians that play with all of their heart and soul, and who really lay it on the line every time we get on stage or go into the studio,” he says.
Startt is a proponent of keeping things raw and loose during the recording process. “Too often we spend so much time adding layers during the recording and mixing process that something gets lost,” he says.
The Hypnotiks infectious energy and fresh approach has served them well within Paris’s booming groove scene. “I think we have earned a reputation for a band that can really pack places, and we have sold out every gig month in and month out for the past year and a half,” says Startt when I ask him how it feels to be part of it.
“It’s interesting because we have always played in a lot of jazz clubs, and Paris has a rich jazz tradition. But at the same time these clubs have all seem to have come to the same conclusion, and that is if you want to pack the place, you really have to have music that makes people move, and soul and funk are a natural extension of that.”
Not resting on their laurels, The Hypnotiks already have their next single planned, this time a collaboration with a South Carolina-based hip-hop artist. “It’s ready to go. We are just waiting to drop it,” teases Startt. The band have been working on other singles and hope to release an album soon.
If you want to keep up to date with what they’re doing, you can by heading to their website and following them on Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, and Instagram.
Stone Cold Sober is out now, and you can listen to it below.
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator
