The Mighty Mocambos, A Higher Frequency Review

By Icrom Bigrad

The Mighty Mocambos play funk. They breathe it, stretch it, and baptize it in jazz fusion until it glows. On A Higher Frequency, the German collective hits a new stride, locking into an analog-fueled, groove-drenched trance that’s as engaging as it is dirty. Recorded live-to-tape in the legendary MPS Studio in the Black Forest with a nine-piece band and pristine 1960s gear, this session feels alive in your hands. The warmth is real, the ensemble interplay is ferocious, and the balance between raw breakbeat funk and jazz-informed exploration is struck with the precision of seasoned players who know exactly how to serve the song and the soul.

The album opens with “Open The Gate,” a punchy mission statement drenched in vintage horn tension and backbeat aggression. Think Blaxploitation noir scored by a funk ensemble with something to prove. “Get Loose” shifts the energy into a Blue Note-meets-JB zone, with piano-led grooves and horn lines that practically wink with Mancini-esque class. The album’s deeper cuts don’t let up. “Spinning” swirls psychedelic textures with flute-led soul-jazz improv, evoking Herbie Mann and Yusef Lateef if they’d been booked for a late-night set in a Berlin club.

“Phantom Power” ventures even further, integrating the electric phin (a Thai lute) with rhythmic builds and percussive breakdowns that suggest a new world order where global timbres live comfortably inside funk’s chassis. “When We Roll” is pure movement: disco-jazz horns, bounce-heavy drums, and a smile behind every hit. The closing track, “Homebound,” lands on a gospel-inflected, cinematic swell—a benediction of sorts, bringing the spiritual warmth full circle.

What makes A Higher Frequency a solid fusion funk record is its commitment to groove as its foundation, regardless of the harmonies and improvisations. Every solo, every arrangement choice, grows from that core pulse. It’s also rich in texture: clavinet, flute, organ, brass, and exotic colors like the phin are woven into tight frameworks with elastic freedom. The analog recording method deserves credit, too. There’s air in these tracks that let the space between notes be heard, nuance in the dynamics, and a depth that only live-to-tape can capture. It’s the sound of humans in a room, pushing and reacting in real-time, sweating out ideas into microphones. This is the kind of recording where musicians become a conduit of the groove itself.

The way horns punch in without muddying the rhythm, the way breaks are built and released with intention. The spatial cohesion and tonal character from old-school gear in a high-vibe room make the rhythmic layering a joy to unpack. It’s tight but breathable, precise, but never rigid.

A Higher Frequency is a powerful jazz-funk fusion experience rooted in deep groove, elevated by spontaneity, and delivered with both reverence and risk. The Mighty Mocambos have found a sweet spot in analog grit, where every note has weight, and every rhythm tells a story.