Danny Massure

Danny Massure - What It Is

What a really surprising album this has turned out to be from Danny Massure, here was I looking at the cover and the fact that it was a DJ that was behind it, expecting it to be a fairly repetitive dance album. I couldn’t have been more wrong though, for while he does mix in breaks and house elements the overall feel of the album is that of a 70’s funk record.

It’s nearer in sound to the likes of Lack Of Afro and Quantic Soul Orchestra, although he has gone down the latter’s route of keeping it sample free. Some of the tracks do edge towards a more soulful sound, which is no bad thing and then you get little surprises such as Sweet Miss Rae which kicks in with some funky Hammond Organ, always a favourite of mine.

The album is out now through Spring Strut.
- http://www.thebeatsurrender.co.uk

Danny Massure – What It Is (Spring Strut)

Web: http://www.dannymassure.com
Danny Massure is a jazzy cat with a spring in his step and a cool swagger, who hails from the Coffee capital and sounds like he enjoys it from his LP intro! This album is a cool neo funkified and jazzed out offering, which features a range of talented musicians and no samples. What It Is may not be particularly innovative, but features lovely tracks such as a sweet vocal ditty entitled Heaven, the mellow saxed out Sunbreak and the graceful Soledad. It is a summery treat.

JF - http://hearingisbelieving.blogspot.com

B+ "What It Is"

Danny Massure

Spring Strut Recordings

A former Oceanside resident who relocated to Seattle, Danny Massure has a new collection of his funk-soul grooves out that shows he took more than his luggage and instruments on his move north. "What It Is" has the unmistakable imprint of San Diego's music scene, particularly the Greyboy Allstars and various offshoots. With his seamless blending of soul, jazz and Latin, Massure's music is a natural extension of the Allstars' own extension of what Fattburger had done in San Diego in the '80s (which followed Fattburger's own roots in Bruce Cameron's San Diego-based jazz fusion combos of the 1970s).

More aggressive than the Allstars, Massure's latest effort also has more of a techno vibe to it. But it's not Eurobeat, not with that live horn section that recalls the glory days of the Ohio Players and Parliament. There's also the jazz- and blues-based call-and-response structure on most of the songs, and a sophistication to the arrangements that leads to the listener discovering new facets to the songs on each subsequent listen.

It doesn't exactly hurt, either, that the musicians on the album are all stellar players. The sax of Michael Deasy Jr. on "Four Wheel Slide" is equal parts soul and imagination (and his playing on other tracks is equally riveting). Guitarist Eric Goetz absolutely captures the essence of funk guitar with superb riffing and a beat so steady you could build a Bulova around it. And how have we not heard singer Loretta Jones all over the radio?

His MySpace page (myspace.com/dannymassure) shows only Seattle-area shows on tap (although the disc is widely available online); it would be good to see him play something closer to his old stomping grounds soon. - nctimes.com

"Danny Massure is a true musician: DJ, producer, songwriter, drummer, and a couple other things, he certainly knows how to make some good music. This is shown well on his new album What it is. Similar in nature to the of Mr. Scruff, Massure is at the forefront of the Acid/Jazz/Funk movement, doing it all from Seattle, Washington. There are no samples on his new release, either...this cat is old school, doing everything instrumental and ringin' beautiful tones. Check out "Rock the Afro" below to find out."
-URB Magazine - URB Magazine

"Making a decent acid jazz/funk track is one thing, making a whole album of the stuff is quite the other. Many acts over the years have tried and failed to create the perfect party album. In order to get it right you need plenty of big tunes, really big tunes. Danny Massure's eponymous release on Tickle Junk has some massive tunes. Both "Rewind" and "Hotchacha" have already been released as singles and frankly, no self respecting DJ should be without these two beauties. The Valique remix of "Hotchaha" is also included in here too and is essential listening. The Seattle-based DJ, programmer and all-round mastermind has some equally powerful grooves buried on this CD. "Mama Didn't Lie" could be the biggest song on this release. It's damn funky and as catchy as hell. "Rock The Afro" is a serious contender for the dance hall killer track of the year and is so funky, it hurts. But watch out for some of the slower, more Latinesque tracks. Songs like "Sunbreak" and "Four Wheel Slide" have a more soulful vibe. There's also time for some serious Hammond with "Sweet Miss Rae" recreating the glory days of JTQ and the Brand New Heavies. If you are serious about funky, jazzy grooves, Danny Massure's work has to be on your wishlist."
~ Jamie Hailstone, Properlychilled.com
- Jamie Hailstone, Properlychilled.com

"Rarely are funk outfits as outlandishly eclectic as The Ticklejunk Allstars, but these dudes produce jams that make the rounds through just about every dance genre known to man. Mixing breakbeats, housey grooves, and lounge-friendly guitar lines, Ticklejunk is on the path to redeeming Rick James."
- XLR8R Magazine
- XLR8R Magazine

"What do you get when you take Will Holland out of the UK and smack him with a West Coast 2x4? Well, I guess you get a pissed off Will Holland, but metaphorically speaking you might get an oblique similarity to Danny Massure's persona. Distinctly funk-da-fied, Massure blends top-notch percussive grooves with horns, some well placed vocals and a whole lot o' rhythm..."
-Toneschool.com - Toneschool.com

Danny Massure is based in Seattle, Washington and the Flow Dynamics of the West Coast USA. Distinctly funky with a massive live element to his shows. - straightup.com.au

Danny Massure is really active a musician. Not only is he a drummer, he’s also a creative author who has created an excellent creative community around himself. That was the Ticklejunk Allstars, and this is, after the previous one from last summer, their second studio album. It is the name that had changed, however, the contributors remained the same - there’re even more of them at times. It is still the blessed producing work of Danny that places the production to be entire whole, and we also can enjoy the wicked sound due to that. The content is funk again; the solutions are different. By each song. Those ones, who like to name those emotions and influences formed into shaped musical landscapes they listen to, will say, besides one disco, there are jazz, house, breaks and hip-hop tracks on this album. It shouldn’t be surprising, as the colorful musician crew’s sampling free play, solely recorded on instruments, gets on with anything, and has everything sounded truly and clean through all over the the 12 songs of the disc. If the audience of the good old beat generation still lived an active musical life then this album would definitely be sold out in no time."
-Clairvo, Mustbeat, Hungary - Clairvo

At the moment the music getting me through the work day is a DJ set from local funkster Danny Massure. It’s just over an hour of funk/soul breaks originally recorded for the Monotape Radio Show, and it’s well worth a listen. You can get it here if the player below doesn’t work for you (or if you want the MP3).

If you’re looking for the same kind of flavor live, Massure and his band (Danny Massure Breakdown) are playing tonight at the Highway 99 Blues Club from 9pm to midnight. Here’s a video of them playing. - The Stranger