The Beat Horizon

With bands like Adam and the Waxmen and the Soul Movement finding plenty of fans, it’s no surprise the Beat Horizon are starting to make some noise here. Clearly, people want to shake their asses these days, and this ska-soul-funk outfit will oblige them six days a week, and twice on Sunday. The Beat Horizon are a hell of a lot of fun, part Jimmy Cliff, part Widespread Panic. “Jump Around” gets its dub on, with a great flute solo and a riff on that old House of Pain vibe, even if the two tunes only really share that title. “Fire and Ice” is more pop reggae, with an organ base, electric guitar riffing, and a crooning chorus: “Are you my water, to quench this thirst?” If you’ve got a thirst for an upstroke beat and plenty of pounding horns, the Beat Horizon should quench that just fine. - The Phoenix

The Beat Horizon is a local dance band for hire, and this is their first CD, a six-song EP of original material packaged to promote. The group markets its sound as a mix of reggae, ska, Afrobeat, funk, hip hop and Latin music. In practice, it’s basically reggae with hints and elements of the rest.
As dance music, it works. The band is comprised of some seasoned Portland musicians, like the rhythm section of drummer Tim Myers (The Piners, Sabertooth Nudist, etc.) and bassist Greg Goodwin (Dominique Lise, with Myers, most recently). Dave Butts does triple duty on keyboards, sax and flute, and Justin Brown rounds out the group on guitar. The playing is tight and professional . - The Bollard