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AUGUST 15, 2007
Shaunna Hall: Electrofunkadelica
BY DAN MCMAHON
Shaunna Hall has been on the music scene for quite a while, and with her new album, Electrofunkadelica, shows she's still got it and is still growing. This album spans a gamut of genres ranging from electronic, to folk, to funk, to hip-hop. Hall engineered the album herself using an Apple Powerbook, an M-Box and Pro Tools while she was on tour with George Clinton and the P-funk All-Stars.
The first track has Hall giving a hats off to Clinton by covering "Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts," focusing on the beautiful and socially charged lyrics over a trance-like, psychedelic groove. Hall takes care of vocals on this one, yet shares the duties with others throughout the album, including rapper Sativa Diva.
Hall's ability to utilize looping shines throughout all 12 tracks, though especially eight, nine, 10 and 12, on which it's just her and her pedals. Track 10, "Save Myself," and 12, "Details," sound like a modern twist on the wave of inspiration that gave birth to her mega-hit group, Four Non-Blondes. These are the two tunes she really sings. This sista's got soul.
Aside from the tunes, she applies ambient sounds and textural grooves with orchestral thoughtfulness throughout, leaning toward an almost movie-soundtrack vibe. Hall seems to be making music for the sake of music, which is a musical ideologist's dream. The tracks are as long as she wanted them, which happens to be longer than the standard radio playtime. Though not logical from a business standpoint, it's spiritually a commendable act. This looping, funky-soul diva is definitely on my radar.
- Boisey Weekly
Jaunuary 2008
Electrofunkadelica is the name and Shaunna Hall is the female playing the game! Get ready for an earful of thick funk rhythms mixing with spaced out psychedelics atop of Northern California’s very best homegrown electronic beats, loops and samples!
Opening the album, Electrofunkadelica pay tribute to the famous funk band, Funkadelic (George Clinton, Bernie Worrell), with an up-tempo six minute version of “Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts,” cutting the original version’s length in 1/2, while still retaining the magic that allows the listener an easy route toward forward, higher-level introspective thought evoked through music.
In the 1970’s Black Sabbath had released a song by the title of "Sweet Leaf". This pro-cannabis “anthem” is given the 2006 Electrofunkadelica update, using sped up guitar licks, screaming guitar solos, and the positive vibrations of Sativa Diva on the microphone. This 2006 updated version is a “sweet” example of past generations handing down sacred traditions to the young and “budding” prospects of our world.
Slightly down the road we come across an instrumental song that was so nice, you’ll have to listen twice! Yes, “Beauty Sleeps” combines militant marching drums with psychedelic guitars to form the foundation on which violin and cello play sliding scales of illuminating lo-fi and experimental indie rock, making for a true living loving experience of music and the emotions that it stirs within the listener at the drop of a hat.
“A divine pleasure it is to find music written this well, that doesn’t conform to the standards imposed by genre or demographic.”—Brian Ball, Talent Director
- womens' Radio.com
Discography
Electrofunkadelica-
"e3+FUNKnth=music for the body, mind & soul"
Make Music, Not War Records 2006
Guitar, producer, songwriter, more
Streaming & Radio Tracks: Beauty Sleeps, Loop Station, Sweet Leef 2006, Second Wind, Loop Station, Naughty, The Third Eye, Save My Self
Photos
Bio
Shaunna Hall
Bio
Guitarist, Songwriter and Producer Shaunna Hall's current project is called Electrofunkadelica, and is a collection of recordings and 3 videos written, produced and recorded almost entirely on a Macintosh laptop, mostly while on the road with P-funk, and includes performances by P-Funk members, friends such as Eric McFadden, as well as vocal and guitar performances by Shaunna Hall.
She is currently touring with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic as a guitarist.
Shaunna Hall began her musical career in San Francisco, studying at Blue Bear School of American Music with Grammy Award winning songwriter Bonnie Hayes in the early 80s. She co-founded the hugely successful rock group 4 Non Blondes with Linda Perry, Christa Hillhouse, and original drummer Wanda Day in 1989. The 1992 multi platinum Interscope Records release �Bigger, Better, Faster, More!�, contains her compositions �Morphine & Chocolate� and �Spaceman�, as well as guitar performances.
Shaunna remained in the Bay Area working as a band leader, session guitarist, producer and songwriter until she moved to Barcelona in 2002, and began touring with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in July of the same year. She relocated to, in early 2006, and was made an official P-Funk band member in 2007.
Electrofunkadelica is a mixture of elements from electronica, funk, Nu-metal, old metal, hip-hop, pop, neo-classical, mediterranean and jazz, melded and mashed into contemporary music for the modern international listener. Some songs contain social and political messages, some are emotional and inspirational, and some are just plain fun.
The videos range from harsh political commentary to dramatic cinematic to silliness, expressing visually a broad range of feelings and emotions found in real life, made with a hi-tech, low-fi production value dichotomy. Art films? Home video? You decide!
Electrofunkadelica: "e3+FUNKnth= music for the body, mind and soul." June 25, 2006
The Electrofunkadelica live performance features, Shaunna on guitar, keys, and electronic sources including looping samplers, usually drummer Kevin Carnes, as well as occasional guest vocalists and instrumentalists. Projected visual imagery plays a large part of an Electrofunkadelica show, with VJ mixing, animation and film. When possible, this show will provide a totally submersive experience for the audience, using the cutting edge visual techniques of VJ's and projected imagery.
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