fDeluxe

A redefined, new alternative funk era has arisen out of an established band formerly known as The Family. One Family album equaled a passionate fan base hungry for album two. In 2011 the long wait was over, Family fans met fDeluxe. The Family was a Prince instigated Warner Bros release that received critical acclaim, included a top 10 R&B hit, Screams Of Passion and introduced Nothing Compares 2 U which was famously covered by Sinead O’Connor. The band disbanded after one concert - a sold out show at Minneapolis’ famous First Avenue - and, while they remained in friendly touch with each other, the members forged careers down separate paths.
 
That is until mutual friend Sheila E. convinced them to reunite for a huge charity concert in L.A.’s Forum. A year later Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots persuaded them to appear at his hot ticket post Grammy party. Call it fate but the gigs all but dictated that the group pool their resources and focus on what has become that highly anticipated second album. St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin put on their writing hats, called Eric Leeds and Jellybean Johnson into the studio, wrestled with the legal requirement of a new name and the thrilling result is fDeluxe!
 
The band’s highly anticipated second album Gaslight was released in October 2011 and quickly became a critics favorite featuring in numerous end of year lists. The album was afforded a double page spread in England’s Sunday Times who proclaimed
“From the skintight beats of Gaslight’s opening track, Drummers and Healers, fDeluxe’s supremely taut and sensual soul is not only intact, it’s rejuvenated. The former disciples of the elfin one have returned, 25 years wiser, to make a statement — self-produced, self-released and one of the most exciting records I’ve heard this year.”
Guitarist Magazine called it “a perfectly distilled dose of funk and modern soul that lights up your brain like a pinball machine from the first beat“ while Echoes (UK) stated emphatically that “Gaslight makes one thing resoundingly clear: with Prince nowhere in sight, fDeluxe have created a far more absorbing and multi-layered album than anything the man himself has put his name to for at least a decade.” Gaslight combined the essence of the original Family album with the band’s subsequent influences and intoxicating musical journeys. fDeluxe is that rare band that combines clever, modern material, studio savvy and the stage experience to tear the roof off.
 
fDeluxe returned to the stage in July 2011 with a blistering showcase performance of old and new material at the Minnesota Black Music Awards. Their first full show followed in September 2011 with a sold out concert at the Loring Theater in Minneapolis followed by similarly packed houses in LA, Yoshi’s Oakland and Joe’s Pub in NYC. 2012 saw them performing in Europe at prestigious venues such as The Jazz Cafe in London, Paradiso in Amsterdam and Ancienne Belgique (AB) in Brussels while in the US they teamed with longtime friend Sheila E for sold out shows in New York and Washington DC.
 
fDeluxe released Relit, a 14 track CD of remixed versions of songs from Gaslight that is available exclusively from the band’s website and digitally via various outlets including iTunes, Amazon and bandcamp in late 2012.
 
In March 2013 they were standout performers at an star studded event at NYC’s Carnegie Hall alongside the likes of Chris Rock, Elvis Costello, D’Angelo, Booker T Jones, The Waterboys, Betty LaVette and many more. Billboard proclaimed, “the show reached its funkiest echelon when fDeluxe came out to perform with the Roots,” while Village Voice described it as &a dominant appearance by fDeluxe whose high-energy funk set was otherwise a master class in bass-driven grooves.&
 
fDeluxe are currently working on 2 new projects for release in 2014: Live & Tight, a live recording featuring tracks from The Family & Gaslight albums and a new studio album titled  AM Static.