T-Son combat sol

"Combat Sol is a dense, multi layered work, which takes a few listens before you fully submerge yourself in the intricacies of the T-Son sound."
 Real Groove Magazine

Combat Sol is the debut album from T-Son, the latest project from Benny Staples, which will be released through his new label, WE R Recordings. Benny has been an integral part of the New Zealand music scene for over 20 years now, ever since he first banged the drums in legendary, early ’80s soul punk band The Newmatics. The Newmatics reformed last year to play the sell-out True Colours show and to issue a long-overdue debut album, Riot Squad.

In 1985 Benny moved to London and joined influential English indie band, The Woodentops, co-writing their Second Summer of Love Ibiza hit Why Why Why, which was played out by DJs such as Marshall Jefferson and Paul Oakenfold. Returning to New Zealand in 1989 to write and perform the music for the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, where he played live to a 30 million-strong worldwide television audience.

In the mid ‘90s, Benny formed Lava Lava with Underworld engineer Mike Nielsen. Releasing their debut album, Burnt in 1997, their dynamic live shows paved the way for live dance music in this country. More recently, Benny has made a name for himself as a resident DJ at influential club nights like Hooky, Paradise BomB and Thunder & Joy.

Tracklisting:

T-Son stands for The Sound of Newton, the inner city Auckland suburb where Benny lived when the album was recorded. Combat Sol is an eclectic, MPC driven smorgasbord of sound and rhythm which deftly cuts and pastes the hip-hop, punk, soul and funk that Benny has loved ever since he discovered The Clash in the early ‘80s. Combat Sol is also Benny’s most personal work to date as it embarks upon an emotional trip which touches on the dark side through the death of Benny’s mother and the break-up of his first marriage before returning to the light with such life affirming themes as the birth of his second child.

Benny produced Combat Sol in collaboration with engineer Luke Tomes (Bic Runga, Stellar*). Luke also engineered Soane’s recently released debut album, TonganChic, which Benny played percussion on under his ‘Benny Lee’ guise. Combat Sol also includes Protest One which was recorded as LAPD with Thunder & Joy’s DJ Tobi and The Scrape, which is co-produced by Mu and Dallas from Fat Freddy’s Drop, with whom Benny occasionally plays.

Benny produced most of Combat Sol, provides most of the drums and sings for the first time on tracks like the nursery rhyme style, Disco Dad, which also features the wails of his young son, Sol. However, T-Son is not a solo venture but a fully fledged band which combines the best of young and old, such as sparkling vocal talent Crissy Diamond, formerly a member of Tardus Music act Cheshire, who duet with Benny on Combat Sol’s first single, Baby Come On and takes centre stage on future single, Face The Day. Aaron Murphy, who plays in Anika Moa’s band, contributes not only bass but also provides some mean human beatbox action. While Johnny ‘Bongo’ Quigley of Nairobi Trio and The Bongos fame plays guitar, Frances Chan supplies percussion and The Newmatics’s Chris ‘Wah Wah’ Watts contributes saxophone.

Following the release of Combat Sol, Benny and friends will be taking the fully funked up experience which is T-Son live on the road.


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