Beast From The East

Mixed, mastered and produced by Malcolm Cecil, this horn-laden, organ-rinsed album from Caribbean funksters Mandrill is a nice fusion of funk, Latin and rock. It’s from that moment in the mid-seventies when the 4/4 rhythms and synthetic strings of disco were beginning to seep into the production of bands like Mandrill but it’s still essentially a funk record, albeit one with expansive influences. So you get occasional touches of jazz, Latin-flavoured tracks like ‘Panama,’ rich soundtrack-esque jams like ‘Aqua-Magic,’ Stax-style horns on ‘Ratchet’ and peaceful synth instrumentals like ‘Synthia Song.’