Zonk: Half Human (Harmony Machine)
RIYL: Dee-Lite, Portishead, De La Soul
This is a summer suggestion: If you are going to be human, choose the half that grooves. San Francisco’s Zonk offers a sound that falls in between Dee-Lite and Portishead…and does so comfortably. The quartet of Nic McFiendish, Dave L, Uncle Bergie, and DJ Red5 present a slow, groove-infested seven-song EP with compact beats, breathy vocals, and cool jams. It is that cool breeze that blows through a hot summer night: gentle, but moving. Especially check out the jazzy “Audio Caffeine” and the butt-shaker “Sold It for a Song.” The band has a full-length coming out in the near future; the groove in our hearts (and butts) waits in anticipation.