A (relatively) in-depth analysis of British funk band Cymande in under thirty minutes.

Cymande was formed in London, in 1971. All were members of an Afro-Caribbean community in Balham, originating from nations such as Guyana, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent. Cymande were discovered by British producer John Schroeder while they played in a club in Soho in 1971. Schroeder recorded some demos and convinced Janus Records to sign the group. Their first single 'The Message' reached the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B charts in the United States. Their debut album was released in 1972 and also reached the Billboard pop and R&B albums charts in the United States. In 1973 they made history as the first British band to headline the Apollo Theatre in New York, and they also performed on Soul Train. However, they achieved little recognition in their home country. The lack of support from the British music industry caused the group to disband in 1974.

After a period of obscurity, Cymande's music was rediscovered in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of their songs were deconstructed and used as breakbeats by early hip-hop DJs. Their song 'Bra' is the most sampled track, having been used approximately 27 times in various hip-hop and other music tracks.

A new album Renascence was released in 2025, The also group announced 2025 US and European shows to support the release, continuing with their post-pandemic increase in short tours and festival appearances.

In this episode I am in discussion with Bhoke.

Mathew Woodall

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