Tom Tom Club Downtown Rockers 12" Vinyl EP

Downtown Rockers features Tom Tom Club's characteristic upbeat fusion of electro and funk. Chris Frantz explains, "We recorded the basic tracks soon after Tom Tom Club toured with the Psychedelic Furs in October of 2011 at our home studio. These tracks were built from improvised jam sessions with Bruce Martin on keyboards and Pablo Martin on guitar, Tina Weymouth on bass and Chris Frantz on drums. This is the same way we began Remain In Light with Talking Heads. This time our only instruction to the other players was to keep the parts simple with lots of space like Booker T. and the MGs would do."

The lead single "Downtown Rockers" pays tribute to the many bands that created the downtown music scene in New York City in the '70s from The Velvet Underground to the Talking Heads. The song was mixed by Ed Stasium, who also recorded and mixed Talking Heads '77 and umpteen Ramones classics. Arthur Baker, who has worked with Tom Tom Club in the '80s, also produced a dance remix of "Downtown Rockers".

Nothing about the band looking back on incredible times in a rich musical or personal history comes off as desperate or cloying here, primarily because Tom Tom Club still have the goods to produce irresistibly funky tunes. Their approach is basic and there are moments of yesteryear reflection...almost everything on this EP fits perfectly in place with a band that nailed the vibe of a simple good time decades prior. Some things never change, and hopefully the inspired magic of Tom Tom Club and their ability to cultivate an atmosphere of instant celebration will remain one of those things.