The new Freekbass album, CINCINNATI, is a culmination of all projects Freekbass has worked on in the last few years. The album was released on Ropeadope at the end of 2015. From the funk of his own touring band, The Bump Assembly, to the electrofunk of side project, Headtronics with DJ Logic, Steve Molitz and keyboard genius Bernie Worrell, to the funk schooling from friend and mentor funk legend Bootsy Collins (another Cincinnati citizen), Freekbass once again teamed up with Producer Duane Lundy who produced his last album, “Everybody’s Feelin’ Real.”

Living in Cincinnati exposed Freekbass to genres of music he may have missed otherwise. While most kids were listening to Nirvana and Green Day, he connected with the bottom-heavy sounds coming out of the boom boxes like Zapp and Midnight Star. While working in a music shop to pay off his first electric bass he had in lay-away, he began to study the classics of Larry Graham, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Parliament, and Bootsy, with a bass in one hand and an MPC2000 in the other.

Going into 2015, Freek had a lot of things on the table. He released his album, “Everybody’s Feelin’ Real,” produced by Duane Lundy (Joe Pug, Dawn Landes, Sunday Valley/Sturgill Simpson) and included P-Funk/Rubberband keyboardist Razor Sharp Johnson, horn man Skerik, and Trey Anastasio Band vocalist/trumpet, Jennifer Hartswick. He was also a part of that year’s London Bass Guitar Show in the UK, giving a master class and performing, plus extensive touring with his mainstay funk group, “Freekbass & The Bump Assembly,” which also includes Big Bamn on drums and Jason Burgard on saxophones and horns.

Freekbass says, “with the last album, producer Duane and I were just starting to know each other. On this album we have since worked on many projects together and thus have a strong feel and vision where we want the music to go. Plus, I had taken some time off from touring with my own band before starting the last album. With this one, we have been hitting it pretty hard on the road as a band, so we were used to playing together. Plus, we spent a lot of time on writing songs and pre-production before we even got in the studio. With all of the touring leading up to the recording, I feel more condent as a player, singer, and songwriter than I have in a long time.”

The title of the album comes from Freek growing up in the rich musical sounds of Cincinnati, OH – Home to label, King Records, where James Brown recorded many of his hit records, and ranging from artists from the Afghan Whigs to Midnight Star. “I’m asked a lot in interviews outside of Cincinnati if I would be playing music if I grew up somewhere else. I am sure I would, but not sure it would be funk. Cincinnati and Ohio have such a strong funk tradition, you heard and felt it no matter what part of the city you grew up in. Since we are not NYC or Los Angeles, I think the funk here had to yell a little louder, which is where the Ohio and Cincinnati funk sound came from. Cincinnati is a major part of why I sound like I do and the reason I am inspired to play music, which is why it was an easy choice when it came to naming the album.”

Freekbass was faced by tragedy last month when his drummer and best friend succumbed to a fatal car accident. He is now picking up the pieces and is reforming his band ‘Freekbass & The Bump Assembly’ for his upcoming 2016 club and festival dates. “Bamn always expected me to raise the level of playing in the band as high as I could. After meditating on that and having long talks with both Bootsy and producer Duane Lundy I knew it was time to take the next step to the next level of the Funk.” Starting with Freek’s next show the group will now consist of Freekbass on bass and vocals, keyboard and funk legend Razor Sharp Johnson from Bootsy Collins’ Rubberband, and Rico Lewis on drums from George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic. This Funk-ultra-power Trio is the next logical step in the continuing journey of Freekbass. Book now and get ready for a new flight from docking from The Mothership!