CLUSTERFUNK is a moniker born from the beauty one finds in chaos. One needs the other, feeds the other. Such a name symbolizes the united vision of Ric Wilson, Chromeo & A-Trak. In August 2020, as the pandemic raged on, and uprisings surged forward, all parties converged in the California sunshine to begin a rap record rooted in people power. These four would meet again in the following two summers, bringing new experiences and channeling funk and soul to lend a new groove to turbulent times. It's an effort of patience and persistence, seizing the moment for a memoir to move to.
The Blue Island-raised, Chicago-made Ric Wilson was on a hell of a ride before the world shut down. The rapper, performer, and activist spent 2019 on a festival tear through Treefort, Rolling Loud, Governors Ball, and a hometown Pitchfork set. He also supported the likes of Cory Henry and Big Freedia; Wilson was slated to support Drama on their 2020 North American tour, but lockdown canceled that run after ten dates. As (almost) everyone forcibly sat with themselves, Wilson weathered the early pandemic days at his parents' house, demoing records and coping with drama both familial and global. And with no outside, Wilson still jumped back into organizing in Chicago, released his acclaimed They Call Me Disco EP with Terrace Martin, and a breakout single called "Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P."
As the world sits open with turbulence in motion, Ric Wilson manages to continue going up no matter what the world may bring. After an unplanned, elongated stint in England, he released Disco Ric in London Town, his 2021 collaborative EP with close friend and collaborator Yellow Days. The two went on a co-headlining tour shortly after. Wilson capped his 2021 by supporting Black Pumas on a December run. In 2022, Wilson was featured in a Rolling Stone x Bacardi cover for Talent Knows No Borders, and "COCO BADASS" - his song with Kiéla Adera - was named a Top 10 Song of the Summer in TIME Magazine. Wilson was also named a Top 10 Show at Summerfest in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The tipping point often paves the way for potential greatness, but even spontaneity can take years for the proper elements to converge. In 2019, management passed Ric Wilson's music to the world-renowned turntablist, DJ and Grammy-nominated producer A-Trak, which led to Trizzy sharing with his brother Dave 1 of the Canadian funk group Chromeo. Now enter August 2020: Ric Wilson flies to California and stays in a house behind a house in Burbank. A-Trak comes to pick Wilson up for a session with him and Chromeo. The first session finds the crew discussing socialism, communism, peoples movements, career oral histories, and anything else they can. After a few weeks of sketching the initial CLUSTERFUNK records, the four wouldn't session again until August 2021, and then again in June 2022 to finish their efforts.
The nine records on CLUSTERFUNK are vibrant, two-step-ready anthems for the freedom fighter in all of us. It's for the cookout, the kickback, and your grandma's Caprice on her Sunday errands. Wilson's trademark buoyancy shines with some new attitude, the type of weight one carries with more of the world in their rearview. There's resilience, but not without fighting. He's fighting, but loving all the same. Speaking, not preaching. Chromeo and A-Trak lend their signatures to keep Wilson weaving with new tempos, glistening like the Californian conditions they were made under. The nostalgic tint lights the way, calling upon funk and soul lineages for an update that aims between timely and timeless. This is the sound Wilson always wants to stand on: upbeat, uptempo, no fear of what the crowd may think.
Complete with features from King Louie, Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, STIC.MAN of Dead Prez, Kiéla Adira, and a passage from Mariame Kaba, CLUSTERFUNK steps in the name of intergenerational strength dialoguing across lines. Down to the vocal clips and accents threading the project together, this album symbolizes the melding of different Chicagos - different countries and continents! - getting in tune with collective struggle. If everything affects everyone, and there's only a matter of time before it all falls in, it's on us to stay ready. In Wilson's vision, there are no leaders or celebrities. Perfect people don't exist, but our power gives permission to take power back from those who transgress. There's a familiar cry from older heads that the pro-Black, anti-establishment rap has long departed; CLUSTERFUNK answers on its own terms, inviting everyone into the party with a leaflet on the table.
show less
The Blue Island-raised, Chicago-made Ric Wilson was on a hell of a ride before the world shut down. The rapper, performer, and activist spent 2019 on a festival tear through Treefort, Rolling Loud, Governors Ball, and a hometown Pitchfork set. He also supported the likes of Cory Henry and Big Freedia; Wilson was slated to support Drama on their 2020 North American tour, but lockdown canceled that run after ten dates. As (almost) everyone forcibly sat with themselves, Wilson weathered the early pandemic days at his parents' house, demoing records and coping with drama both familial and global. And with no outside, Wilson still jumped back into organizing in Chicago, released his acclaimed They Call Me Disco EP with Terrace Martin, and a breakout single called "Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P."
As the world sits open with turbulence in motion, Ric Wilson manages to continue going up no matter what the world may bring. After an unplanned, elongated stint in England, he released Disco Ric in London Town, his 2021 collaborative EP with close friend and collaborator Yellow Days. The two went on a co-headlining tour shortly after. Wilson capped his 2021 by supporting Black Pumas on a December run. In 2022, Wilson was featured in a Rolling Stone x Bacardi cover for Talent Knows No Borders, and "COCO BADASS" - his song with Kiéla Adera - was named a Top 10 Song of the Summer in TIME Magazine. Wilson was also named a Top 10 Show at Summerfest in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The tipping point often paves the way for potential greatness, but even spontaneity can take years for the proper elements to converge. In 2019, management passed Ric Wilson's music to the world-renowned turntablist, DJ and Grammy-nominated producer A-Trak, which led to Trizzy sharing with his brother Dave 1 of the Canadian funk group Chromeo. Now enter August 2020: Ric Wilson flies to California and stays in a house behind a house in Burbank. A-Trak comes to pick Wilson up for a session with him and Chromeo. The first session finds the crew discussing socialism, communism, peoples movements, career oral histories, and anything else they can. After a few weeks of sketching the initial CLUSTERFUNK records, the four wouldn't session again until August 2021, and then again in June 2022 to finish their efforts.
The nine records on CLUSTERFUNK are vibrant, two-step-ready anthems for the freedom fighter in all of us. It's for the cookout, the kickback, and your grandma's Caprice on her Sunday errands. Wilson's trademark buoyancy shines with some new attitude, the type of weight one carries with more of the world in their rearview. There's resilience, but not without fighting. He's fighting, but loving all the same. Speaking, not preaching. Chromeo and A-Trak lend their signatures to keep Wilson weaving with new tempos, glistening like the Californian conditions they were made under. The nostalgic tint lights the way, calling upon funk and soul lineages for an update that aims between timely and timeless. This is the sound Wilson always wants to stand on: upbeat, uptempo, no fear of what the crowd may think.
Complete with features from King Louie, Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, STIC.MAN of Dead Prez, Kiéla Adira, and a passage from Mariame Kaba, CLUSTERFUNK steps in the name of intergenerational strength dialoguing across lines. Down to the vocal clips and accents threading the project together, this album symbolizes the melding of different Chicagos - different countries and continents! - getting in tune with collective struggle. If everything affects everyone, and there's only a matter of time before it all falls in, it's on us to stay ready. In Wilson's vision, there are no leaders or celebrities. Perfect people don't exist, but our power gives permission to take power back from those who transgress. There's a familiar cry from older heads that the pro-Black, anti-establishment rap has long departed; CLUSTERFUNK answers on its own terms, inviting everyone into the party with a leaflet on the table.
CLUSTERFUNK is a moniker born from the beauty one finds in chaos. One needs the other, feeds the other. Such a name symbolizes the united vision of Ric Wilson, Chromeo & A-Trak. In August 2020, as the pandemic raged on, and uprisings surged forward, all parties converged in the California sunshine to begin a rap record rooted in people power. These four would meet again in the following two summers, bringing new experiences and channeling funk and soul to lend a new groove to turbulent times. It's an effort of patience and persistence, seizing the moment for a memoir to move to.
The Blue Island-raised, Chicago-made Ric Wilson was on a hell of a ride before the world shut down. The rapper, performer, and activist spent 2019 on a festival tear through Treefort, Rolling Loud, Governors Ball, and a hometown Pitchfork set. He also supported the likes of Cory Henry and Big Freedia; Wilson was slated to support Drama on their 2020 North American tour, but lockdown canceled that run after ten dates. As (almost) everyone forcibly sat with themselves, Wilson weathered the early pandemic days at his parents' house, demoing records and coping with drama both familial and global. And with no outside, Wilson still jumped back into organizing in Chicago, released his acclaimed They Call Me Disco EP with Terrace Martin, and a breakout single called "Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P."
As the world sits open with turbulence in motion, Ric Wilson manages to continue going up no matter what the world may bring. After an unplanned, elongated stint in England, he released Disco Ric in London Town, his 2021 collaborative EP with close friend and collaborator Yellow Days. The two went on a co-headlining tour shortly after. Wilson capped his 2021 by supporting Black Pumas on a December run. In 2022, Wilson was featured in a Rolling Stone x Bacardi cover for Talent Knows No Borders, and "COCO BADASS" - his song with Kiéla Adera - was named a Top 10 Song of the Summer in TIME Magazine. Wilson was also named a Top 10 Show at Summerfest in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The tipping point often paves the way for potential greatness, but even spontaneity can take years for the proper elements to converge. In 2019, management passed Ric Wilson's music to the world-renowned turntablist, DJ and Grammy-nominated producer A-Trak, which led to Trizzy sharing with his brother Dave 1 of the Canadian funk group Chromeo. Now enter August 2020: Ric Wilson flies to California and stays in a house behind a house in Burbank. A-Trak comes to pick Wilson up for a session with him and Chromeo. The first session finds the crew discussing socialism, communism, peoples movements, career oral histories, and anything else they can. After a few weeks of sketching the initial CLUSTERFUNK records, the four wouldn't session again until August 2021, and then again in June 2022 to finish their efforts.
The nine records on CLUSTERFUNK are vibrant, two-step-ready anthems for the freedom fighter in all of us. It's for the cookout, the kickback, and your grandma's Caprice on her Sunday errands. Wilson's trademark buoyancy shines with some new attitude, the type of weight one carries with more of the world in their rearview. There's resilience, but not without fighting. He's fighting, but loving all the same. Speaking, not preaching. Chromeo and A-Trak lend their signatures to keep Wilson weaving with new tempos, glistening like the Californian conditions they were made under. The nostalgic tint lights the way, calling upon funk and soul lineages for an update that aims between timely and timeless. This is the sound Wilson always wants to stand on: upbeat, uptempo, no fear of what the crowd may think.
Complete with features from King Louie, Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, STIC.MAN of Dead Prez, Kiéla Adira, and a passage from Mariame Kaba, CLUSTERFUNK steps in the name of intergenerational strength dialoguing across lines. Down to the vocal clips and accents threading the project together, this album symbolizes the melding of different Chicagos - different countries and continents! - getting in tune with collective struggle. If everything affects everyone, and there's only a matter of time before it all falls in, it's on us to stay ready. In Wilson's vision, there are no leaders or celebrities. Perfect people don't exist, but our power gives permission to take power back from those who transgress. There's a familiar cry from older heads that the pro-Black, anti-establishment rap has long departed; CLUSTERFUNK answers on its own terms, inviting everyone into the party with a leaflet on the table.
read more
The Blue Island-raised, Chicago-made Ric Wilson was on a hell of a ride before the world shut down. The rapper, performer, and activist spent 2019 on a festival tear through Treefort, Rolling Loud, Governors Ball, and a hometown Pitchfork set. He also supported the likes of Cory Henry and Big Freedia; Wilson was slated to support Drama on their 2020 North American tour, but lockdown canceled that run after ten dates. As (almost) everyone forcibly sat with themselves, Wilson weathered the early pandemic days at his parents' house, demoing records and coping with drama both familial and global. And with no outside, Wilson still jumped back into organizing in Chicago, released his acclaimed They Call Me Disco EP with Terrace Martin, and a breakout single called "Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P."
As the world sits open with turbulence in motion, Ric Wilson manages to continue going up no matter what the world may bring. After an unplanned, elongated stint in England, he released Disco Ric in London Town, his 2021 collaborative EP with close friend and collaborator Yellow Days. The two went on a co-headlining tour shortly after. Wilson capped his 2021 by supporting Black Pumas on a December run. In 2022, Wilson was featured in a Rolling Stone x Bacardi cover for Talent Knows No Borders, and "COCO BADASS" - his song with Kiéla Adera - was named a Top 10 Song of the Summer in TIME Magazine. Wilson was also named a Top 10 Show at Summerfest in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The tipping point often paves the way for potential greatness, but even spontaneity can take years for the proper elements to converge. In 2019, management passed Ric Wilson's music to the world-renowned turntablist, DJ and Grammy-nominated producer A-Trak, which led to Trizzy sharing with his brother Dave 1 of the Canadian funk group Chromeo. Now enter August 2020: Ric Wilson flies to California and stays in a house behind a house in Burbank. A-Trak comes to pick Wilson up for a session with him and Chromeo. The first session finds the crew discussing socialism, communism, peoples movements, career oral histories, and anything else they can. After a few weeks of sketching the initial CLUSTERFUNK records, the four wouldn't session again until August 2021, and then again in June 2022 to finish their efforts.
The nine records on CLUSTERFUNK are vibrant, two-step-ready anthems for the freedom fighter in all of us. It's for the cookout, the kickback, and your grandma's Caprice on her Sunday errands. Wilson's trademark buoyancy shines with some new attitude, the type of weight one carries with more of the world in their rearview. There's resilience, but not without fighting. He's fighting, but loving all the same. Speaking, not preaching. Chromeo and A-Trak lend their signatures to keep Wilson weaving with new tempos, glistening like the Californian conditions they were made under. The nostalgic tint lights the way, calling upon funk and soul lineages for an update that aims between timely and timeless. This is the sound Wilson always wants to stand on: upbeat, uptempo, no fear of what the crowd may think.
Complete with features from King Louie, Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, STIC.MAN of Dead Prez, Kiéla Adira, and a passage from Mariame Kaba, CLUSTERFUNK steps in the name of intergenerational strength dialoguing across lines. Down to the vocal clips and accents threading the project together, this album symbolizes the melding of different Chicagos - different countries and continents! - getting in tune with collective struggle. If everything affects everyone, and there's only a matter of time before it all falls in, it's on us to stay ready. In Wilson's vision, there are no leaders or celebrities. Perfect people don't exist, but our power gives permission to take power back from those who transgress. There's a familiar cry from older heads that the pro-Black, anti-establishment rap has long departed; CLUSTERFUNK answers on its own terms, inviting everyone into the party with a leaflet on the table.
show less
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Brick & Mortar Music Hall
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1710 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
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