Aspects – STR4TA

Aspects explores the foundational energy of Brit-funk, a musical movement that emerged in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s as jazz-funk, soul, and club culture began to merge into new rhythmic forms.

The project brings together Gilles Peterson and Jean-Paul Maunick, a key figure behind Incognito and one of the architects of the British jazz-funk scene. Under the name STR4TA, the duo revisits the direct and groove-driven aesthetic that defined groups like Atmosfear, Hi-Tension, and Light of the World.

The guiding principle behind the album is immediacy. Rather than pursuing highly polished production, the tracks are built around essential grooves where bass, drums, and keyboards form the rhythmic backbone. Pieces such as Steppers Crusade and Rhythm In Your Mind demonstrate how repetition and minimal arrangement can generate an expansive energy rooted in the dancefloor.

More than a historical recreation, Aspects acts as a sonic excavation of an often overlooked chapter in Black British musical history. In doing so, STR4TA transforms the legacy of Brit-funk into a platform for the present, reaffirming the enduring power of groove, improvisation, and collective musical expression.