Zooluxx: Terrestrial and Ethereal
When Los Angeles-based psychedelic funk act Zooluxx opened for Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe a few years back, they didn’t just add another important entry to their résumé; they walked away with an ardent supporter. “We immediately kicked it off—he really liked our music,” says frontman Troy V. “It reminded him of some of his favorite old-school projects.” Denson didn’t stop at simple fandom; he invited Zooluxx to his San Diego studio to record what would become their 2019 debut EP, The Ghetto Starship. The resulting record—much like the ensemble’s 2020 follow-up EP, Just a Little Bit—draws heavily on the musicians’ blues and jazz influences, as well as elements of Afrobeat and hip-hop. For his part, Denson helped inject even their most wah-laced guitar tunes with some harmonic nuance. “His knowledge really [helped out with] the harmonies and melodies. Those would not have been crafted as well without Karl,” says Troy V. “There are so many harmonies and things that I personally can’t even do,” adds bassist Ned Casual. “So it was like, ‘Hey, Karl, you sound like an angel. Why don’t you sing it?’ He [was] happy to get in there and do that.” Zooluxx—which also includes drummer Princess Frank and percussionist Bertie Paradise—has a penchant for catching the ear of established producers. They recorded Just a Little Bit with Howlin’ Rain guitarist Dan Cervantes. “Before, it was like, ‘Make it what it is,’” Casual says. “But with these guys, we’re like, ‘We can do more with this.’” The quartet also recently compiled their enmeshed studio projects into one “double EP” vinyl record. The A-side consists of Just a Little Bit and the B-side features The Ghetto Starship. “It was always the intention to do that on vinyl at some point,” explains Troy V. “We recorded them using slightly different methods, [which] really lends to the flavor of change on each side,” he continues. “On top of that, one is a very terrestrial album and one is very ethereal. In that sense, there’s a dark and a light side—the yin to the yang.”
