People’s Champs to Bring Global Fusion Dance Rhythms to MASS MoCA

Peoples Champs collage(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Brooklyn-based world dance outfit People’s Champs will lay down global rhythms for a dance party at MASS MoCA on Saturday, October 4, 2014, at 8pm in Club B-10. Led by trombonist Alex Asher and fronted by vocalist Cole Williams, the Brooklyn-based People’s Champs mash 1980s electro-accordion riffs, neo-soul vocals, and gritty drum grooves. The music is rooted in popular dance music from around the world, and the lush arrangements never lose track of the dance floor. The band mixes jazz, hip-hop, rock, and soul from the United States, Latin America, and Africa, and the result is a passionate new brand of soul music that is equal parts Gorillaz, Michael Jackson, Fela Kuti, and Ornette Coleman.

People’s Champs synthesizes rhythms from all over the world – from Rio to Lagos to Detroit to Budapest – yet their roots-dance music is always deeply inflected with their Brooklyn heritage. Slinking synths and electronic riffs fold in to traditional rhythm and blues orchestration. Among many high-profile collaborations, its horn section, under the name Superpower Horns, collaborated with Beyoncé Knowles on her latest album, “4.”

The New York supergroup of eleven musicians fuses hip-hop rhythms, neo-soul vocals, and killer drum grooves in experimental arrangements that keep the dance floor grooving. Between the contagious vocals of Cole Williams, the catchy rhythms of Alex Asher, and the entire group’s enlivening chemistry, it doesn’t take long for People’s Champs to bring the audience to its feet. This blend of global dance music is a unique brand of soul that brings to mind influences as diverse as Fela Kuti, Gorillaz, Tears for Fears, and, well… Michael Jackson.

People’s Champs is earning the favor of the urban deejays who currently control the vinyl on rotation. Jersey City’s DJ Prestige says, “I love me some New York City music, and these guys definitely combine the best of all the City has to offer.”

People’s Champs performs worldwide with an eclectic group of pop artists such as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Cuddle Magic, The Pimps of Joytime, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, and many more.

Fresh salads, hearty sandwiches, and beefy burgers – as well as thematic dinner specials – are available from Lickety Split before and during the show. A full bar serves Berkshire Brewing Company beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Tickets are $10 for students, $12 advance, $18 day of, and $22 for preferred seating. Receive a 25% discount when you purchase tickets before September 3. Members receive a 10% discount.

The MASS MoCA box office is open from 11am to 5pm, Wednesdays through Mondays; closed Tuesdays through spring 2015. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased on-line at MASS MoCA. All events are held rain or shine.

MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. Hundreds of works of visual and performing art have been created on its 19th-century factory campus during fabrication and rehearsal residencies, making MASS MoCA among the most productive sites in the country for the creation and presentation of new art. More platform than box, MASS MoCA strives to bring to its audiences art experiences that are fresh, engaging, and transformative.

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