Raise The Roof

If there’s one theme that defines the recording of Full Tilt Collective’s new EP Raise the Roof it’s perseverance in the face of chaos. With Covid lockdowns scuppering the group’s original recording plans for 2 long years, the band raced back to the studio in 2022, eager to return to making music. Unfortunately their rescheduled studio session coincided with the most powerful storm to hit the UK in over thirty years… which might have been less of a problem were they not recording on a floating studio built on a converted Lightship moored to the Thames. So powerful was Storm Eunice that as the band played, the gale force winds ripped the roof off the O2 arena opposite the studio. But amidst the choppy waters (and with the help of an entire pack of seasick tablets) Full Tilt Collective played on, as the damage they witnessed across the river gave birth to the title of the EP.

Chaos and perseverance are also fitting themes to describe this frenetic collection of tunes, and in particular lead track Insane Again. Two years of solitude leave their mark in a song that talks of a slipping grip on reality, becoming more frantic and impassioned as it builds to its heady climax. The track blends a hip hop drum beat with nods to the big band era, including muted trumpets and call and response vocals that guarantee a crowd singalong when performed live. B-side O.T.T (One Tonne Tone) launches with a blast of unapologetic instrumental funk; a crunchy riff juxtaposed against a ghostly trombone line. The song’s outro kicks into a new gear as overdriven guitar battles with a scorching sax solo which demonstrates the musicianship that complements the bands raucous energy.

Raise the Roof’s final, and most surprising song is the ever-accelerating The Window Song, a bombastic, gypsy-punk oddity fusing klezmer and ska with wild Balkan brass. Perseverance may define the EP but chaos finally reigns supreme in the song’s ‘funeral march meets rave meets riot’ finale. The eclectic influences behind Raise the Roof typify the band’s all-embracing approach to genres. Funk, soul, reggae, ska, hip hop, afrobeat and drum and bass all combine in the intoxicating original sound that makes Full Tilt Collective a mainstay at venues and festivals across the UK’s alternative scene.

“We love listening to all different kinds of music, so we try to reflect that in what we play. Our one criteria for what makes the cut is – will this get a dancefloor moving”

Whilst they loved taking time to hit up the studio, playing live will always be Full Tilt Collective’s first love, with the band regularly gigging across the UK at venues including Rich Mix, Boxxed Birmingham and The Vaults as well as festivals such as Isle of Wight and Moovin. Their unruly performances often see the band blurring the barrier between musician and spectator, wading out into the crowd to play amongst the audience in a nod to the second line marching bands of New Orleans.

Having previously graced the stage at Swingamajig, the festival run by label founders Electric Swing Circus, Full Tilt Collective are delighted to be joining the Ragtime Records family for this release.

Tracklist:

1 – Full Tilt Collective – Insane Again

2 – Full Tilt Collective – O.T.T. (One Tonne Tone)Listen to the release here: Insane Again/O.T.T. (One Tonne Tone)