Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Movmnt Band. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Movmnt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

On April 28th, 2023, we released our brand new album “Space Transit!” The sound of the album is a combination of Jazz, Funk, Neo Soul, and World music. We really wanted to take the listener on a journey to space using a lot of synths, riffs, and colorful musicality. Featuring Shaun Martin (Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin), Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy, The Fearless Flyers), and Murphy Leon, “Space Transit” is a one of a kind musical ride that we’re proud of.

We spent 3 years getting “Space Transit” to sound the way we imagined. Coming off our debut album release in 2018, we pushed the boundaries of what we could do by expanding our repertoire. We practiced songs from Robert Glasper, Greg Howe, Chick Corea, Bob James, Kendrick Lamar, and more. We then used those ingredients to come up with ideas for the album. In the final result, you can hear the influences shining through on different songs on the album.

Space Transit is a ultra-modern take on Jazz Fusion. When we were recording this album, we wanted to use sounds and progressions that are familiar to casual and avid music lovers. “The Intro 3.0” starts the album with a BANG to get everyone’s attention, and let everyone know that this isn’t your average album. From there, we go through different genres within fusion to connect with different people. For example, “Mwesigwa” should connect with world music lovers while funk listeners will dig “Blue Chucks”. “Space Transit” is available to stream wherever you listen to music. We guarantee you’ll feel full and ecstatic from 10 song meal once you reach the end of the album.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Movmnt Band is a Jazz Fusion collective based in Dallas, TX. The journey for Movmnt Band started on the campus of SMU (Southern Methodist University) in 2014. We hosted open jam sessions, which evolved into us creating our own original music. Having a mix of most urban genres, such as R&B, Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk, and Soul, we use our influences to make it an explosive music experience. We’ve had incredible shows at popular Dallas venues such as Sundown at Grenada, Three Links, and The Meyerson (home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra). The core members of the band are Cornell Lacy (bass), Leslie “Zeke” Ratliff (keys, drums, programming), Paulo Calomeni (guitar), and Tony “Lil Katt” Reed (drums).

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Our most CHALLENGING time that we overcame was recording and releasing our first album. We all had recording experience at the time, but had to take on roles we were not used to. Leslie “Zeke” Ratliff (music director/keyboard player) had to step into the role of engineering the album and leading the creative direction. Cornell Lacy (bass) had to handle logistics of where and when we would meet up. Paulo Calomeni (guitar) made sure that parts were completed with musical integrity. Also, Tony “Lil Katt” Reed made sure arrangements were solid and the recordings had energy. All in all, we individually went to another level which has propelled us as a group ever since.

After all the hard work, we FINALLY released our debut album “Movmnt Band” on February 5, 2018! In a time where they’re not a lot of Jazz Fusion bands, it still is incredible to see the results of our work! Since then, we’ve seen 15,000+ streams of our album from people in the U.S, Japan, South Africa, and more. With all the practicing and personal growth, we’re grateful for the process and results of our first album.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Our social media strategy from the beginning has been simple. First, we had to fully understand the role of the platforms (Facebook, IG, YouTube, etc.). We then look after the people who are fans by giving them great music and content to feel connected to us. We continually bring awareness to the brand online through marketing terms. We make sure people we come across know who we are and that we have content for them to check out. This strategy is not to have overnight success, but this strategy allows us to continually grow our social media in a healthy way.     

Contact Info:

• Website: solo.to/MovmntBand
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/movmnt.band
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/movmntband
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@movmntband9410

Image Credits
Geno Stevenson