By now you will know that our obsession with the discography and wider projects of the visionary Ari Joshua runs deep and spans his various endeavours. Naturally, when we heard that Ari was back with the uniquely titled, Scared of Eric, alongside Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff, and Skerik – three of his long time collaborators, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves once again in his sonic universe.
The opus kicks off with a cerebral soundscape, and a dimensional, darker energy than we have previously experienced from the creators. There is intrigue, drama, cinematic allure and an almost haunting presence as the composition evolves.
Scared of Eric is presented by Music Factory Records. It serves as a psychedelic boogaloo-funk jam which is intended to unite four of the Pacific Northwest’s most daring musicians in a sonic tribute to Skerik himself!
The creeping, cinematic intro unravels into a tense, hypnotic groove. Delvon Lamarr’s simmering organ and Grant Schroff’s taut rhythms form the foundation for Skerik’s ferocious saxophone and Joshua’s angular guitar lines, which clash and merge, almost like a duel. Together, the instruments manifest screaming sounds that mimic a human reaction. This is truly a surreal and almost emotional dialogue between notions of chaos and control. The result is both unsettling and exhilarating.
We learn that the track was recorded live by Mell Dettmer at Studio Soli, shaped with overdubs and mixing by Jason Gray at Blue Mallard Recording, and mastered by Doug Krebs. The artwork by Chris Ball (Deepgroove Designs) was created to visually capture the track’s manic brilliance and swirling energy with psychological tension.
Scared of Eric‘s blend of funk, psychedelia with a cinematic edge makes it a strong candidate for sync placements in comedy-horror films or surreal, offbeat scenes. Perhaps moments of mounting absurd tension or dark humour – think of recent releases like Totally Killer (2023), Lisa Frankenstein (2024), or Renfield (2023)!
Naturally, we have added Scared of Eric to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Ari Joshua, and anticipate future releases from the visionary artist!