Black Butterfly by Brooklyn Funk Essentials

Out in May on Dorado Records, "Black Butterfly" is Brooklyn Funk Essentials' eighth studio album and includes the band's recent hits "Never Give Up," "Bust The Bus Stop," and "Life During Wartime." Playlisted on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM and supported by Craig Charles and Cerys Matthews at 6 Music as well as many stations across Europe and the Americas. The album was produced and co-written by bassist Lati Kronlund and features Alison Limerick, Ebba Åsman, and Desmond Foster on vocals.

The black butterfly is a symbol of hope, renewal and inevitable change. Brooklyn Funk Essentials’ eighth studio album marks the band’s continued groove r-evolution. Black Butterfly - the album - is a solid group collaboration highlighting and expanding BFE’s signature style and musical prowess. Recorded live-in-the-studio, Black Butterfly finds the cadre of stellar musicians exploring a bounty of multi-rhythms, analog instrumentation, funky jams and winsome arrangements. Brooklyn Funk Essentials once again deliver a full length journey of songs within a lyrical framework of love, respect, inclusion, hopefulness and dreams.
Lati Kronlund

Kronlund and Limerick have been enjoying the recent renewed interest in "Where Love Lives." Kronlund wrote and produced it for Limerick in 1990; it was remixed by Frankie Knuckles and David Morales, became a club classic, and was featured in this year’s John Lewis Christmas TV Ad. Arthur Baker heard the original in a club in 1991, and he contacted Kronlund about working together. They then formed Brooklyn Funk Essentials.

Since their first release, on Dorado Records in 1993, Brooklyn Funk Essentials have built a devoted international following and surpassed 100 million streams. Fusing Soul, Hip Hop, Spoken Word, Jazz, Latin, and, of course, Funk, the band’s journey began experimenting with drum machines and loops in Baker’s Shakedown Sound Studio in Jersey City - hunting for that perfect beat.

The early recordings featured greats such as Maceo Parker, Lenny Pickett, Tower of Power Horns, Michigan & Smiley, and Dizzy Gillespie, leading to the acclaimed debut "Cool & Steady & Easy" (1994). Fast-forward to April 2024, when Kronlund reunited with Baker in Miami, rediscovering recordings featuring percussion prodigy Bashiri Johnson, which inspired new creative sparks for the next chapter of Brooklyn Funk Essentials.

Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Black Butterfly
Release Date May 2026
Label Dorado Records

Tracklist
1. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - 77 Blackout
2. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Bust The Bust Stop
3. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Never Give Up
4. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Voodoo Gates
5. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Come Back 4 Real Love
6. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Shameless
7. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Life During Wartime
8. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - The Girl From Outer Space
9. Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Black Butterfly