Future Joy: RIGHT “NOW”!
If you are a festival-goer, chances are you have encountered Future Joy, the bouncy, eclectic duo with home bases in Colorado and Florida… and their ever-reliable RV! Future Joy have been invited to lots of music festivals, some EDM-specific and others wide-ranging. What do they do best? Future Joy make you smile, make you dance, make you happy, make you bounce, and make you feel completely alive!
Future Joy are Emily Cooper, keyboards, production, and vocals; and Zach Simms, saxophones (and attachments), production, and vocals. AND dancing. LOTS of dancing. And bouncing. Their outfits are the logical extension of their music.
It has been seven years since the duo released their only eponymous full-length album; they have issued a few singles as well. Today is the the day: the day their brilliant new album NOW is unleashed for the pleasure of their fans AND their fans-to-be, because this album is beyond infectious.
Are Future Joy an EDM act? They qualify under that title, but there is so much going on with them. Consider the first tune, “When I’m with You.” This song belongs on R&B charts everywhere, so glorious and bouncy (seriously, that’s the operative word). Simms’ work on baritone sax is superb. By turns, out pours soul, funk, EDM, jamtronica, deep house, and Cooper’s magnificent voice. There is plenty of Simms’s as well, but hers is positively electric, definitely providing “Aftershocks.”
“Just Breathe” is the first of three tracks featuring the delicious collaboration with UnderLux and some gloriously trippy synths. Simms’ prowess on tenor is front and center on “The Greatest.” He is no novelty; we’ve seen him sit in with great funk bands, blowing our minds. Another UnderLux match-up is “Where Do You Want to Go?” The result is magic.
The Latin-tinged “I Do” is a fine love song… and a reminder of their amazing on-stage marriage last February at their very own Joyful Festival. The jamtronica is drenched in Simms’ bass saxophone… with a traffic cone shoved in the bell to awesome affect. The duo are joined by the advisory committee of Vibe Street, Elton Tom, Dobarae, and White Dragon for “Figure It Out.”
“Coast to Coast” is more infectious EDM-themed grooves: “We’ve been on the road a while” (understatement of the decade!). Lots of Simms overdubs make this a delight. UnderLux jumps in one more time for the propulsive “Take My Heart,” with the perfect deep-house vibe.
“2 Phones” features Simms employing the Rahsaan Roland Kirk device of double saxophones, playing bass and tenor simultaneously, truly brilliant, as is the groove he creates. Sean Dandurand joins Future Joy for “Make a Sandwich,” always a live show treat! And they close out the joy with “Remember Everything,” which launches with synth bass magic, jam-packed with deep house magic and their signature sound.
Now does a remarkable job of making you feel like you are surrounded by live future Joy, right NOW. The album is available on all the usual suspects!
Read more about Future Joy and their upcoming concerts here!