The Olympians are a soul-funk collective led by Toby Pazner, a multi-instrumentalist deeply embedded in the Brooklyn-based Daptone and Truth & Soul records ecosystem. The project is a 'supergroup' of sorts, featuring members from the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, El Michels Affair, and the Menahan Street Band.
The group's identity is defined by a specific recording ethos: Pazner utilized a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine to capture a sound that is indistinguishable from early 70s soul. Despite the New York pedigree, the project was inspired by Pazner's time in Greece, leading to a unique blend of American R&B foundations with ethereal, almost mythological flourishes like harps and vibraphones. Critically, the group is praised for avoiding the 'retro-pastiche' trap, instead creating music that feels like a living extension of the cinematic soul tradition established by Isaac Hayes and David Axelrod. Their work occupies a vital space in the modern 'revivalist' soul scene, prioritizing atmosphere and texture over technical flash.
Shares funk, soul, psychedelic rock, tape_saturation (subgenre)
Shares trumpet, funk, soul, saxophone (instrumentation)
Shares tascam 388 tape hiss, funk, soul, psychedelic rock (detail)
Shares trumpet, funk, soul, saxophone (instrumentation)
Shares trumpet, funk, soul, tape_saturation (instrumentation)
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