B. Bravo and Rojai are back as Kool Customer. Picking up where the 2018 self-titled debut left off, the duo’s sophomore album At Your Service is ten modern funk heaters of pure pool party music. At Your Service delivers the cabana vibes of LA hotel parties—think the atrium at the High Line or rooftop at the downtown Ace Hotel—while pushing their funkster identity several steps beyond expectation.
What makes a Kool Customer? It begins with summer shades that never leave B. Bravo and Rojai’s heads. The object permanence of their signature sunglasses might as well be an analogy for how unwavering the duo is in their future funk voyage. Opener “Endless Summer” sets the eternally funky tone that sustains through the mellow space grooves of “One Day At A Time.” Within those bookends, Kool Customer serves up the customary two-steppers like “Fly Away” and “Learned My Lesson” that will earn spins from MoFunk functions in LA on up to Sweater Funk in San Francisco. That Norcal to Socal connection cannot be understated in the group. With Rojai representing San Francisco’s Mission District as frontman of the Latin funk band Bayonics and B. Bravo claiming Los Angeles, the group infuses their sound with touches of boogie, g-funk, and club that celebrate the spectrum of modern funk regardless of region. B. Bravo’s vintage synth arsenal of Minimoog Voyagers, Yamaha DX-7s, and the essential DX-100 talkbox (the same used by Roger Troutman) root the album in a time-honored tradition of boogie funk. But, At Your Service is never lost in the post-disco past. “DX Heaven” is Kool Customer’s ode to the illustrious Yamaha synthesizer, which leans into that fat, rubbery sound that only the DX can deliver, but “West Coast Livin’” and “Give It All Up” put inventive twists on g-funk that pull in hints of reggae and boom bap. Elsewhere, “Rising High” feels like a sleek combination of Faze-O’s ethereal, drifting cosmic funk mixed with the earworm synths of UK street soul. The blend provides Rojai space to maneuver through rap and singing in a style that centers the song in the present. Put it all together and “Rising High” is the soundtrack to a champagne toast at sunset.
With At Your Service, B. Bravo and Rojai prove that being a Kool Customer is about the effortlessness in their exploratory techniques. Kool Customer is future funk that never breaks a sweat. The customer service is as cool as the cucumber slices in a shaken mojito.
