The Budos Band is an American instrumental ensemble formed in Staten Island, New York in the early 2000s and a cornerstone of the Daptone Records family. Afrobeat, Ethiopian jazz, funk, and heavy psych collide in horn-driven grooves that earned the tag doom-soul — start with the 2005 debut or III. Find The Budos Band vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The Budos Band formed in Staten Island, New York in the early 2000s and became part of the Daptone Records family of soul and funk revival artists. The group is a large instrumental ensemble built around horns, organ, guitar, and rhythm section. They have released a series of largely self-titled, sequentially numbered albums and toured as a key act in the analog-recorded soul and funk movement centered on Daptone.
The Budos Band plays instrumental music fusing Afrobeat, Ethiopian jazz, soul, funk, and psychedelic and heavy rock. Their sound has grown progressively heavier over their career, earning descriptions like Afro-soul and doom-soul. The emphasis is on tight ensemble grooves, prominent horn arrangements, and a raw, vintage production aesthetic.
Daptone has issued the band's catalog on vinyl with the label's characteristic analog mastering, and several titles have appeared in colored-vinyl variants prized by funk and soul collectors. The numbered self-titled entries are popular as a complete set.
Listeners new to The Budos Band often start with The Budos Band (2005) or The Budos Band III (2010). For related listening, see and .
