The Zone Identity / J-Zone Knight Rider / 9 Breaks (The Warm Up)

After a two year hiatus, The Zone Identity is back! But exactly who The Zone Identity is and how they get down depends on the tune. For 2017’s “Funk-I-Tus” b/w “Let The Music Take Your Mind” and 2018’s “Melting Pot” b/w “Soul Food” 7”s, The Zone Identity sat firmly in a soul-jazz groove for smokin’ covers of classics by Kool and the Gang, Booker T and the MG’s and lesser-known funk bands like Warm Excursion. But who is The Zone Identity in 2021?

The only common denominator is drummer Jay Mumford (aka "J-Zone"), who uses The Zone Identity as a vehicle to work with his favorite musicians outside his band, The Du-Rites. For this go round, he teams up with Pittsburgh’s Buscrates, to put a greasy, funk-i-fied spin on the classic 1980s “Knight Rider” theme song. A two-man job, Buscrates’ infinite knowledge of synths and keyboard prowess match the authenticity of the original, while adding an extra heavy unique funk sheen for the update. Meanwhile, J-Zone’s syncopated kick-snare work, hi-hat polyrhythms and auxiliary percussion add a funky, human touch and thick layer of grease not heard on the original. “Knight Rider” pays a respectful nod to the original without neglecting the b-boys/b-girls and funk fanatics who need to get down and dirty.

The flip side, “9 Breaks (The Warm Up),” is credited to J-Zone as a solo artist because technically…it’s a drum solo! 2020’s pandemic lockdown forced musicians to be more creative and practice harder, often out of sheer boredom. It was in said isolation that Zone created his “9 Breaks” routine as a warm-up. The routine sees him seamlessly move through nine classic drum breaks we all know and love; it was both a homage and a warm-up to keep sharp on the set with no shows or rehearsals to keep the rust off.

From music for talking cars to classic breakbeat mini-mixtapes, The Zone Identity has you covered for 2021.