Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, 2022.
Directed by Tim MacKenzie-Smith.
SYNOPSIS:
They are the unsung heroes whose message of peace, love and funk sailed beyond Britain’s shores and helped shape music for five decades. Long after they stopped playing, the music played on, so they returned to play some more.
Cymande were a British Funk group who recorded three albums in the early to mid-70s; while not achieving great success during their initial active period, they’ve gone on to achieve recognition through being sampled by the likes of Fugees, De La Soul and other funk and hip-hop acts. As such Cymande’s sound and distinctive unbelievably funky grooves have become a hallmark for hip-hop and house.
Tim MacKenzie-Smith’s new documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande seeks to tell the group’s incredible story, assessing how a group that has proved so influential with fans including Grandmaster Flash and Mark Ronson, but has remained elusive and not achieved huge success of their own. This film would make good companion viewing with The Sparks Brothers and Searching for Sugar Man, which also helped bring attention to artists who had flown under the radar and reassessing their legacy.
Getting It Back positions the group as almost mystical, meaning an incredible amount to their fans with interviews with the group and famous fans including Ronson and DJ Craig Charles, with many not knowing initially that they were a Brixton group and not an American Funk band. There is a clear sense of love and reverence that shines across from all involved, excelling at capturing what makes the group so special and how they’re sound has aged immaculately. 50 years on from their initial recordings, the group’s distinctive tones sound as infectious as ever and it’s not hard to see why they’ve become so influential.
What this film does wonderfully well is painting a picture of who the band are and what they went on to do post-Cymande. Saxophonist and Flautist Mike Bammi Rose for example went on to tour with Paul Simon and become a member of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. The film also focuses on the group’s latter day performances and comeback in the 2010s, having not released a record since the 70s but still drawing crowds. There is a fun segment where the son of one of the members informs his dad that they are playing Cymande in clubs, showing surprise at the group themselves at their success after all this time.
We really get a sense of how passionate Cymande’s fanbase is, Craig Charles saying that having the group in the studio was bigger than having Earth Wind and Fire. It’s clear the group’s appeal spreads across the musical spectrum, uniting fans of a number of genres. Hearing the group’s sound scattered throughout will surely win them legions of new fans.
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, is a riveting and groove soaked documentary that positions the group in terms of the history of some of the music they influenced while diving into their background and adoring fanbase of both celebrities, DJs and record store owners. The film clearly shows the pedestal on which they are held and will likely help reaffirm their status as funk pioneers and innovators, helping give them a greater public awareness.
Above all else it shows how timeless their music is and it is hard to believe some of their music is over 50 years old, if nothing else the film will likely introduce them to a host of new fans across the generations.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
