Bootsy Collins has dropped a new music video for “Slide Eazy,” his collaboration with Ellis Hall, Rod Castro, and Brennan Johns from his most recent album, The Power of One.
Directed by Jameson Mangan, the clip is an eye-popping kaleidoscopic collage that finds Bootsy and his collaborators breezing through the upbeat funk jam. The psychedelic visuals are put to particularly perfect effect when Castro appears to unleash his dazzling guitar solo.
In an email to Rolling Stone, Bootsy explained how he built “Slide Eazy” with his three key collaborators. It started with a desire to go back to his James Brown roots with a bit of a contemporary upgrade, and Castro helped give the song that edge. Searching for an R&B-style singer and lyrics, he reached out to Hall, who not only wanted to pen the words but play on the track as well. Capping it all off was Johns, Bootsy’s go-to horn arranger, while the bassist also gave a shout-out to a friend, J-Skillz, who goes by the stage name DJ on Tha 1, and plays clavinet on the track.
“Another point of view can sometimes be a very good thang,” Bootsy said. “It’s like altering your DNA of a song while in the musical lab experimenting. I love to stay outside the box, and when you listen to this song, you can hear the different mixtures and how we all blend and become one. It sounds like an all-night party.”
Along with releasing the “Slide Eazy” clip, Bootsy announced he would be selling some NFT crypto art in a public auction hosted in the virtual game platform Decentraland. The sale will launch on April 9th at 6 p.m. ET.
Bootsy released The Power of One last October. The record boasts an array of collaborators including Snoop Dogg, Branford Marsalis, Larry Graham, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Christian McBride, and Dr. Cornel West.
From Rolling Stone US
