Ari Joshua's 'Pork Fat' sizzles with timeless funk and smoked-soul swagger

There’s no mistaking the aroma. 'Pork Fat' is back on the burner, and it’s frying up something fierce.

Reuniting a crew of Northwest groove veterans, this greasy instrumental cut from Ari Joshua, Delvon Lamarr, Skerik, and Grant Schroff feels like a true late-night resurrection. It’s the kind of track that seeps into your bloodstream, equal parts muscle and mood.

From the jump, Lamarr’s organ purrs like a finely tuned V8 engine, setting the pace with thick, buttery chords and warm Leslie swirls. Joshua’s guitar snakes through the mix with just enough bite, never flashy but always fluid. Skerik’s saxophone work is all controlled chaos, bursting in like a brass-wielding bar brawler before slipping back into the shadows. Meanwhile, Schroff locks the whole affair down with percussion so deep-pocketed it could carry rent money.

Recorded live in a single sitting, the tune crackles with real-time chemistry. It’s music that breathes and sweats at every turn, a throwback to the kind of sweaty club sets where the players and the crowd are locked in the same groove-drenched trance. The result? A four-minute masterclass in restraint, grit, and feel.

But this isn’t just a retro revival for nostalgia’s sake. 'Pork Fat' works because it moves. The players have history, and it shows, where the rhythmic interplay is telepathic, the solos punch without posturing, and the energy is both grounded and giddy. Engineered with warmth by Mell Dettmer and shaped in the mix by Jason Gray, every tone is as rich as the title suggests, deliciously analogue and unapologetically greasy.

In an era of overproduction and synthetic perfection, 'Pork Fat' is a raw, livewire dose of soul-funk realness that proves you don’t need a million takes when the vibe is this locked in. Spin it once, and you’ll be two-stepping in your kitchen before you know it. Spin it twice, and you might just break a sweat.