The Fort Knox Five have been kicking beats around for several years now and whether you think it's just the right time, or long overdue, the gents from D.C. are here to bring you Radio Free DC, their debut full-length album. They've brought in talent from every corner of the District, including Afrikaa Bambaataa, Sleepy Wonder, Mustafa Akbar, Rootz, Zeebo, Asheru, Ian Svenonious, and Javier Miranda to name most of them.

1. RDFC: A Place Called Fort Knox
2. Insight (Featuring Asheru)
3. Funk 4 Peace (Featuring Mustafa Akbar)
4. How To Start A Band (Featuring Ian Svenonius)
5. Sao Funky (Parts 1 & 2) (Featuring Javier Miranda)
6. The FK Strut
7. RDFC: Calling All Stations
8. The Party Pushers (Featuring Mustafa Akbar)
9. Killa Soundboy (Featuring Sleepy Wonder & Zeebo)
10. The Wonder Strikes Again (Featuring Sleepy Wonder)
11. The Spirit Of '75 (Featuring Mustafa Akbar)
12. RDFC: The Power Of Five
13. Papa Was Stoned
14. Uptown Tricks (Featuring Mustafa Akbar)
15. Not Gonna Take It (Featuring Rootz)
16. RDFC: Signing Off

The quality of Fort Knox has always been top shelf and this time around they certainly didn't let their game slide. For the funky, breakbeat loving masses this is pure, solid gold. The vibe of the Five, much like their image, has always been heavy with blaxploitation funk. There are few groups out there with as a good a command of big horns, hefty beats, outrageously funky vocals, and who can do it with one foot rocking the dance floor, while the other slides easy up against the couch.

From the all out vibe of the album's opener "Insight" MC'd in an old school hip hop style by Asheru, the quality is full on. "Funk 4 Peace" makes the funky point undisputable, thanks largely to Mustafa Akbar being front and center, surrounding by some bombastic breakbeats and what I'm willing to vote in as some of the best funk sitar going.

There is a definite mood of rebellion pervading DC's musical people. Things need changing, and DC's artists, as ever, aren't going to shy away from telling you so. It's especially true when you pair Fort Knox's attitude (and guest vocalists) with the District's most visible downtempo duo, Thievery Corporation, who just released their own Radio Retaliation. Word is, the coincidence of "radio" album title's is just that.

As the tracks move along you'll be treated to influence after influence with no regard for genre, tempo, dance floor, couch, national or cultural borders. These are sounds from every corner of DC and the album moves along with short interstitial clips between many of the songs that lend a radio show feel to whole thing, so don't do yourself the disservice of grabbing only a track or two. All the way through, from Latin to dancehall to hip hop to jazz, it's the funk and breakbeat sound that Fort Knox Five run like OPEC runs oil that makes it all so seamless, and so damn good.

This album has been on repeat for so long now I need a Knoxycodone intervention. Radio Free D.C. is worth every penny for every track. Don't let this one languish in some "maybe later" list. These are fuller than full on sounds.

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