E.U. bring go-go’s percussion and “Da Butt” to Tiny Desk
Sugar Bear leads eight songs from the D.C. band, with drums, percussion and horns.
E.U. finish their Tiny Desk with “Da Butt,” the go-go song tied to Spike Lee’s 1988 film School Daze. Getting there takes seven other songs. NPR published the concert August 27, with founder Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott leading on vocals and bass.
The groove keeps moving
The program opens with “Shake Your Thang,” then moves through “Oo La La La,” “Go Ju Ju Go” and “Taste of Your Love.” “Bounce!,” “E.U. Freeze” and “Um Bop Bop” follow before the closer. NPR’s Suraya Mohamed describes songs flowing into one another, with call-and-response driving the performance.
William “JuJu” House plays drums and Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hagans handles percussion. Guitar, keys, trumpet, saxophone and several supporting voices fill out the band. The rhythm section gets a named moment in “Go Ju Ju Go,” part of a set with percussion at its center.
NPR places Experience Unlimited alongside Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk and Rare Essence in D.C.’s go-go history. Mohamed also hears a rock-and-roll edge in this appearance. “Da Butt” is the finale of a full band set, carrying that wider repertoire with it.
