You may not know it, but you've probably heard the Menahan Street Band. Jay-Z sampled their signature horn sound for his smash "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)" while Kid Cudi sampled their guitar lines for "Mr. Solo Dolo." The list goes on as Menahan Street Band is quickly becoming one of the most sampled current bands in the business. All this shouldn't come as a surprise for those who have checked out the band on their own. The music is steeped in classic soul and afrobeat but displays an acute awareness for hip hop. It is lush, gritty, retro and modern all at the same time.

Formed in Thomas “TNT” Brenneck's bedroom, Mehanan Street Band began and continues to be a studio project. Brenneck was looking to record music in between his busy tour schedules when he called in friends from all sides of the Brooklyn Soul Scene -- members of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, The Budos Band, Lee Fields & the Expressions and Antibalas. Each track was recorded over time with a rotating rhythm section all topped with the unique horn stylings of Dave Guy and Leon Michels. The final result was exciting to all those involved, and Brenneck released the first Menahan Street Band single, "Make The Road By Walking" on his burgeoning label, Dunham Records, a division of Daptone Records.Dunham continued to release Menahan Street Band singles and eventually a full-length album, Make The Road By Walking.

The records are characterized by an experimental element. Whether it be a unique instrument or simply an unusual beat, Menahan Street Band attempts to broaden the horizon of funk and soul music through these qualities. However, the term experimental far from describes the final product. The music is always founded in a solid beat and
simple changes making it accessible to a broad spectrum of listeners. Brenneck's dedication to high quality analog sound is another staple element of the “Menahan Sound.” The process of recording to tape -- the limited track count, the tape edits, the
natural tape compression -- has a great influence on the final product.

After releasing their debut LP, the strictly studio band formed a live alter ego. The core members -- Thomas Brenneck, Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, Leon Michels, Dave Guy and Mike Deller -- put together a live show and started backing singer Charles Bradley. The Menahan Street band continues to record and is working on their next full length instrumental record to be released internationally in 2011. They are featured on the upcoming release of Charles Bradley's No Time For Dreaming and can be seen in 2011 touring behind Mr. Bradley.