This documentary is an education and a good-news story about the remarkable 70s British funk band Cymande (the word is a calypso term for “dove”) who should be as big as Earth Wind & Fire, but aren’t. Or at least not yet. Their talent allowed them to transcend the racism and dullness of Britain’s cultural scene in the days of the Edward Heath government, recording three albums and becoming the first British band to headline New York’s Apollo Theatre during a heady US tour. But back in dreary Blighty, no TV programme would put them on the air.
The band broke up and obscurity beckoned, but then in the 80s and 90s, a postmodern miracle happened. Their tracks were sampled by bands like the Fugees (who couldn’t believe they weren’t American); Cymande’s music played an important part in the development of hip-hop and they had an amazing digital afterlife, gaining popularity and admirers, with a new and growing fanbase young enough to be their grandchildren.
