I’ve been pointing people toward Dexter Gilmore since I first discovered his series of Coldi-loqs demos in a Bandcamp deep dive in 2014. You need an easy in when you’re making recommendations, so I’ve always described his sound as “like Prince, if Prince recorded in his bedroom (and that bedroom wasn’t part of a multi-million dollar recording studio.)”
Well, it wasn’t too long after the heady days of tracks like “As I Light This Spliff Dying” that Gilmore realized his funky freak-outs were big enough for a full band. He recruited a few other artists kicking around New Orleans’ Community Records scene and Sexy Dex and the Fresh was born.
In spite of the influx of new blood — and a penchant for being tight as hell in their live sets — Gilmore hasn’t lost sight of the funky or the fuzzy. And that’s all on display in their new video for “Le Sigh” that we’re premiering above. Gilmore and co-vocalist Gabrielle Washington romp through graveyards and living rooms in a clip that looks like a camcorder recording of a television set.
It’s a great introduction to their upcoming debut album Plus 1 Edition. Though it’s not officially out until December 16, I can assure you that it’s a collection of tunes that would make The Purple One proud, especially if he went through a squatting phase. But you don’t have to entirely take my word for it. Tracks like the upbeat album opener “Sp33d R4c3r” are already out in the world, waiting for you to smash the play button and get weird.
If that’s not enough to satisfy — and you happen to be in New Orleans — you can see what SDTF does to a room full of folks on December 2 at Maple Leaf Bar.
