J. Dynamite gives a masterclass on groove on ‘The Powers That Be’
After more than two decades spent shaping the modern soul, funk and rare groove scene from behind the scenes, Jeff Silverman—better known as J. Dynamite—is stepping forward with a vision entirely his own: his solo album The Powers That Be. This album marks a new chapter for an artist whose fingerprints have been all over the modern soul and funk landscape. As co-founder of Truth & Soul Records, Dynamite was instrumental in the New York soul revival that grew from Desco, Soul Fire, Truth & Soul and Daptone Records. He became a producer on Aloe Blacc’s Good Things album and later brought his ear for groove and atmosphere to video-game music as a soundtrack producer for Rockstar Games on GTA V and RDR 2.
With The Powers That Be, J. Dynamite reunites with many of the musicians who helped define the funk and soul resurgence. The album features Grammy-winning bassist Nick Movshon, (with credits including Truth & Soul productions, Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar” and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black); Stuart Bogie (Antibalas / TV on the Radio / Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings) on flute and saxophone; guitarist Luke O’Malley (Antibalas / The Roots); keyboardist Jake Pinto (Magic City Hippies); Miles Francis (Antibalas / EMEFE) on drums; vibraphonist Angelo Outlaw; Grammy-winning Latin percussionist Reinaldo DeJesus; Vincent John (Eraserhood Sound); and a cast of longtime collaborators.
Despite the history of the musicians involved, The Powers That Be is deliberately not a nostalgia trip. Dynamite turns the accumulated experience of a long career into something immediate, personal and forward-looking. The album is not a retrospective, but a chance to hear what happens when a producer with decades of musical history finally puts his own name at the center of the record. Drawing inspiration from the adventurous spirit of artists including Roy Porter, Donald Byrd, Del Jones and Marcus Belgrave, Silverman set out to move beyond the increasingly familiar tropes of contemporary ‘cinematic soul’. Instead, he built an album around uptempo breaks, melodic invention and a constant sense of movement—music designed as much for dancers as for deep listeners.
The result is music that feels simultaneously vintage and futuristic, drawing from the vocabulary of soul, funk, jazz and Latin music without settling comfortably into any one category. For longtime followers, The Powers That Be marks the return of a producer whose influence can be traced through much of the soul and funk renaissance of the last twenty-five years. For everyone else, it is an introduction to an artist who has spent decades shaping the conversation and is finally telling his own story. With this newest album, J. Dynamite isn’t revisiting the past. He’s re-entering the conversation.
‘The Powers That Be’ out on LP / CD / digi on Oct. 30th 2026 via Mighty Eye
