The new album from Dudley Perkins, called Holy Smokes, is a sizable endeavor at over an hour long with 26 tracks, all of them inspired and thought-provoking. I asked Perkins (also known as Declaime) where he found his inspiration. He responded that, “a record titled Umsindo inspired me to reach further and embrace my African lineage.”

Umsindo is the new album from Georgia Anne Muldrow, who provided all of the production for Holy Smokes. How was it working and recording with Muldrow? “No samples allowed! (Laughs) It’s always a growing experience working with someone that you grow with on a daily basis.”

Lyrically the album is experimental and left-field, often delving into concepts that might remind some of Sun Ra’s cosmic philosophy. While Perkins says Sun Ra wasn’t an influence, he admits, “I love the god’s work.”

The most compelling lyrics on the album come when Perkins talks about war in songs such as “Still Standing” and “Souldiers.” In the intro to “Souldiers” Perkins speaks directly to soldiers, saying “Yeah I went out there too – Desert Storm.” I asked him to tell me about the Desert Storm statement, and he said, “I was once homeless and the lure of a roof over my head and a stable lifestyle looked good at the time… wrong! Murder is murder… thank God my record remained clean.”

I then asked if he thought there was such a thing as a just war. “No. As i said, ‘murder is murder.’”

Perkins also talks about God throughout the album, but not in a religious way – more in a relational way. For example in “Fonky Soul” he says, “God’s always near. Better yet, always in here. Inside where the truth resides.”

Perkins explains, “If God is in your heart, don’t that mean He’s part of you and vice versa? For the people who believe, you are in the heart of God. Either way, you’re still personally and physically connected… someothaship connect game! (laughs)”

Throughout Holy Smokes is a balance between serious contemplation and pure funk, and the song “Boogie” captures that best. I asked Perkins how he balanced making people boogie with making people think, and if it was something he set out to do. He replied, “I go off how demonic musicians work their craft. They use vibration to get there poisonous messages to the youth. So I’m going to do them one better – I’ll use fonkier, bigger grooves with very profound truths so i can drown them suckas out! At the same time the sleep sheep won’t mind me planting these wake up seeds. (Laughs)”

Get Dudley Perkins’ Holy Smokes here.

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