Tortured Soul

The phrase dance band brings to mind an amalgam of celebratory funkateers and drill-team-choreography fodder that could be dubbed KC & C and the Sunshine Factory. Tortured Soul pairs the sweat-soaked soul of the former with the precise pounding pulse of the latter, but unlike electronic acts that use live instrumentation (such as Ming and FS), this trio works without a turntablist to tether it to techno. Instead, it creates completely organic house music with a drum, a bass and keys. The deep grooves and intense rhythmic crescendos are indistinguishable from the vinyl variety, but onstage it gives booty shakers more of a show than staid spinners can provide.