The Olympians

The Olympians are an instrumental retro-soul band led by Toby Pazner. A writer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has played with El Michels Affair, Menahan Street Band, and the Expressions, Pazner was joined by a large group of like-minded associates in the same vintage-modern R&B orbit. The personnel involved with the Olympians' first two 7" singles (Truth & Soul, 2008-2009) and self-titled debut (Daptone, 2016) featured significant overlap with the lineups of groups such as the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band, the Arcs, and Antibalas. For the full-length, Pazner co-wrote each one of the songs with additional input from up to five fellow composers. They produced a set of tight, succinct instrumentals that seemed to have the legacies of labels such as Philadelphia International, Cadet, Motown, Stax, and Hi in mind. ~ Andy Kellman