An intoxicating gumbo of global soul, surf noir, and psychedelic funk — all filtered through a vintage analog haze. Listening to Gitkin feels like stumbling across a forgotten reel-to-reel in a dusty Havana pawn shop or a smoky Marseilles speakeasy. There’s a deep sense of wanderlust baked into every groove — part spaghetti western, part funk exotica — with twangy guitars that slither like snakes through a desert bazaar.
New Orleans-based Gitkin, also known as Brian J Gitkin, is a Grammy-nominated artist and producer renowned for his work with Cedric Burnside, Bab L’ Bluz, Bernard Purdie, and Cyril Neville, and as the mastermind behind the internationally beloved funk ensemble Pimps Of Joytime. What began as a passion project has grown into a global phenomenon. With monthly streams surpassing 300,000, Gitkin’s self-produced studio albums have resonated deeply across continents.
In 2022, fueled by mounting streaming momentum and international demand, he assembled a live touring trio featuring Palestinian multi-instrumentalist Simon Moushabeck (keys, accordion, percussion) and Cuban-American drummer Washington Duke. Together, the three create a spacious yet explosive live dynamic — weaving hypnotic grooves, desert-tinged melodies, and deep rhythmic interplay into something both transportive and visceral. Since forming, the trio has toured extensively across the United States, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, France, and Austria, selling out multiple headline shows and supporting acts such as Steel Pulse, Say She She, The Altons, and Thee Sinseers.
After years of crafting vocal-driven productions, Gitkin embraced the freedom of letting the guitar speak. “With Gitkin, I bring my love for African, Middle Eastern, and South American music into dialogue with American blues and funk,” he explains. “Performing as a trio leaves space for what I call ‘expensive moments’ — those times when something intangible takes over the room and everyone feels it.”
