For the third installment in the Weekend Beats series, I decided to switch it up a little bit and introduce some funk into the mix with a “beat CD” from Will Sessions. They’re a Detroit-based band formed by established session musician, Sam Beaubien, who is the key arranger and also trumpet & keys in the group. They’ve already played on songs by artists like Buff1 (“Pretty Baby”), 14KT (“Less Than Enough”) and Black Milk (“Give The Drummer Some”), and have recently recorded parts for upcoming albums from both Slum Village (Barak) and Mayer Hawthorne (Stones Throw). They’ve also just released their debut album, Many Faces, and have also been playing shows around the Detroit area with MonicaBlaire (who just recently joined PPP‘s live line-up) on vocals.

So as an introduction to the beatheads and funk fans alike, Sam sent me an exclusive batch of beats & demos to spread around. The batch is about 1/3 hip-hop beats & loops, 1/3 covers of dusty funk 45′s and 1/3 jazzy jam sessions. Also included are two vocal tracks, with appearances from frequent collaborators, Buff1 and Asylum 7.

You can download the beat tape below or listen to some selected streams beforehand. For further insight on the tracks, stick around after the jump for some track-by-track commentary/liner notes from Mr. Beaubien himself. And for even more on Will Sessions, be sure to check out Sam’s featured interview with the good people over at Michigan Hip Hop from earlier this month, as well as this video of the group recording with Black Milk for the upcoming Slum Village album.