Throw a handful of compulsive funk rhythms together with six energetic musicians intent on whipping up a party atmosphere and you get a fusion sound nobody can resist! As their name Ceux Qui Marchent Debout (literally "those who walk upright") implies, the sixsome began their career on the streets, playing their instruments as they marched and as their sound evolved they came to put a new spin on the classic idea of the brass band.

Even when they began playing in proper music venues the band – now dubbed CQMD by their fans – decided that all the musicians should be able to carry their instruments. And thus the drum section was split in two, one musician shouldering the snare drum, another the bass drum. Ceux Qui Marchent Debout take full advantage of their instrumental mobility live in concert, regularly leaping down from the stage to march through the audience and relive their early days on the streets. This inevitably adds an element of showmanship to the band's vibrant live performances, especially when you see the impressive soubassophone (a sort of cross between a tuba and a double bass) moving through the crowd!

Funk has never exactly been a French speciality, but CQMD's heady mix appears to have struck a chord with music fans abroad and over the last decade the six-piece have played dates in over thirty different countries, wowing audiences all the way from Cuba and Canada to Yemen and Botswana. And just a few weeks ago, French rap star Joey Starr (former 'bad boy' frontman of NTM) invited the band to support him in concert at the Olympia, in Paris.

Throughout their career, the group have always managed to transpose their live energy into the studio, losing none of their famous energy along the way. And their sixth album, The Jackpot, is no exception to the rule. CQMD even take their funky fusion mix one step further this time round, adding electronic drums and playing with a weird distortion effect on trombone more normally heard on electric guitars. The group also venture into new musical territory on their new album, experimenting with electro-rock on the hardcore track Electrosmog and toying with disco on another song entitled Brothers & Sisters. Meanwhile, the opening track New P pays an upbeat tribute to American funk icon George Clinton, the king of "p funk".

CQMD have chosen to sing in English (which may partly account for their export success), but vocals tend to play a secondary role in this funky brass band's musical mix. The collective goal at the end of the day is groove, groove, groove. It looks as if "Those Who Walk Upright" are intent on getting everyone up on their funky feet!