Posts from — February 2009

Heading off to London in a few hours (!). The Carling Cup final at Wembley being the main event of the weekend, but obviously I’m going to spend my time wisely – that means digging through dusty second hand- and specialist shops for vinyl essentials.

Flevans is dj’ing at Neighbourhood tonight (Ladbroke Grove), and I hope to catch that show. His wonderful debut album “Make new friends” was released on Tru Thoughts, and he followed up with the brilliant ”Unfabulous” album on Jack to Phono. Both are still a classics I pull out from time to time. my favorite being the latter. His new album“27 Devils” has a confirmed release date of Monday 18th May, and once more it is going to be released on Tru Thoughts. The album has been mixed down and mastered, and all the artwork has been completed, so I expect to be exposed to some new beats.

Let me know if your in London and want to hook up for a few drinks,

Tru Thoughts | MySpace

Released: 20/01/2009

Once known as Platinum Pied Pipers, Waajeed and Saadiq reinvent themselves with more than a name change. On their second album for the magnificent Ubiquity label, the group delivers a contemporary twist of old Motown influences, creating a brilliant and distinct collection of funk and soul. 

While Detroit seems doomed in most of the media due to its dependence of its automobile industry, the motor town’s hip-hop scene has more positive vibes at the moment. 

Wajeed first started producing back in 2000, when he was given a broken piece of equipment by J Dilla, which he was told he could keep if he could fix it. Just years later, he released the seminal Platinum Pied Pipers debut album “Triple P” together with Saadiq back in 2005. The combination of funk, soul, and hiphop struck a chord with audiences worldwide and established the duo as sought after producers, while launching the career of vocalist Tiombe Lockhart. 

The first single, “On a cloud“, is a good starting point when getting to know this album. With organic drums, full band and powerful soul vocals – it could have come straight out of Brighton. Another song I love is “Pigeon hole”, a slow soul number that is perfect for those slow dances. To showcase the albums diversity, I would also like to pull out “Sanctuary”, a song that is along the same the same lines as 4 Hero, with lots of strings and slow beats. ”Abundance” a full package that is organic enough to feel spontaneous, yet sophisticated enough without loosing the over-produced. 

Vocalist Karma Stewart is a new acquaintance, and one I will be keeping tabs on in the time to come. Her vocals are all over this album, and along with Coultrain both vocalists sound truely at home in Wajeed and Saadiq’s productions. The duo has also returned the favor and produced her debut EP (Coultrain have written the lyrics). The 4-track CD was originally sold at PPP shows all across Europe last fall – but now Karma & PPP have decided to give the EP away for free as a preview of both Karma’s upcoming (you get some bonus material as well!).

Ubiquity | MySpace | Juno | Amazon |

Released: 09/02/2009

Originally a prolific club night deep in the south west of England, Good Groove was known for serving up a unique mash up of disco, funk and breaks. Naturally, when the guys behind started their own record label it was going to revolve around that sound – with the ambition that their releases never would leave a dj’s record box!

This EP is the eight release of the “Regrooved” series (the label’s 12th release), and it continues to deliver a good blend of funky house, disco, latin and breaks – all made for the dancefloor. 

My favorite is the Breakbeat Junkie’s “Here’s the funky beat” which is a soulful house number with those lucid and funky little piano lines, old school rhymes and good grooves. This is definitively going to be a hit with a lot of dj’s out there – including me. One the same side, the Sly Players turns the funk and tempo up with “Turn you one”, combining the breakbeat and disco elements neatly. One the flip, Calagad13 joins in with a re-work of an old disco classic, while DJP goes into latin territory. A decent package for several occasions, but prominently lead by the Breakbeat Junkie.

PS! Check out my review of “Featurecast – Take a ride” on the same label.

Fat City | MySpace | Juno |

Released: 28/04/2008

Quiet Village is a project of Matt Edwards (best known as dance music maestro Radio Slave) and collaborator Joel Martin. The pair met while attending Sir Dunstan’s College in South East London back in the early 90’s, but it has taken more than 15 years to release their debut album together.

“Silent Movie” could be chategorized as an balearic revival, with rashing waves and crying seagulls, acoustic guitars, piano, harp, strings, hand drums, and vintage synthesizers. It is a recipe for relaxation, yet the richness of the sound makes me a concentrated listener every time i put it on.

Despite its organic and almost classical arrangements, samples are a monumental ingredient on the record. One example being “Victorias secret”, which samples a Chi-lites classic written in 1972 and reinterpretes it for the sunset at Café del Mar, leaving the vocals of the original and adding only slight touches of voice. Another favorite is “Broken promises,” a track that brings reference the likes of 4Hero, Air or Zero 7, with beautiful string arrangements and a light, organic rhythm to match the acoustic guitar.

From the slow disco groove of “Can’t be beat”, to the post rock riff of “Circus Horror” and the jamaican reggae influenced “Pacific Rhythm” and soul fueled “To high to move” – The duo’s musical history and knowledge really shines through on the record – creating a diverse, yet complete debut album.

Official site | MySpace | !K7 | Amazon |

Released: 24/01/2009

This is a solid piece of of groovy reggae – on both sides of this 7″. “Cobra dub” is bouncy, it is melodic and it is cheerful. On the flip ”Paper boy” is amazingly a reggae cover version of the classic nintendo game “Paper boy” – check it out and see if you can recognize any resemblance on YouTube!

In any case, no matter where the artist got the inspiration – the results are as wicked as it is funny. If this ain’t getting you in the right frame of mind for some late night groovin’…The slow bass, tripping piano and and the horns of the main melody makes in an instant classic.

Fat City | Piccadilly Records | Phonica Records | Juno Records |

Released: 13/01/2009

I must say I’m usually not into German vocals, but not let that put you off on this one. “Cologne’s Badu” introduces her band the Fleur Earth Experiment with the first single from their 2009 album “Soul des Cabots”. There is a more music from the album on MySpace, and judging by those it is worth checking out.

As the record label says; think Minnie meets Madlib in Cologne and you have a vague idea what Fleur Earth is about. The 7 inch singles main cut, “Zeitleiden”, is soulful and atmospheric, uplifting yet moody, laid on a solid foundation of beats. It released on the German label Melting Pot Music, home to amongst others Lefties Soul Connection, Marc Hype and Jim Dunloop, and Dj Day.

Listen to it on YouTube.

FatCity | Juno Records | TuneTribe | Melting Pot Music | MySpace |

Released: 16/03/2009

Speech Debelle is definitively one to look out for in 2009! Coming from South London, she has kept the unique british sound. For me it was the wonderful clarinet on top of solid beats that caught my attention – incredibly catchy

Her lyrics are honest, getting to grips with reality without loosing a positive outlook for the future. A sexy modest voice, yet filled with attitude and smarts. Hopefully this young girl will get the same amount of recognition as Lilly Allen got a few years ago, from what I have heard so far the talent is certainly there. The song has got some of that organic old school flavor and is not too far off One Self in its expression (I posted One Self – Bluebird, some time ago). 

Her debut single was “Searching”, a chilled ballade – but “They key” is definitively her best single yet. Her debut album “Speech therapy” is expected on Big Dada in may.

MySpace | SpeechDebelle.com | Big Dada | YouTube |

Released: 03/11/2006

Guess I am late discovering this artist, as the album was released almost two years ago. It caught my attention when “This Is What You Are” and “I cant keep from cryin’ sometimes” was released on the German label Unique last month – a record that has been on heavy rotation in Norman Jay’s program Giant 45 on BBC London. It was originally released under the moniker of Was A Bee back in the Spring of 2004. 

“Handful of Soul” is an album ranging between jazz and soul – it swings from smooth vocal melodies to rhythmic tracks you can dance to. Biondi is superbly accompanied by the High Five Quintet, a group that have released two albums (for the label Via Veneto Jazz), and encountered success at the most important jazz festivals like Paris Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, Brianza Open Jazz, Clusone Jazz Festival and Teano Jazz. 

Mario is a white Sicilian from Catania, Italy – but there he certainly is capable of expressing his soul. Biondi have interpreted a lot of original American classics, songs he originally doubted he was able to reproduce stylistically. Songs such as “Slow Hot Wind” and “On A Clear Day”, or even  the title track “A Handful Of Soul”. But his deep and warm voice, and soulful passionate signing shines throughout the album.

MySpace | Soul Seduction | Amazon | Unique Records | Fat City

Hot off the release of their latest EP on the innovative Blive sharing service, Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay have revealed that the service have been a massive success so far – and that there is more music in the pipeline – on his MySpace blog. 

“It is astonishing how much interest it’s created, which is obviously a good thing. At the heart of it was a feeling that we had the opportunity to put this music out in what ever way we could think of. A lot of music is free but the problem is, in becoming free, it’s become disposable. We were trying to find a way of putting music out there that was free but valued. We’re trying to bring back that thing where you get a record home and you make a few tapes for your mates because you want them to hear it. It seems to have worked. It’s been making waves all over the world. People are doing it in the tens of thousands. You can only get it from the B-Live site but the tune’s popping up at number one in the Cool Cuts chart and it’s Essential New Tune on Pete Tong and all the rest of it. It’s gone as well as it could have possibly gone.”

“The EP is kind of divided into two and it hints at the two albums that we’re going to do this year. There’s the really punky/band-y kind of thing, which is the one that we’re working on now. And then over the Ibiza season we’re going to release an album of pure house music, because we could never do that on major labels. Whilst we were DJing all over the world, the stuff we were making to play was never getting put out. So we’re going to right that wrong. Anyway, yeah, I think we chose the first tune because it’s maybe the most accessible, with its vocals.” 

The guys are finishing off the first of the two albums these days. I really look forward to getting my hands on more new material.

Get the new single for free at Bacardi Blive

Released: 15/07/1975

Another record from one of my favorite soul singer – Minnie Riperton (check out my post about “Reasons“).”Inside my love” is taken from the “Adventures in paradise” album and is a brilliant, sensual and fragile love song, performed with the sweetest voice very few artists can match to this day. Minnie was one of the few that totally mastered a five-octave-and-a-half vocal range – and just look how she really kills it live. Fantastic. 

The whole soul community was devestated when she passed away at the age of 31 – But her music lives on. There are some good re-interpretations of the song – worth mentioning is the house mix by Jean Jaques Smoothie from back in 2002, and of course Kenny Dope’s “Get on down” which really made good use of the sample.

I have included it in my Spotify playlist, where you also find “Reasons” among other great tracks.

YouTube | Minnieriperton.com | YouTube | Amazon | Last Fm |