Released: 1973/2009

Jon Lucien captures the essence of romance. His rich and expressive voice are a perfect channel for poetic tales of devotion, trust, hope, harmony and spirituality. The atmosphere is just right, drawing inspiration from rhythm and blues, jazz, caribbean beats (he was born on the island of Tortola – the largest of the British Virgin Islands) and Brazillian bossa to create his own unique blend soul.

These two cuts are finally to be found on on 45! Two huge Jon Lucien cuts, “Searching For The Inner Self” and “Would You Believe In Me”.

What a track “Searching for the inner self” is! It rose to prominence when Gilles Peterson dug the crates and included it in his Digs America compilation back in 2005. The b-side, “Would you believe in me“, is taken from the longplayer “Rashida” and is, as the main cut, a slow groove with Lucien’s majestic voice supported with the right amounts of horns and classic drumbreaks.

Fat City | Official Site |

Released: 17/02/2003

We are approaching the end of summer here in Oslo, but I am not ready to give up on the feeling just yet. This is the third year I pick out Spanish singer and producer Gecko Turner to provide a soundtrack for the summer. Gauapapasea! was his debut album and, as far as I know, it was originally released back in 2003.

There are a lot of gems on this album. Its so good in fact, picking out favorites does not do it justice. ”Un limon en la Cabeza” is an old favorite of mine, I still play Quantic’s remix quite often. The album even includes a spanish language re-make of Bob Dylans “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and a cover of Bob Marley’s “Rainbow country”.

Influences ranges from almost every part of the world. You can hear the South American bossa, the african beats, Caribbean reggae and Iberian/Mediterranean sophistication. It is also musically diverse when it comes to the use of instruments and vocals. He is very much a part of the new wave/boss nova generation of musicians, so it is a record to celebrate life and opportunity. 

Gecko Turner | MySpace | Quango records | Amazon.com | Last.fm | YouTube | Juno |