A lot of great new music coming out of this genre lately. Heres a wide ranging playlist of whats new in the world of Soul and R&B, as well as a few obscure gems from the past. As is the usual Headstash blend, you will find a lot of standard instrument based music paired with strong electronica influences.
Category Archives: Soul/R&B
Steve Bamidele
“Steven Bamidele is a London-based singer, songwriter, and producer. Born in Nigeria, he spent his formative years in Suffolk, before moving to Brighton. This upbringing is reflected in his lyrics, which often explore themes of racial identity, family, and self-reflection.” – https://tru-thoughts.co.uk/artists/steven-bamidele/ share:
Sipho.
image: https://colorsxstudios.com/artists/sipho
Unafraid to go from a soulful piano track to laying down vocals over drum and bass, Birminghams Sipho represents the new breed of r&b crossover artists.
“SIPHO. is here to challenge perceptions around Black male identity, artistry and creativity. Here we have a singer-songwriter with the vocal power to garner your attention from the very first note. Lyrically, he’s quirky but smart with it, and while the voice may pack a hearty soul punch, the music defies genre and boxes, drawing on everything from rock and blues to gospel and R&B.” – https://www.complex.com/music/a/chantelle-fiddy/sipho-rising-interview.
Little Axe
Image: Real World Records
Little Axes signature gospel dub sound takes you on a haunting and spiritual journey through blues history with a mystical blending of synthetic and organic instrumentation. Which musician has links to The Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, James Brown, Robert Plant, Tackhead, and Megadeth? The answer is Skip McDonald, and Skip is Little Axe – Bandcamp
https://youtu.be/sriUwEtgtJk
Greentea Peng
Image by: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/543598617528098747/
“South Londoner Greentea Peng vibrates a little differently from the rest of us, literally – her debut album was purposely recorded at 432Hz (and not the industry standard 440) because of the frequency’s much-discussed soothing properties. Within the album lies a hazy miasma of jazz, righteous reggae, easy-going hip-hop and vintage neo-soul in which the echo effects of dub and the swirl of psychedelia hand off to skitters of drum’n’bass. “Krishna and Jah” keep watch over the recording studio.” – The Guardian
Full Album. Click top right corner to expand.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfiMjLyNWxeZNgH8i9QpVGUNC1nBixGXS
Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Image: https://www.alternativeclassical.co.uk/interviews/ayanna-witter-johnson
Ayanna Witter-Johnson is an English composer, singer, songwriter and classically trained cellist, but her music is anything but traditional. Performing both classical and contemporary music – she sings while accompanying herself on the cello and has described her song-writing style as “a bit of soul, hip-hop and reggae” Best experienced in full screen, found in the bottom right corner of the video.
An amazing solo cello cover of the Police classic, Roxanne
Dominique Fils-Aimé
Dominique Fils-Aimé is an incredible new talent from Montreal whose music brings together jazz, soul and r&b. In 2018 she released Nameless, her debut album which explored blues music as the first installment in a trilogy devoted to the history of African-American music
https://youtu.be/PxsfzsfcfI4
Twylyte ’81
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1850436-1251126521.jpeg.jpg)
Reissue from this underrated Soul-Jazz album, produced and released in 1981. Twylyte ’81 was a 3 pieces band composed of Frank Jones Jr., Alfred Brown Jr. and John Belzaguy, who, except for John, have never recorded anything else than this incredible album. These guys were only 18 at the time of recording this album. Notable are the spiritual vocals, bass guitar work, and piano solos
From 2 minutes on, this spiritually moving track is pretty much one long bass solo
4th Coming
‘Eccentric soul and lost funk recordings from an unlikely crew of Los Angeles musical misfits – one of the finest and deepest examples of Los Angeles soul in the 1970s. At its core, the 4th Coming was a songwriting duo – Porter and Jechonias “Jack” S. Williams – and a rotating cast of musicians – including members of lauded Los Angeles funk ensemble the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band – that Williams assembled at Artist Recording Studio to realize the pair’s ideas. They existed only from the latter half of 1969 until 1974; during that time they issued eight singles as 4th Coming.” -rappcats.com
Jackie Venson
Jackie Venson is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Austin, Texas. A ferocious young guitar player just who isn’t afraid to drop the odd reggae tune, her smile and positive energy on stage is hard not to fall in love with. Obsessed with music from an early age, Venson immersed herself in its study, attending the Berklee College of Music to practice classical piano. However, it wasn’t until she switched to the electric guitar, that her long-simmering passion for emotive live performance was realized. Abandoning the straight-laced world of classical for the raw power of blues and soul, Venson has since been tirelessly honing her skills into an intoxicating amalgam of Blues, Rock, R&B and Soul with deeply heartfelt lyrics.
some great solo work around the 3 minute mark..
Check out her Youtube Channel for all her other videos. Jackie Evens.
Sons of Slum
Soul funk group Sons Of Slum hailed from Chicago and were formed by founding members Maurice Bell and Daktori while at college in 1962.
Singer-songwriter, producer JMSN aka Christian Berishaj returns with a separate moniker as Pearl.
Nino Ferrer was born on 15 August 1934 in Genoa, Italy, but lived the first years of his life in New Caledonia (an overseas territory of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean), where his father, an engineer, was working. Jesuit religious schooling, first in Genoa and later in Paris, left him with a lifelong aversion to the Church. In 1963, Nino Ferrer recorded his own first record, the single “Pour oublier qu’on s’est aimé” (“To forget we were in love”). His first solo success came in 1965 with the song “Mirza”. Other hits followed, unintentionally establishing Ferrer as something of a comedic singer. The stereotyping and his eventual success made him feel unable to escape from the constant demands of audiences to hear the hits he himself despised. Always having a depressive side to his personality, he would purposely try to antagonize his audience trying repel them from his concerts for demanding to hear the hits. In Italy, he scored a major hit in 1967 with La pelle nera (the French version is “Je voudrais être un noir” [“I’d like to be a black man”]. This soul song, with its quasi-revolutionary lyrics imploring a series of Ferrer’s black music idols to gift him their black skin for the benefit of music-making, achieved long-lasting iconic status in Italy. In 1975 he started breeding horses in Quercy, France. In 1989, Ferrer obtained French citizenship, which he explained as his “celebration of the bicentenary of the French Revolution.” A couple of months after his mother died on 13 August 1998, two days before his 64th birthday, Ferrer took his hunting gun and walked to a field of recently cut wheat then laid down near some trees he had painted before on canvas and shot himself in the chest. His wife Kinou, with whom he had two sons, had already alerted the gendarmerie after finding a farewell letter in the house. Next day, there were front-page headlines in most French and Italian newspapers, such as “Adieu Nino!”, “Nino Ferrer Hung Up His Telephone”, “Our Nino Has Left for the South.” They called him the Don Quixote of French show business.- Edited from Wikipedia
Released in 1974 Nino Ferrer’s Nino & Radiah was an album which found the French artist backed by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band. This laid back funk feel was quite a departure from his jazz and campy styles that he was know for. Its in my opinion his best work. Sadly, and much to Ninos dismay, it only sold around 45,000 copies worldwide.
A couple tracks off 1972’s Métronomie
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. She is a founding member of indie hip hop groups The Chalice, Grrrl Prty, The Clerb, Ellypseas, and Absynthe. Her debut album, Lizzobangers, was released in 2013. She released her second album, Big Grrrl Small World, in 2015. Soon afterward, she released the 2016 major-label EP Coconut Oil. On April 19, 2019, she released Cuz I Love You, her third studio album. After struggling with body issues at an early age, Lizzo became an advocate for body positivity and self-love, while creating diversity the focus of her music, in regards to one’s body (in “Fitness” and “Juice”), sexuality (“Boys”), race (“My Skin”) and more. Her group of back-up dancers, the Big Grrrls, consists of all plus-size dancers. Highlighting body inclusivity and celebrating individuality, Lizzo appeared in ModCloth‘s “Say It Louder” campaign. It launched on June 11, 2018. In the same month, she sported the first plus-size outfit made for FIT‘s Future of Fashion runway show by Grace Insogna at an LGBTQ event at Pride Island. – Wikipedia
https://pitchfork.com/artists/33286-lizzo/
Jacob Banks, born 1991, is a British singer and songwriter from Birmingham. Jacob became the first unsigned act to ever appear on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. His music is influenced by a range of genres including soul, R&B and hip hop. Banks is currently signed with American label Interscope Records. In October 2012 he recorded his debut EP titled The Monologue which was released in January 2013. In April 2013, Jacob played his first headline show at the London St Pancras Old Church. Banks features on Chase and Status’ “Alive” from their album, Brand New Machine. He also supported them, on their 2013 UK tour. Jacob also worked with artists such as Chase & Status, Bondax, Jake Gosling, Knox Brown, Plan B and Wretch 32. On 21 July 2015, Banks’ second extended play entitled The Paradox was released. It features a guest appearance from Odd Child Recordings rapper Avelino on the track “Monster”. In 2016, he was featured on Norwegian production team Seeb release “What Do You Love”. The song reached number 2 on VG-lista, the official Norwegian singles chart. On 9 March 2017, Banks premiered his two-part narrative video, written and co-directed by himself, for his single, “Unholy War”. The single is off his upcoming EP, ‘The Boy Who Cried Freedom’. – Wikipedia
The Monologue – Released April 2013
The Boy Who Cried Freedom – Released April 2017
The Village – Released November 2018
Son Little
Son Littles music touches on soul, blues, hip-hop and reggae. Samples, fuzzy guitar and simple drums work together to create an undeniable groove and NME called his sound “pure, heart-spilled-over-the-road soul.” Born in Los Angeles to a preacher and a teacher, as a kid Son (formerly known as Aaron Livingston) absorbed songs from dusty family records and learned saxophone and piano, though he felt more at home inventing his own language on those instruments rather than following the lesson plan. Adapt or die, as they say. Cycling through jazz, rock and R&B history, the hungry young son was beginning his true education. He moved east, then to Philly. He loves to write, he lives to write – and even though there have been lapses of time, he always comes back to it as both a vocation and a joy. There are many channels to Son Little’s broadcast, varied stops on the dial, from blues to soul to funk to folk, and juke-joint jazz and chamber pop and back again. His voice—raw, weary yet alert, grave and gravelly, Marvin and Otis and Stevie all at once—soars and creeps, cracks and moans. His songs haunt, thrill, yearn and stomp like all the best work of his heroes. He has collaborated with highly respected artists like The Roots and the producer/DJ RJD2. And more recently, he had the distinct honour of producing legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples’ 4-song EP, Your Good Fortune, in addition to writing two of the songs on the recording. The collaboration inventively merges Staples’ iconic and soulful voice, renowned as part of The Staple Singers and as a Grammy-winning solo artist, with Little’s talent for reconfiguring the sensibilities of genres including soul, hip-hop and heavy rock. The resulting tracks retain every bit of Staples’ emotional delivery, while adding an array of modernist sounds created with the cut and paste methodology of contemporary hip-hop. VFF
https://youtu.be/h9do1cdja-8
Budos Band – Afro Soul
The Budos Band is an instrumental band recording on the Daptone Records label. The band has nine members (with occasional guests) who on their first studio albums, played instrumental music that was self-described as “Afro-Soul,” a term and sound which – in a 2007 interview – baritone saxophone player Jared Tankel elucidated as being drawn from Ethiopian music the band had been listening to that had a soul undercurrent to it. Since this time, the band has moved toward playing what they refer to as “70’s Psychedelic Instrumental Music.”Jazz, deep funk, Afro-beat, soul and heavy-metal influences can be heard in the Budos Band recordings, all of which were released on Daptone Records and recorded at the label’s own studio, Daptone’s House of Soul, in Brooklyn, New York. Though they reside in Brooklyn The Budos Band have toured most of North America, Several countries in Europe and parts of Australia. Wikipedia
Some live clips.
https://youtu.be/6gHdaoFALXI
https://youtu.be/f0bdLdTJdKI
BRIAN BENNETT was born in London in 1940 and by the late 1950s was one of the most sought-after percussionists around. As well as his solo work and collaborations he was a member of the Shadows, joining in 1961. He has been one of the top drummers in rock & roll for two generations, as well as a top arranger and an award-winning film and television composer. His multi-tiered career, which includes running his own record label, has made Bennett one of the most successful musicians of his generation, well into the 21st century. (extracted from All Music & Drummer world)
The 12 tracks I have selected in the playlist below cover mostly the space funk/abstract soul side of his repertoire.
The Seshen
Fronted by vocalist Lalin St. Juste, The Seshen is a seven piece band based from San Francisco. Mixing live and electronic elements and taking influence from eclectic sources including psychedelia, hip-hop, pop, R&B, West African music, dub, and indie rock, they create beat-driven compositions with a strong emotional core. – Tru Thoughts Records
Pete Philly
The music of Aruba-born Amsterdam-based artist Pieter Monzón, aka Pete Philly is a blend of hip hop, soul and jazz. Quite a story behind the man who was fronting for the likes of Kanye West and James Brown then disappeared. It was Lyme disease that forced him to drop out of his flourishing music career – an illness that took 20 years to diagnose. Before that Philly wasn’t sure what the problem was: often Lyme disease can be misdiagnosed as a number of other illnesses, from gluten intolerance to allergies to paranoid schizophrenia. Pete Philly is back, and the MC who used to be one half of Pete Philly & Perquisite is now a solo artist, producer and MC all in one.
The Milk
United Vibrations
Afro Funk – South London’s United Vibrations create astral-facing productions that feel as though they ascend into the highest realms. Influenced by funk, afrobeat, and electronica, the four-piece tread the tightrope between Fela Kuti and Sun Ra, and use the profits from their releases to support an initiative to build sustainable eco-homes in their south London borough. Their output is full of good energy and positive messages for the world – Boiler Room
The Meltdown, Melbourne’s purveyors of the finest country soul released their self-titled debut album on 7th April, 2017 through HopeStreet Recordings. Blending country, gospel and 60s soul, the result is a unique take on Australian soul music and a record full of life, energy and deeply felt storytelling. With influences ranging from Father John Misty, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Alabama Shakes built above a steady foundation of southern soul music, this collection of stellar players have created a mesh of Stax and Motown with a healthy dose of the Nashville songwriting tradition. Making the song the focus, The Meltdown stay true to the common goal of the story and keep your attention on the honey soaked tones of Simon Burke’s incredible voice. – Soundcloud
Zillanova
Three years after their first 7-inch release, Melbourne’s most elusive soul project Zillanova step out of the shadows with The Fader, a darkly sensual cut featuring a true revelation – the voice of Joshua Tavares. Bringing to mind both Donny and Marvin, Zillanova’s new frontman is the youngest son of a singing family, his brother Cisco a luminary of soul music in Australia, and his uncles the voices of Tavares, undisputed gods of 70s Disco.
This song is not disco though. The Fader is a dark horse, riding on a dark and funky pocket with a Latin tinge and shades of gospel. It’s a bit 70’s and a bit now – equal parts What’s Going On and Alabama Shakes. Lyrically, The Fader is an ode to departed loved ones and their ongoing presence in our lives. The chorus, ”we all fade away” is a reminder of our own mortality. The Fader represents the first release in a new phase in the Zillanova project, based around Joshua’s collaboration with HopeStreet Founder, producer Bob Knob and an all start band of contributors featuring members of The Bombay Royale, The PutBacks, and Quarter Street. The Fader is available on Bandcamp and all good streaming platforms now. The full EP (and 7-inch vinyl) are also available for pre-orders too. Out through HopeStreet Recordings. – Soundcloud
saQi
Portland-based artist saQi is a classically trained composer, producer and trumpet player. Drawing his name from the Sufi title for a mystic muse, saQi creates eclectic electronica that maintains a balance between organic and synthesized sound. His live sets rock the dance floor while maintaining a grace and musical depth to engage the listener. The music is never limited by genre, tempo or any other stylistic elements. Allegiance to the creative flow and its truest expression thereof is saQi’s manifesto.For live performance saQi is often accompanied by the multi-instrumentalist/composer Russ Liquid, as well as Taylor Aglipay on guitar and Saxophones. All three are composers and horn players for the infamous March Fourth Marching Band. – from saQi homepage
Nubiyan Twist
Nubiyan Twist are a Leeds born, London based musical collective. Orchestrated by guitarist/producer Tom Excell, they create a unique, infectious sound in an eclectic mix of styles, drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, latin, soul, reggae and dance music.
Heres an 11 track playlist of mostly live clips.
Nonku Phiri
An exciting new voice coming out of South Africa, Nonku Phiri’s music blends brooding soul, electronica and bass heavy hip hop beats.
http://www.okayafrica.com/nonku-phiri-things-we-do-on-the-weekend/
Things We Do On The Weekend (Live)
Things We Do On The Weekend (Studio)
Branko – Let Me Go (feat. Nonku Phiri & Mr. Carmack)
Nice uptempo World Beat vibe
Regrettables. This one’s dark and grimey!
A playlist of some of her releases, it contains quite a bit of music from her rapping work with PHFat.
Detroit house don Omar-S‘s FXHE Records is reissuing an ultra-rare 1978 disco album, AJL Band’s Take Me Dancing. AJL Band is a little-known name that apparently emerged from Singapore’s late ’60s and ’70s music scene. Initially issued both on band leader Jay Shotam’s label Baal and Warner Bros. Records, Take Me Dancing features original tunes like “Classical Salsa,” as well as covers of The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” and Steve Miller Band’s “Swingtown.” – RA News
Often referred to as a jazz singer for the hip-hop generation, New York City-based vocalist José James combines jazz, soul, drum’n’bass, and spoken word into his own unique brand of vocal jazz. While he states his main influences as John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, and Billie Holiday, his sound on early 12″ singles and in live performances brought to mind such icons of ’70s jazz-soul as Terry Callier, and his music felt more like an update of the fluid crossover approach of Gil Scott-Heron, while also being distinctly his own. – Bluenote
http://www.bluenote.com/artists/jose-james
Here is a youtube playlist I made of some of my favourite tracks. Several live clips in here as well. Click top left corner to see the tracks.
Love in the time of Madness is his latest release. It is a flavourful fusion of nu soul, funk and a sprinkling of hip hop.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22962-love-in-a-time-of-madness
The Dreamer is the first studio album by American jazz vocalist José James. It was released on Brownswood Recordings in 2008. John Fordham of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, “James sometimes suggests a 21st-century Leon Thomas (the 1970s singer who became an acid-jazz star), but he also exhibits a highly personal mix of Bobby McFerrin‘s tonal delicacy and the R&B and soul feel of D’Angelo – with the latter association sometimes reinforced by the way the vocal overdubs and harmonies work.” Adam Greenberg of AllMusic said: “He sings contemporary jazz with a strong sense of respect for the classics, but quietly puts hip-hop instrumentation behind his vocals, and multi-tracks himself for accentuation.
Omar Abdulkarim – Trumpet; Ryan Blum – Arranger, Composer, Keyboards; Luke Damrosch – Drums; Alexi David – Arranger, Double Bass, Bass Guitar; Steve Lyman – Drums; Junior Mance – Piano; Nori Ochiai – Piano; Gilles Peterson – Executive Producer
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “The Dreamer” | 7:05 |
| 2. | “Velvet” | 4:01 |
| 3. | “Blackeyedsusan” | 4:56 |
| 4. | “Park Bench People” | 6:03 |
| 5. | “Spirits Up Above” (Rahsaan Roland Kirk)” | 5:00 |
| 6. | “Nola” | 3:56 |
| 7. | “Red” | 5:15 |
| 8. | “Winter Wind” | 7:07 |
| 9. | “Desire” | 7:29 |
| 10. | “Love” | 5:24 |
New Zealand born, London based artist/producer/songwriter Jordan Rakei has quickly become one of the most respected and sought-after musicians in modern music. Debuting in September 2013, with the self-released 6-track EP titled “Franklin’s Room”, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the forerunners of today’s new soul music movement, earning the respect of his peers Hiatus Kaiyote, Tom Misch, Questlove, Gilles Peterson, Disclosure, Annie Mac and Mary Anne Hobbs. As well as now having three releases under his belt, Jordan has made a name for himself with some choice features throughout his tenure. Lending his vocals to upcoming and hip artists such as Tom Misch and REMI, to more established artists like Disclosure. He’s established an incredibly diverse live-show which sees him either performing with a full band at sold out venues, OR, performing at tastemaker festivals and nightclubs with his fresh and impressive solo electronic set.
Click top left corner to expand playlist.
Patti LaBelle, born Patricia Louise Holt-Edwards, is an American singer, author, and actress. Patti began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer of the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. A decade later the group changed their name to Labelle and recorded the hit song “Lady Marmalade”. Patti became a solo artist in 1976 and her debut album was another success. During five decades she has sold more than 50 million records and also became an actress. Wikipedia
Belgian soul singer-songwriter Liz Aku
http://https://youtu.be/qCenHJnaLBA?
Some snippets from her latest.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23195-whatever-makes-u-happy/
Heres a sampler of some of his music click youtube icon bottom right to see full playlist 
Jimi Tenor is Finnish artist. His music is hard to pigeonhole, a strange blend of psychedelic pop, soul and jazz, plus his reggae and African collaborations. Just what you imagine when you think of Finland. That and Bjorks cousin. Click top left corner to expand the playlist.
Soul / R&B
Soul/ R&B Playlist – 500 Tracks, 67 hours – Much of the music on this playlist is of the new school soul and r&b variety – treated vocals with modern production and beats – but there are also a lot of more classic sounds sprinkled throughout. As usual, my favourite sweet spot, a nod of respect in both directions. Our dreams are built on the bones and ashes that we pass. To expand the full 500 track playlist, and access features like shuffle, click on the Soundcloud icon in the top right corner and you will see playlist below the track. Give it a few seconds to load, this playlist is almost 3 days long!
Heres a sampler playlist of select cuts from my super big Nu Soul playlist. If you like this, scroll down the category to find the big one!
Thundercat was never going to exist in the background for long. His father drummed for both The Temptations and Diana Ross, and when Stephen Bruner started on his own path as a session bass player in LA he was hard to ignore, wearing a helmet and colourful shoulder pads to perform with the likes of Suicidal Tendencies and Erykah Badu. His vibrant wardrobe, dark humour and love of obscure South Korean movies attracted Flying Lotus, who signed him six years ago. Soon everyone from Dr Dre to Odd Future was a convert. But his really big break came as the creative architect behind 2015’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, Kendrick Lamar’s ambitious, jazzy second album. Which means he has a lot of famous fans, a number of whom return some favours on this, his fourth album: Kendrick, who pops up on the shuffling ‘Walk On By’; Pharrell, who lends a spacey vocal to ‘The Turn Down’; and Wiz Khalifa, who raps about the dark side of excess on ‘Drink Dat’. Kamasi Washington and Flying Lotus are also there. So too is Thundercat’s long-time hero Kenny ‘The Soundtrack King’ Loggins (of ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Footloose’ fame) cropping up on ‘Show You The Way’, a Kenny-G- meets-Prince smoochy slow jam. ‘Drunk’ is jazz, but not the La La Land type. It’s a futuristic brand that’d be as at home at Coachella as at Ronnie Scott’s. Funk, soul, pop, electronica and hip-hop orbit around each other. When they cluster and fuse, the results are cosmic (‘Bus In These Streets’ and ‘Them Changes’). It’s funny, too, in an odd, silly, cartoonish way. ‘Drunk’ ponders some serious issues – the death of a close musician friend, police brutality and Thundercat’s own demons – but that’s contrasted with fart sound effects, snoring and meowing cat noises. Sure, there’s some annoying wiggy tangents (‘Uh Uh’ and ‘Blackkk’) and occasionally it feels longer than its 43-minute lifespan. But those things are forgiveable, because ‘Drunk’, as out-there as it can be, is an album totally high on its own unique ideas.- NME Magazine
Purchase LP, Digi, CD: bastardjazz.bandcamp.com/album/the-11th-sky
Electric Wire Hustle return with a third studio album, The 11th Sky…Expanding on their psychedelic-soul sound, The 11th Sky continues the surreal storytelling of last years Aeons EP, which also featured Kimbra and Deva Mahal on vocals. The brand new album is described as “David Lynch meets Motown” by frontman and producer Mara TK, and indeed, a sense of the otherworldly is present here within EWH’s layered electronic production and Mara’s soaring vocals. Tracks like “Go Slow” walk into the genre-fog amongst drum machines and synthesizers. Meanwhile “I Light A Candle” with it’s piano, chopped vocal samples, towering strings and 808s strikes right at the heart of soul music.Electric Wire Hustle’s last album ‘Love Can Prevail’ found support from The New York Times, BBC Radio and Wax Poetics, and won “Best Electronic Album” at the New Zealand Music Awards, continuing a track record of critical acclaim that started with their debut self-titled album. The 11th Sky is due out on September 30th on LP, CD and digital via Bastard Jazz Recordings (World) and Loop Recordings (New Zealand).- Soundcloud
Tara Priya (born Tara Priya Chandra, December 3, 1989)[1] is a London-based[2] American singer-songwriter and vocalist. Tara Priya was born Tara Priya Chandra in San Francisco to a Persian mother, the niece of poet Sohrab Sepehri, and an Indian father- Wikipedia
ANTIQUE NAKED SOUL IS A BEATBOX-SING SOUL BAND. THEY BUILD AND LOOP BEATS LIVE ON STAGE USING ONLY THEIR VOICES BUT THEY CREATE AS MUCH SOUND AS A FULL BAND OF INSTRUMENTS. THERE ARE FOUR BEAUTIFUL SOULS IN THIS BAND: CANDICE “ANTIQUE” DAVIS, TOMMY “SOULATI” SHEPHERD, JAYME BROWN AND N’GALA MCCOY. THEY GOT TOGETHER BY ACCIDENT OR HAPPY COINCIDENCE TO PLAY ONE SHOW. LEAD SINGER ANTIQUE RECALLS, “WE HAD NO NAME, NO IDENTITY REALLY. AFTER THE SHOW, WE GOT SUCH A GREAT RESPONSE THAT WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SAID, ‘WE GOTTA KEEP DOING THIS!’. SO WE STARTED TAKING SONGS THAT I HAD RECORDED, BUT NOT RELEASED, AND TRANSLATING THEM INTO BEATBOX AND LATER, MY HUSBAND WAS JUST CASUALLY SAYING, ‘Y’ALL DO NAKED SOUL’ AND THAT IS HOW WE GOT THE NAME.” IT WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM TO HAVE A MESSAGE AND TO BE HIP-HOP PRESERVATIONISTS. SOULATI STATES, “WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED TO PRESERVE A CLASSIC HIP-HOP FLAIR THROUGH BEATBOXING AND STAY REALLY SOULFUL WITH OUR VOCALS, BUT WE ALSO FELT A DEEP CALLING TO STAY TRUE TO OAKLAND’S POLITICAL ROOTS. WE WANTED TO BE THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE STRUGGLE, THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND EQUALITY.”
TARA PRIYA is a singer/songwriter of Indian-Persian parentage, born in San Francisco, CA, & based in London. She flows between soulful piano songs and more upbeat pop based soul.
