Like a breath of fresh air and ray of sunshine, Norwegian neo soul band D'Sound are here to make you feel good. "25" soothes with their pleasant, distinct and groovy blend of R&B, funk and jazz. Driven by thoughts of life from deep within, this soulful unit has what it takes to not only move you but make your day to day appear brighter.
Float away to the velvelty-smooth vocals of Anitra, paired with the rhymes and soulful thump of producer/MC Akili. Nina Brown derives from the late soulful jazz songstress Nina Simone, and the most highly sampled artist in hip hop James Brown. Their mission is to inspire listeners through positive vibration while bridging the gap between hip hop and R&B.
Celebrate the sunshine as Nina Brown give you a new reason to wake up in the morning. This beautiful reharmonization of the Bill Withers classic "Lovely Day" demonstrates Nina's signature thump of Neo-Soul and expression of happiness.
"POCKET DRAGON is a 5 piece gangster funk band from London. Bridging neo-soul with fusion funk; they play that groove shit that your weird friend talks about. Since graduating from music college, the DIY group have been creating jazz with a new-age vibe in their home studio, PD HQ. Their second EP ‘Borderless’ is out now!"
Callum Green - Drums
Mikayl Dawood - Guitar
Philip van den Brandeler - Bass
Emma Barney - Vocals (tracks 1,3,5)
Tomasz Bura - Keys (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6)
Drew Wynen - Guitar (track 2)
All songs were recorded at The Broom Cupboard in Southend-on-Sea and at PD HQ.
All songs written mixed by Pocket Dragon
Mastered by Kelly Hibbert from almachrome
Artwork by Charlie Campbell
"First Word Records is very proud to present you with 'The Offering' - the debut album by Darkhouse Family; a Cardiff-based duo consisting of Earl Jeffers & Don Leisure.
Previously releasing music under their respective monikers, Metabeats and Jamal, they've produced an assortment of sounds over the years, from Hip Hop to House to D'n'B. Connecting as a duo almost a decade ago, this merger logically saw the birth of their own unique style, comprised of a bonafide fusion of genres.
Darkhouse Family entered into the public domain via labels Fat City and Earnest Endeavours, before joining the First Word family in Summer 2016, with the 'Solid Gold' EP. This was their first release to incorporate live instruments into their signature hybrid of sampled beat-chops and electronic sonics. 'The Offering' serves up further evolution in the Darkhouse Family's sound - a progression that also embraces Jazz and Soul.
Following the success of 'Solid Gold', the duo embraced a more collaborative approach, embarking on a series of sessions between Oct 2016 and May 2017, building a bonafide family of musicians and vocalists. This notably included Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu, formerly of Yussef Kamaal), up-and-coming drummer Daf Davies (who was a key inspiration in the sound and vibe of the record) and strings arranger / player Jonathan Powell. Vocal performances include regular DHF collaborator, Vanity Jay, a masterful talent, Jessy Allen, and an amazing newcomer, Esther, amongst a veritable assortment of sublime Welsh talent…
The breadth of tools used on this recording very much ranged from the old to the new; from 19th Century violas, to Fender Rhodes, to Juno synthesisers. Despite the wealth of live instrumentation brought on board for the project, there was always a crate of vinyl nearby, to provide dusty-fingered inspiration whenever required. The whole mood of 'The Offering' radiates with a sense of organic fusion - retro analogue sensibilities blended with future vibrations. This conglomeration of eras, sounds and skills summarises the ethos of the project; as mentioned most poignantly in the title track, "unity is the beginning"…
Their amalgamation of styles on Darkhouse Family's previous catalogue has in turn had support from a wide-range of selectors and tastemakers, such as Tom Ravenscroft, Mr Thing, Kutmah, Rob Da Bank, Lefto, Om Unit, Huey Morgan, ThrisTian, Jon1st and Gilles Peterson, and their own turntable formidability has seen them grace the decks at Boiler Room, Fabric, Worldwide FM, Solid Steel, Glastonbury Festival and much more. This is only the beginning though.
This album is a true testament to Darkhouse Family's undiluted love of music across a vast spectrum. The end-result is quite simply a gift to the masses." - First Word Records
Amber Navran's distinct sound shines a remarkable ray of light in the world of music with beautiful harmonies that are soothing for the soul. As the lead singer of "Moonchild" Amber encourages us to find the happiness within on her solo EP "Speak Up". Amber came on the Talk Easy show to discuss her musical influences, performing with Stevie Wonder, and what it looks like to be a working musician in 2017. Enjoy a deeper look into a movement of music which conveys extreme positivity and love as the Moonchild sound forges new possibilities in the path of neo-Soul.
"‘Voyager’ is the third full-length album from LA’s Moonchild, whose candid style of soul and new-school jazz has propelled them onto a swirling, emotionally charged journey of the heart. Since 2014 they have dedicated their time and energy into honing dreamlike and ethereal compositions which explore the intricacies of relationships with emotional nuance. The band cites influences like D’Angelo, Hiatus Kaiyote and J. Most as playing a key part in expanding the group's musical horizons which none more evident than on ‘Voyager’.
Following two years after their widely-praised album ‘Please Rewind’, the album marks a new level of maturity in the band’s sound. Building on their trademark sound, the band brought in a harpist and string players to their usual line-up, enriching standout motifs; these range from the importance of making time for loved ones, to the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night and missing someone, to the deep bonds shared between mother and child.
Since cementing themselves into the vibrant LA soul scene, Moonchild have released two albums and collaborated or toured with highly-respected names in the soul-jazz crowd including Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Leela James, The Internet (Odd Future’s Syd tha Kyd & Matt Martians) and more. Along the way, Moonchild have accumulated a host of iconic supporters from Robert Glasper and Laura Mvula to James Poyser, Jazzy Jeff, Jose James, 9th Wonder and Tyler, The Creator who have all shown love for the band. "
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
Posts
