Unfold

Keeping DJs and dancers on their toes and in their element with a steady flow of coveted funk 7”s, and bringing to light a diverse array of world class talent from Spanky Wilson and The Quantic Soul Orchestra to The Bamboos, Hot 8 Brass Band, Alice Russell and more, in its illustrious ten year history Tru Thoughts has served up some of the most acclaimed, memorable and downright incendiary funk releases of our era.

So - thus surrounded by incredible music - on setting out to compile ‘Tru Thoughts Funk’, A&R Robert Luis was faced with a serious case of kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome; after all, how would you distil the dazzling collective back catalogue of The Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Bamboos, Alice Russell, TM Juke, Natural Self, Nostalgia 77 et al into just one CD’s worth of tunes? It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, and the end result is this essential, super heavyweight compilation showcasing a consistently sky-high level of quality and, perhaps surprisingly for a genre-based compilation, a fresh, eclectic platter of varied aesthetics and international flavours.

From the soulful powerhouse vocals of the UK’s very own Alice Russell and US legend Spanky Wilson to Kylie Auldist and the horn-led, straight down the line dancefloor punch of The Bamboos, through Saravah Soul channelling ’60s Brazil via Noughties East London; the wry, jaunty, almost indie-pop shuffle of The Limp Twins; fast-rising Brighton producer Lack of Afro’s boisterous wah wah treatment of New Orleans’ Hot 8 Brass Band, and of course, Quantic’s trailblazing fusion of funk and soul with Colombian and Caribbean rhythms -  you’ll find all this and more nestling happily under ‘funk’ in the Tru Thoughts lexicon.

To add to the classic cuts, Luis has found room for some fine exclusive material as well, including a first CD release for Nostalgia 77’s “Thing”; and two brand new tracks, hot off the press and signed exclusively for this project, from Beta Hector, the solo side project of Simon Hill from adored UK funk band Baby Charles. “Payback” and “Creepin’”, featuring Baby Charles colleague Dionne Charles on guest vox, see multi-instrumentalist Hill putting his own live recordings through an experimental electronic mill, to create an unusual, rough edged, synth-infused brand of raw funk.

‘Tru Thoughts Funk’ comes out on the Unfold imprint, following the hugely successful ‘Tru Thoughts Hip Hop’ and ‘Tru Thoughts Covers’ CDs into the label’s ongoing series of genre-based and themed compilation releases.

Bag the album from iTunes or the Etch Shop.

In the words of Benedic Lamdin: “Skeletons is a made up band.  I kid you not - it doesn’t exist. These musicians never stood in the studio together, they just passed through my house or left some scraps of sound behind after sessions we were working on…  “Some of the music here started life as commissions for a library music company, pastiches and forgeries paid for by the current vogue for a certain style of African jazz. Once I’d done a few though I couldn’t stop, it was my default preoccupation, something for me once I’d finished working on other people’s albums.  It was relaxation, something that didn’t matter whether it worked or not. The whole LP was made like that, done in the time between recording jobs.

“To me the whole thing has been a self indulgent forgery, an act of mindless fun. If it sounds good then it’s because I just enjoyed the music and enjoyed myself.”

Following on from his in store at Rough Trade Jeb Loy Nichols releases his on Impossible Ark Records, via Unfold. Jeb  is an artist, writer and musician living a sustainable life in Wales. ‘Strange Faith And Practice’ is his new album. With a glowing review in The Independent on Sunday this is one album you shouldn’t miss.

Since moving to the UK from his native America and finding himself living in an East End squat with Neneh Cherry, Adrian Sherwood and Ari Up from the Slits, Jeb has variously been art director for Pressure Sound records, performed guest vocals for Groove Armada, designed prints and fabric for Paul Smith and compiled the celebrated review of blue eyed southern soul, ‘Country Got Soul’. Throughout this time he has also had a successful career as a musician, both with his band The Fellow Travellers and as a solo artist; his previous albums have received glowing reviews in publications from the Independent to Mojo.

Described by many as a modern day Renaissance Man, Jeb has led a creative life spanning countless records, exhibitions and more recently books. Artist, writer, musician; for Jeb it’s all part of the same journey. And quite a journey it’s been: from Middle America and its soundtrack of country music and southern soul; through ‘70s New York, the loft scene and a sound clash of free jazz and rap; via London, reggae and the creative resistance to Thatcher’s Britain; and finally to Wales, a place to build a home, print, write and record, at least for a while.

‘Strange Faith And Practice’ is a relaxed and candid album of songs. Set against the shifting seasons of his remote Welsh retreat, they reflect back on Jeb’s search for place, a personal voice and the different musical scenes he’s passed through.

The accompaniment on ‘Strange Faith And Practice’ is provided by a group of revered musicians hailing from London’s vibrant jazz scene, including Tim Giles and Mark Hanslip; the rich bass comes care of Riaan Vosloo, who also arranged these songs, and who co-founded the Impossible Ark label with close contemporary Benedic Lamdin (better known as the rising jazz producer/musician Nostalgia 77).

Benedic Lamdin: “For those of you who, like I, had never heard Jeb before, I can say it’s a wonderful world to discover. For those of you who already know and love Jeb’s songs, hear them here with fresh ears, pinned as they are to a chiaroscuro of shifting jazz drums, of double bass and of strings.”

Head to the Etch Shop to buy it now.

Jeb Loy Nichols, (see more info and a podcast below) has released a digital single, tracklisting is:

Sometime, Somewhere, Somebody/This Morning

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The stunning digital single “Sometime, Somewhere, Somebody” by Jeb Loy Nichols is out now on Impossible Ark Records. This laid back fusion of wry, lyrical country folk and blue-eyed soul is the perfect first taste of the upcoming album, ‘Strange Faith And Practice’, and the musical backing is provided by some of London’s top jazz musicians (including Tim Giles, Mark Hanslip and Impossible Ark co-founder Riaan Vosloo). The B side brings you the summer morning strings of “This Morning”.

“Sometime, Somewhere, Somebody” is available to buy as a digital download from the Etch Shop, and ‘Strange Faith And Practice’ is out on 7^th September.

Read more and listen to a podcast from the acclaimed artist, writer and musician Jeb Loy Nichols, at http://www.impossiblearkrecords.co.uk