New music from Lafawndah,Wiz Khalifa and the genius of Octave One

Friends, Romans and countrymen....I come here celebrate great new music and to praise it.....music is ART..it's IMPORTANT.....it's NOT product to be taken for granted...to be acquired and enjoyed  for free and it's NOT disposable...

After last week's post about the mighty Massive Attack,Underworld and Leftfield the focus is on a 3 artists....the amazing Lafawndah...the great Wiz Khalifa .....and the INCREDIBLE,GLORIOUS Octave One who have taken Techno to a different planet......

Disciples,followers,non-believers and cynics ( you're the worst ) I'm talking NEW music....

Lafawndah's new EP " Tan ".....I LOVE it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TicX8IcImtE

Lafawndah....raised in Paris,grew up in Tehran and Iran and now lives in New York....a very eclectic life that is beautifully expressed on the 4 track EP " Tan "
In collaboration with L-Vis 1990,Tamer Fahri and Nick Weiss of Teengirl Fantasy Lafawndah has created something exciting,unique...impossible to categorise so don't bother trying...just enjoy !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC6JQlIhQsA

Next up is Wiz Khalifa whose new album " Khalifa " dropped this week......like Kendrick , Wiz is a lyrical king with a great easy flow that I like a lot...here's the first track BTS.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7N6SloCXE

Cameron Jibril Thomaz ( aka Wiz Khalifa ) is a consumate rapper.....intelligent,thoughtful,insightful...
I'm a 60 year-old white guy so I wouldn't presume to be " street " or have any shared experiences with the youth of today....but I recognise  outstanding Soul,Electronic,Drum & Bass and HIP-HOP ( as we used to call it ;-) ).....Khalifa is a really good body of work that sits together perfectly as an album...and I LIKE that ......featuring a group  of collaborators including Rico Love,Courtney Noelle , Ty Dolla Sign amongst others this is rap for the new generation....HIGHLY recommended

So finally we come to the GENIUS that is Octave One.....the greatest techno artists EVER I think....Atlanta-based brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden have made some of the greatest records ever....Blackwater featuring Ann Saunderson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmg_DtZ0Scw

and current club SMASH " Jazzo " ( Paul Woolford rework )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmg_DtZ0Scw

They recently played live with members of the Tonhalle Philharmonic of Zurich....you MUST watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlxL1rdNqFM

It's amazing,incredible,unbelievable....one of the greatest things you will EVER see

My great friend Neil Rushton introduced me to Octave One ....Neil took me to Detroit in the early 1980's to meet 3 young guys making this new music called " Techno "....Kevin Saunderson,Juan Atkins and Derrick May ....the rest is true music HISTORY as I released a double album called " Techno -The New Dance Sound Of Detroit " featuring amongst others Inner City

Now thanks to Neil I am working with Octave One and I am so happy,so grateful....and so honoured....there will be AMAZING new Octave One projects soon....I'm lucky coz I've heard one of them...that's why I'm The Soul Guru

The Soul Guru LOVES you

Age ain't nuthin but a number ...Massive Attack and Underworld better than ever

 Good Morning disciples,followers and non-believers...you are all welcome here in the church of the poisoned mind .

On January 11th this year I celebrated 2 very special occasions :
January 11th 1956...The Soul Guru enters the world
January 11th 1981...The Soul Guru joins Virgin Records as first UK A&R employed specifically to sign British Black Music

If you're no good a maths that means The Soul Guru was 60 and has been A&R-ing for 35 years...not bad for a shy boy from Gloucestershire who fell in love with SOUL music aged 10......so I'm 50 years a SOUL boy too...and immensely proud of it

The reason I say this is because age is the subject of today's sermon....or rather the meaningless of age ......because
AGE AIN'T NUTHIN BUT A NUMBER WHEN IT COMES TO GREAT MUSIC

Last week I bought new music from Massive Attack and Underworld....2 of the seminal bands from the 80's and 90's...and both sound every bit as relevant today as they did then

Massive Attack's " Ritual Spirit " EP is their first new music for 5 years and it is,quite simply,astonishingly BRILLIANT
Featuring collaborations with Azekel,Roots Manuva,Young Fathers and Tricky with 3D ...video to " Take It There " featuring Tricky and 3D is amazing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSt_q7M3zI

Massive Attack have been a constant in my life for 30 years and it's a joy to hear them making great music still.......

Underworld have also been a constant in my life for 30 years.....EVERYONE knows their classic " Born Slippy " from 1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw1J2XGh86Y

Their new album " Barbara Barbara We Face A Shining Future "...surely album title of the year...is due in March but the first track " I Exhale " is just great...CLASSIC Underworld
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvU8wuXQgE8

Along with Leftfield's triumphant return after 16 years away with the excellent " Alternative Light Source " album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4kwatovztI

Massive Attack and Underworld have been creating brilliant,unique,challenging music for 30 years....how many of today's new " artists " will be doing that in 30 years ? ? ?

The mainstream music business is ageist...I know from personal experience I was written off 10 years ago as a has-been .....well guess what ? I'm back at 60 and about to show everyone just how great I am...I KNOW what A&R is and I've still got great ears...that will NEVER change

The Soul Guru loves YOU
x

The 4th contender for The Soul Guru's album of the year.....Leftfield " Alternative Light Source "

The 4th contender for my album of the year is very close to my heart because I had the honour and privilege of signing LEFTFIELD to Columbia Records ...they are the greatest artist I ever signed and I love them unconditionally

Leftism and Rhythm & Stealth are two of the best albums I was ever associated with ...EVERYONE loves LEFTFIELD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBfs0mPiO3M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzaiL8HEKM0

After a 16 year break Neil Barnes returned with a new album....I was a bit anxious...good it be as good as their previous albums ? Well guess what ? It is ....it is GLORIOUS and LEFTFIELD live are back and as good as ever...I LOVE this album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYVcyxBiR34

I LOVE LEFTFIELD

The Soul Guru loves YOU 

The 3rd Contender for The Soul Guru's Album Of The Year ....Andreya Triani " Giants "

The 3rd contender my my Album Of The Year is Andreya Triani's  second solo album...the excellent " Giants "....Produced my  old friend Mike Peden of Sade fame....and in fact I think Sade is an interesting point as Andreya and Sade both possess beautiful slightly husky voices

Andreya is originally from Brighton so that's a BIG plus as I live in Hove :-)

Take a look and listen Andreya on Jools Holland.......great stuff !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2TOrMr5RqI

The Soul Guru loves YOU x

2nd contender for The Soul Guru " Album Of The Year " 2015....Kendrick Lamar " to Pimp A Butterfly "

To Pimp a Butterfly is a work of genius......no question...a GREAT album.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8

evoking the sound and feel of P Funk Kendrick Lamer is a lyrical king...a storyteller in the true sense of the word....a worthy inheritor of The Last Poets legacy........

I love this album...intelligent...well thought-out.....a great ALBUM not 4 singles and filler.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-48u_uWMHY

Just listen and enjoy the feeling odf being in the presence of greatness

The Soul Guru loves YOU

xo

First contender for The Soul Guru's Album Of The Year ...Kwabs

Today I begin the countdown for the coveted Soul Guru " Album Of The Year " award...last year's winner was the brilliant Rag N'Bone Man's " Wolves " so this year's winner has a lot to live up to !
First contender is Kwabs whose album Love + War is essential listening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rFSIzQE56c

The album is glorious...Kwabs vocals are astonishing and the album sits together as an amazing body of work.....it's SOUL of the highest order....it reminds me of Marvin Gaye...and that is not something I say casually

Contender Number 1 : Kwabs " Love + War ".....

The Soul Guru Loves YOU 

The Soul Guru's albums of the year

Good morning disciples...yet again I must apologise for my tardiness...the fact is that I spend so much time listening to music I haven't had much time recently to write about it
So as 2015 moves to towards it's end I am choosing my albums of the year that I will publish between Boxing Day and New Year
It's been another great year for music....Eska,Kwabs,Jamie XX,Kendrick Lamar are amongst many I'm considering........
I LOVE MUSIC
The Soul Guru loves YOU x