We’ve chatted to the brains behind Birmingham Modern Soul-ers, Antelope, Dorian Childs-Prophet, to hear the tunes that have most inspired him.
Tickets to see them live in concert, supported by Zeñel, Somewhere Soul DJs, and Jazz Plus DJs, are only £10 in advance here:
Hoc N Pucky – Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
This entire live album is brilliantly creative and beautifully performed, but Hoc N Pucky has always captivated me with its subtle intro building into a huge drop, and increasingly dissonant outro. An outstanding and original tribute to J Dilla, who in turn made a Bill Evans sample into something completely new.
Canto De Ossanha – Baden Powell & Vinícius de Moraes
A track found through luck on YouTube in 2013, and consequently loved to the whole album (Os Afro Samba). It wasn’t until last year that I spoke to a Brazilian friend and learnt about the lyrics and meaning, however the great arranging and catchy melody stand out despite the language barrier.
Respect Yourself – The Staple Singers
The driving 4 to the floor beat sucks me into this tune, and the interesting instrumental hooks and hidden gems keep me listening over and over. The energy and emotion from The Staple Singers is amazing and the lyrics are still powerful today; an absolute classic from Stax Records.
Get Familiar – Bullion
Pure heaviness from Bullion.
Introduction & Yaqui Indian Folk Song – Keith Jarrett
Jarrett was one of the first pianists I got into after my grandad gave me this album (Treasure Island, Impulse!). The simple melody is hauntingly enchanting, and the call and response interplay between Jarrett and Redman towards the end is perfect.
Window Shopping – Stimming
I’ve always been a big fan of the melodic and deep end of techno and house, and this is one of my absolute favourites. Interesting production, quirky hooks and great use of strings.
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) – Talking Heads
Finally, if you haven’t seen Stop Making Sense, you need to. Amazing music, played with complete conviction and non-stop energy. This song is a great example of how to keep a repetitive bassline interesting through layers and hooks, and I can’t go away from it without feeling uplifted and refreshed.
Antelope are playing at our next Jazz Plus Presents event at Redon in Bethnal Green – tickets available HERE.
Go listen to it all on Spotify, in our Jazz Plus Picks playlist:
@jazzplusprods