alastair marriott / DjSquirrel
Another exquisite venture from the mighty Soul Supreme! Do not miss the vinyl releases as they move quickly. More please!!
"They say there’s no rest for the weary, and that surely seems to be the case for Soul Supreme. The work of Jerusalem-born, Amsterdam-based keyboardist/producer shows an insatiable hunger to study music and learn from the greats. An inexhaustible quest to grow, as a scholar of sound. Most recently with two 7-inch-shaped self-studies boldly reinterpreting fan-favorite tracks by Mos Def, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, and A Tribe Called Quest. Closely studying the compositions—and doing justice to their classics while he’s at it. Case in point: two now sought-after 45s. The last needed push of confidence to now, six-plus years since starting out, release his own compositions and productions.
The synthesizer in the intro of the Head Hunters-nod ‘Easy Breeze’ sounds like tumbling down a rabbit hole. Exactly what this release embodies: Soul Supreme exploring different twists, turns, and paths of rhythm. There’s the housey ‘Rich in Soul,’ only three tracks apart from a hip-hop drum pattern with near-singing of the keys on ‘Mellow Thompson.’ Or the B-side opening ‘Huit Octobre 1971’ with his own take on a same-titled 70s French sample-darling. And tracks like the broken beat on ‘Keep Moving’ and the G-funk-in-space album closer ‘Orbit’ show a lot of new promise, working more closely with fellow musicians. Yet again, on new takes and directions.
There’s a sense of beauty in that. To not take the easy route and focus on the trick you can already nail. But instead, to dig a rabbit hole to continuously study music, keep moving, and pursue the supreme."
Written (Tracks 1-5,8-9), produced and arranged by Soul Supreme
*Track 6 written by A. Mion.
**Track 7 written by T. Palkovic.
Recording engineer (Tracks 3-5): Daniel Weiss.
Mastered by Wouter Brandenburg.
Liner notes by Danny Veekens.
Design by Dase Boogie
Like so many others, this came like a bolt out of the blue and, even though it's well before payday, I had to have this astonishing album on vinyl to prove it exists. The feel of the tunes makes me feel like the Impressions do, Curtis Mayfield, the big spaces and instinctive horns and stuff drifting in and out. Great grooves and I can see lots of ghosts nodding along to this with big smiles on their faces. At last! Anthony Cottrell