soulemmusic

Bonjour Mr El Calife!

2010-05-18T18:49:00.000+01:00

Even the volcanic ash cloud couldn't stop us from making music and I recently had the pleasure to record with and exchange musical ideas with a well seasoned artist whose music is infused with Soul, Dance and World music influences: El Calife!

El Calife is a South of France based artist (lucky eh?!) with a whole suitcase full of surprises: from North African percussions, electronic grooves to Arabic chants and Dance beats. His music is exciting because it makes you want to party and travel to North Africa at the same time. His album 'Orient Flavour' will soon be available for purchase so watch out!! In the meantime, you can hear some snippets on:

http://www.myspace.com/elcalife

El Calife also played some awesome percussion parts on the upcoming Soulem album so expect some delicious Arabic flavours!

Soulem and Got to Dance

2010-02-17T19:41:00.001Z

In early January 2010, Soulem and music partner Fraser Bennett teamed up to work on the Sky One produced show called 'Got to Dance'.
18 dance acts competed each week and we provided the music for their routines. Our job was to edit, cut, mix, compose and put together tracks that would fit with their routines. The judges on the show (Diversity's Ashley Banjo, The Pussycat Dolls' Kimberly Wyatt and London West End's Adam Garcia) also performed and Fraser and I worked closely with the celebrities and their choreographers in the Soulem studio.

Here are some clips to give you an idea:

Soulem - New Remixes

2010-01-21T10:57:00.001Z

Here's the latest installment of remixes from the Soulem camp: Eric Roberson, Rahsaan Patterson, Robin Thicke and Marvin Gaye all in one post!

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Autumn Soul...

2009-12-05T16:14:00.000Z

Brand new Soulem Productions for artists Jesse Gamage, Saba, and Mo Molokwu:

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

New Artists!

2009-10-01T14:43:00.006+01:00

In this new post I'd like to introduce 2 new talented artists I've had the pleasure tow work with recently. Although relatively new on the UK Soul scene, Mo Molokwu and Jesse Gamage are not new to music. They have spent years honing their skills as singers, songwriters and performers to produce a new brand of Soul.

Mo Molokwu focuses on crafting beautiful, Soulful songs inspired by the greats such as Stevie Wonder or Mary J Blige. They carry her messages in a simple, uncomplicated but genuine way that makes for interesting listening. I wanted to complement her talent by providing a backdrop infused with groove, tinged with Jazz and Soul, that would make her warm voice come forward. Her music has already been aired on BBC1 Xtra Homegrown podcast and on London's Bang Radio, so she is definitely one to look out for!
www.myspace.com/momolokwu

New acoustic Soul doesn't get more exciting than in Jesse Gamage's songs. At 20 something, he is already 'an old Soul' with a mature sound beyond his years. Taking his cue from artists such as Donny Hathaway, D'Angelo or Bill Withers, Jesse performs Soul in his own way, crooning at life's unrelentless pace with a warm voice that sets him apart from his Pop star wannabe peers. Each performance is effortlessly executed, a sign of a true artist who loves, lives and understand Soul music!
www.myspace.com/jessegamage

So take a good listen!

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

Soulem and Frozensoul

2009-09-06T13:46:00.002+01:00

In 2006, Soulem and producer Fraser Freeze met on myspace through a mutual friend called Brendan 'Octave' Harding (professional engineer and producer). Fraser who hails from Bournemouth, had already established himself firmly on the Hip-Hop/R'n'B scene in the South England: as a performer, musician, singer, songwriter, Urban dancer and teacher, producer and mash-up artist. With regular gig residencies and event organising, Fraser quickly became a seasoned musician with an infectious love of music.
A truly multi-talented individual with many performance prizes behind him could not go unnoticed and we connected on a soulful level through our mutual passion of music: from Blackstreet to Stevie Wonder, Robin Thicke to Motown Soul...
Quickly, we worked on building a catalogue of songs, writing for our contacts in the States and featuring a handful of young, up-and-coming artists, travelling backwards and forwards between London and Bournemouth.
As FrozenSoul, we shared songwriting, composing (on soundtracks for theatre), production and engineering duties on many projects including the 'youtube' success called Branksome that features Hugo as well as Fraser.
The pair have recently filmed another set of Comedy videos which are being edited as we speak!
Even though we haven't collaborated together on any new material since 2008, we still regularly contribute to each other's work and lives!

Check out this FrozenSoul selection:

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Hugo and Saba - Summer 09 tracks

2009-08-30T13:50:00.003+01:00

Here two new tracks by Hugo with one featuring Eritrean Soulstress Saba. Check them out!

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Saba and Soulem interview on Connexionfm...

2009-08-20T11:50:00.001+01:00

MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

Saba talks about her influences, her background and the future, and Soulem talks about...food!

Cycling, freestyling and filming...

2009-07-31T11:29:00.008+01:00

It is time to introduce an artist Soulem has had the pleasure to work with, on and off, across continents: HUGO

Freestyler, rapper, spoken word artist, philosopher, modern day poet, visionary, video creative director...the list is long and Hugo's artistry with words is quite simply awesome. His live performances are always dramatic, poignant, energetic, deep, meaningful and 'Soulful'. He is one of those rare, committed artists that stands out from the Hip-Hop crowd of cool dudes in baggy trousers, self-indulgent 'so-called' gangster-rappers et al...
Hugo was introduced to Soulem Productions through producer and mashup artist Fraser Bennett a.k.a Fraser Freeze (more on him in an upcoming post), via myspace.
I worked on producing and composing a backdrop that would compliment and illustrate Hugo's visions and art; mixing beat grooves with dramatic orchestral compositions, arabic percussions and sound design.
The result is one of my favourite and most satisfying project.
Hugo also uses the video media to great effect: he achieved over 37000 views on youtube for his collaborative work on Branksome (a comedic rap about a 'badass' neighbourhood in the South of England) with reviews from The Sun, the local Bournemouth Echo and radio station.
His new video titled 'Keep Pedalling' has already attracted over 12000 viewers on Youtube within weeks of its release.
Watch out for Hugo, he is sure to make an impact on you and the people around you:

Saba's Injera Soul

2009-07-06T21:43:00.001+01:00

(c) Errol Photography

Here are the tracks me and Saba have worked on over the last few months.
Together, we've explored many musical directions, fusing jazz, soundtrack, R'n'B, Soul, Neo-Soul, funk and Ethnic influences.
We've had the pleasure and honour to work with some amazing musicians such as Tony Bianco on drums, Rowland Sutherland on flute and Harvir Sahota on tabla, all recorded at the Cabin studio in Crouch End.
As we work on new tracks, we are hoping to also feature other professional musicians.

What attracted me to this project was firstly Saba's voice: a fascinating mix of influences, different voice qualities ranging from child to mature woman, her range and warm tone. Secondly, Saba's openness and creativity allowed me to express different moods, mix different genres (all steeped in Soul though!) and create a tapestry or arrangements to complement her artistry.

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

2009-06-28T22:41:00.000+01:00

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

MJ and QJ...

2009-06-28T10:30:00.002+01:00

In this post, I'd like to reflect on artists, producers and the music industry.

Michael Jackson's sad passing is a reminder that we will probably never see anyone quite like him ever again. And I believe he is also taking with him 'the old way' of making records, entertaining and generally being a superstar.
Gone will also be the days of industry executives sitting down at a meeting table and discussing 'the new direction' of a record, planning out 'strategies'. In Michael's early solo albums (Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad), artistry and talent was first and foremost. Michael's vision was so accurate, he didn't need anyone in a suit controlling him. In those days you had the best of everything: best recording studios, best musicians, best songwriters, best record producers (Quincy!), best engineers, best equipment, best artists...And making records was also about 'searching'and creating; the whole process growing organically. Yes of course, record companies put restraints on artists and 'planned strategies', that is necessary but they also believed in letting artists and producers take risks (think What's Goin' On where Marvin put his career on the line and Thriller).
From the 90s up to the internet boom, records and artists have been so manufactured that the general public is now getting tired. With the internet allowing free downloads and increased ways of promoting yourself as an artist and reaching more and more fans directly, it is clear that record companies have to change and support artists and their relationships with producers, if they want to keep up.
Festivals are growing everywhere, it's all about gigging again and seeing and supporting your artists. The general public wants to feel close and relate as well as be dazzled. Now you can follow on Twitter, Facebook, myspace...what else??

Remember the days when you had a vinyl copy of Thriller, or Off the Wall, how special it felt?? You were holding a nugget of magic! Now, mp3 files are quick to download, quick to throw away in your trash can, and the cost of making music and distributing it has come way down. Budding producers and artists record from home; it's a friendlier environment, doesn't cost much to run and you can get a decent enough sound that people will buy from your website. If you have some funding behind you, you can finance your own career yourself and reap all the profits/benefits without being exploited/manipulated/controlled.

So what's left is creativity, artistry, performance. Talent is pure hard work. Michael was the perfect example of hard work, dedication, talent and so on and so forth...We all know so much about him, I'm not even going there!
I think artists and producers need to work hard to start a new era. A healthy era of good songwriting, good performing, good relationships and exciting creativity.

Soulem - Remixes

2009-06-26T10:20:00.001+01:00

Soulem - Remixes:

These started out as remixes but ended up being totally new productions!

What a voice!

2009-06-20T10:30:00.001+01:00

The Soulem blog is also a place to discover and re-discover artists that possess that rare Soulful quality, skill and vocal mastery...
Rahsaan Patterson is one such artist that has the whole package: from singing in church at the age of 6, to starring in children's show 'Kids Incorporated', and releasing 6-7 albums whilst contributing songs to artists such as Tevin Campbell, Brandy or Donnell Jones, his talent is undeniable.
But it's Rahsaan's voice that I find fascinating. His control and skill is very rare. At times, he sounds like a kid, a woman or an old Blues man. And he seems to fuse these different facets to suit the mood of the songs and the content. His high pitched falsetto echoes the likes of Marvin, Prince, or even Curtis and his chest register voice is akin to Stevie's in tone.
Musically, it's very varied. Rahsaan surrounds himself with incredible musicians and producers that will compose around his, at times, avant-garde Soul, hitting Jazz, Funk, Cabaret effortlessly. When they all get it together it's an incredible, fresh and exciting mix!!
Enjoy:

Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man

2009-06-10T23:23:00.001+01:00

In this week's installment, I want to talk about an artist that has influenced my work immensely.
Marvin Gaye was out of this world: artist, angel, visionary, rebel, tortured man, drug addict, hunk, singer extraordinaire, composer, producer, performer, charmer etc etc.....
The list is long. And this means his influence on the music industry, past and present is great but so often overlooked (why, I don't know!).

Most people remember Sexual Healing, Let's get it on, What's Goin' On. But Marvin's career spanned over 20 years. Other great albums such as I want You, and Here My Dear showed Marvin pouring his Soul onto record; digging deep within his psyche/feelings/demons to create beautifully and intricately crafted masterpieces that echoed his life.
His singing techniques are unique and as such they have paved the way for an Usher, an R Kelly or other R'n'B stars: from a rasping growl to a spiritually induced falsetto and a clear as spring water chest voice, Marvin weaved harmonies, vocal improvisations, with funk, Jazz and Soul, spiritual, sexy, happy, sad.
His career showed evidence of a bruised man, disguised as an angel, a free spirit that rebelled against Motown and Berry Gordy, an angel sent down to do his job, feel the pain and heal others with his joyful voice.

Marvin was the man. And he still is. He was classy, educated, spiritual and women adore him. Whether you prefer Stevie, Smokey, Prince or Michael, you can't avoid Marvin because he influenced them all!

Needless to say Marvin is my idol and his commitment to his musical truth resonates deep within me and in my quest to inject some Soul into an industry that used to let artists express themselves and that is now much more concerned with looks, money and fame.

If Marvin had been around, he would have....who knows?

Saba and Injera Soul...

2009-05-26T00:12:00.004+01:00

Almost over a year ago, Saba came to me to produce and help write some new songs for her.
Saba was born in Eritrea, raised in Germany and currently lives in London. She sings in Tegrinya and together we are fusing World music with Soul, Neo-Soul, Jazz and soundtrack. The blend of influences has enabled us to record some amazing musicians including Jazz drummer Tony Bianco, Rowland Sutherland on flute and Harvir Singh on Tabla percussions.
Once we complete a good amount of tracks, Saba will probably do more live performing while we look for record label interest.

For now check out her myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/injerasoul

soulemmusic: 1st post - a bit about what I do....

2009-05-21T18:03:00.001+01:00

www.soulemproductions.com

1st post - a bit about what I do....

2009-05-21T15:56:00.005+01:00

Ok, where do I start....
Basically, Soulem is my artistic production name. It's a combination of 'Soul' - my love and passion for Soul music, and M, my initial. Everything I create has a 'Soul' element to it: it is heartfelt, Soulful, deals with emotions whether it is an acoustic Jazzy song, a heavy Hip-Hop orchestral track or a 70s influenced Soul song.

This blog is intended to keep people up-to-date with my musical endeavours while I update my current site www.soulemproductions.com with the latest productions (this may take a while!).

I will also be looking out for, reporting and listening to new artists I come across that display talent, Soul and something interesting.