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KING BRITT & ASHLEY BEEDLE - SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER VOLUME 8 |
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This is a CD that will help expand your concepts of what exactly soul is. This two-disc set is rooted in the Southport Weekener festival, "best loved outdoor soulful music festival" in Europe — so says the press release and I'm willing to take its word for it, being that I was ignorant of the festival's existence until these CDs came along (another great purpose for Volume 8 — introducing the uninitiated to this fest). Now, back to the soul thing. Volume 8 teaches you the soul of music outside the traditional "soul" genre using guilt by association (in this case, guilt is a good thing). The album kicks off with some bona fide soul in the form of The Dells' "Walk On By," a passionate number to say the least. But as Ashley Beedle's disc (King Britt handles disc two) progresses, the listener finds himself gradually swept into the realm of house, though soul maintains a backdrop presence throughout. House can manifest in different ways and a flavoring of classic soul is the defining facet of the house on disc one. But then you kick over to Britt's contribution on the second album and, while it too conjures some classic soul early on — a vibrant, impossibly hooky tribal mix of the classic "War" — this flip side of Volume 8's double dose focuses on that tribal groove. At one point it even sinks into a minimalist realm where the tight, percussive viscera of that tribal heartbeat becomes almost a solo act. At least it seems that way with the beat textures coming out at you in dominating 3-D (even while containing itself in a reserved mien). That gut-deep tribal kick is what defines the flavor of the house on the second disc. While each the DJs on this release bring their own takes on what soulful dance music means, the overall flow from one CD to the other is maintained.-- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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