press release

  DJ SPINNA
OFFICIAL ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY
AT THE JAZZ CAFE
FRIDAY 23RD JUNE
doors :: 11pm-2am
£12.50 advance
Jazz Café, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7PG

+ GROOVE COLLECTIVE LIVE


DJ Spinna is heading back to the Jazz Cafe in June to launch his awesome brand new studio album, Intergalactic Soul on Papa Records.

DJ Spinna, the celebrated DJ, Remixer & Producer, widely regarded as the best ‘underground’ DJ in America, is back with his first studio album since 2003’s groundbreaking ‘Here To There’ (BBE / Rapster). ‘Intergalactic Soul’ is an original album of new material featuring a stellar line-up of vocalists and rappers including N'Dea Davenport, Stephanie McKay, Phonte of Little Brother, Lizz Fields, Eric Roberson, Christian Urich of Tortured Soul and more.  

DJ Spinna has long stood out from the pack due to his exceptional musical sense and versatility.  Unlike those who work within a single genre such as house, techno or hip hop, a set from DJ Spinna may incorporate hip-hop, funk, jazz, break-beat, house, garage and reggae in an organic mix that is more than the sum of its parts. He has taken this ethos in to the studio to deliver an album that encapsulates this myriad of influences, and he takes you on a trip through the universe that is soul music.

"The general idea for ‘Intergalactic Soul’,” DJ Spinna explains, "was to construct a full-length album fusing hip-hop and dance beats with electric synthy overtones. I wanted to create something that sonically fuses the past with the future. What sets it apart from my other releases is the growth in production. Most of my past releases focused more on the hip hop side and were more sample-based. I wanted to take the hip hop element and enhance it with great musicianship and songwriting."

Indeed Intergalactic Soul is a deft synthesis of soul, hip-hop, funk and dance music that creates a seamless, beguiling listening experience from beginning to end. The album opens on a hip hop tip with ‘Current Events’ & title track ‘Intergalactic Soul’, the latter featuring Phonte, member of underground rap trio Little Brother, widely regarded as the heir apparent to Tribe Called Quest. The Hip Hop vibe also flows heavily through Spinna’s tribute to the godfathers of Electronica as he pays props to the legendary Kraftwerk with his stunning re-make of their classic ‘Computer Love’.  Spinna’s super group The Free Radikalz (aka Selan, Delouie & James Hurt alongside Spinna himself) feature twice, appearing on ‘Outta Time’ & ‘Bye Bye Bye’. The sublimely talented Selan also takes on the lead vocals for the forthcoming single ‘Back 2 U’. The album also features the recent single ‘We Can Change This World’, the broken soul anthem featuring the magnificent duo Heavy that has been getting massive support from Mr Good Times himself Norman Jay, and also from Trevor Nelson who has featured the record heavily on his Soul Nation show & chart (BBC Radio 1).

And it doesn’t stop there either. One of the sassiest vocalists of recent years, N’Dea Davenport, is on hand for ‘Where’s Your Love’ while ‘Butterfly Girl’ features Eric Roberson aka Erro, the voice of Osunlade’s ‘Change For Me’ and Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Rock Wit U’. Newcomer Tricia Angus also puts in a stunning performance on the soulful house anthem in waiting ‘Living My Life’. We could go on & on here but we should let you listen and judge for yourself.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, DJ Spinna was fascinated by music at an early age; he began amassing a record collection as a youth.  While at college, he made his radio debut on WHRW Binghampton, NY and by 1994 landed guest DJ spots on KISS-FM in New York. He became a resident deejay on WBAI-FM's influential "Underground Railroad" program. Before long he was DJing at major New York clubs and garnering a growing reputation for originality and an ability to bring diverse musical genres together in an irresistible mix.  Performances abroad led to legendary sets at such venues as Yellow in Tokyo, The End and Cargo in London and Paradiso in Amsterdam. In 1999, Rawkus Records released "Heavy Beats Vol. 1", an underground hip hop classic, his first full Stateside CD release.  It yielded the dancefloor favourite "Rock".  There followed a series of releases ranging from mix CDs to compilations to original productions. With Intergalactic Soul DJ Spinna takes a giant step forward as a producer of an album that works as a cohesive statement rather than a collection of tracks.

"The main thing I would say is flow," Spinna muses. "Being a DJ and knowing how to tell a story with an audience through music definitely helps. It's about figuring out what kind of emotions you want the listener to feel from start to finish while listening to the mood of each song."

And I don’t think we could have put it any better. This exceptional album shows that one of the worlds most exciting DJ’s is developing in to one of the worlds most exciting producers too.

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