Buy / Stream: ffm.to/take-me-back

Mancunian musician, DJ and artist Danny Ward dons his 'Moodymanc' hat to work vocals he recorded with legendary vocalist and old friend Diane Charlemagne (Goldie, Moby, High Contrast, London Elektricity) to produce a poignant EP of retro futurist deep and soulful music. In his own words:
"I had always known Diane as one of the 'older' musicians and artists we all looked up to when growing up in Manchester. We became fast friends and partners in mischief when working and touring together with Urban Cookie Collective when 'The Key The Secret' became an accidental hit (a semi guilty secret!). When I started my solo production career as 'Dubble D' Di was always a mentor and collaborator, taking time out from working with the likes of Goldie (Inner City Life) and touring and recording with Moby to record with me and also to work on our 2020 Soundsystem project, singing live and recording our cover and homage to the timeless Frankie Knuckles anthem 'Your Love'. We remained close up to her untimely loss in 2015 which, for me as so many, hit really hard.
It was on the tail end of one of these sessions that we recorded the vocals for 'Take Me Back' over some beats I had been working on at the time. They had been sitting on a hard drive, being revisited from time to time without anything solid coming together until lockdown, when the spirit and sentiment of the lyrics seemed to resonate so much on both a personal and global level, and inspiration hit in a big way!
The original mix harks back to soulful breaks and broken beat times but (hopefully) with a forward thinking and futuristic outlook. I revisited the vocal once more when I'd done this to do some deeper versions, with a little more space. It's a release that has a lot of personal meaning and emotion for me. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it."

Artist: Moodymanc
Release: Take Me Back
Label: Exploited
Cat: EXPDIGITAL236
LC: 15799
Publisher: Exploited Ghetto Music Publishing
Beatport Pre-order: 16.9.22
Releasedate Beatport & Streaming: 23.09.22
Releasedate Global Download: 07.10.2

Take Me Back

Take Me Back (Instrumental)

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Moodymanc Feat. Diane Charlemagne - Take Me Back (Instrumental) | Exploited

Shir Khan started Exploited in 2007. Exploited Rec now plays host to some wide-ranging and innovative electronic talent - including Adana Twins, Claptone, Budakid, Joyce Muniz, James Curd, Shir Khan (to name a few) - and its artists have been receiving numerous supportive spins from the likes of Solomun, Pete Tong, Soul Clap, Wolf&Lamb, Azari&III, Jesse Rose, Axel Boman and A-Trak.
This is serious dance music at it's most cutting edge with all the juice to really get you going. It's totally contemporary, innovative and has a chunky dirty feel. "Exploited" take you on an invigorating roller coaster ride back to your youth when you first listened to dance music with all the thrills and spills you so enjoyed about clubbing. It's heavy, exciting and special.
'"Exploited Records" is a seamless melting pot of varied styles that simply can't fail to please even the most discerning ears. Highlights here are plentyful. Not to be missed at any cost.' (Clash)
'Musical hybrids are truly the flavour of today, but few have managed to capture the atmosphere of an unpredictable microcosm of a night out on a recordlabel - until now. Shir Khan's label "Exploited" bottles the zeitgeist's giddy thrills with plenty of style and substance. This is dance music hybridism in all its most glorious forms, and Shir Khan is an expert at making square pegs fit round holes.' (DJ-Mag)
'"Exploited Records" boss Shir Khan has been gaining a lot of acclaim recently, and deservedly so - as he has shown us the high quality, diversity and forward-thinking nature of his label. Engaging, riveting and diverse.' (Data Transmission)