Myron & E with the Soul Investigators.

The road to soul by Northern Cali's Myron & E (Myron Glasper and Eric "E da Boss" Cooke) ran through hip-hop first.  They met while on tour with Oakland's Blackalicious - Cooke was teh tour DJ and Glasper sang backup - and bonded over a love of classic soul music.

While on a separate tour through Finland, a chance encounter led Cooke to an impromptu jam session with members of The Soul INvestiagors, whose work with singer Nicole Willis helped define them as one of Europe's foremost retro-soul bands.  Producer Didler Selin was impressed enough to leave Cooke with several Soul INvestigator tracks.  Back in the Bay Area, he recruited Glasper as a songwriting/vocal team and the collaboration had begun.

Myron & E with the Soul investigators released a string of limited edition 45s which radiated such an authentic soul vibe that they were embraced through Europe and America, and caught on with the low-rider scene in California.

In the past year, the team focused on building its live show and perfecting its debut album, Broadway, now being released on Stones Throw Records.



10 They Don't Know

Single: Treasure 
Project: Hypnotic Joints II
Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1672931201
Official Video: https://youtu.be/9nYK16lm8f4
Bandcamp: https://hypnoticbrass.bandcamp.com/track/treasure

Treasure

TUFO - Egoistic Coma

http://twitter.com/tufo_sound
http://facebook.com/fiveeasypieces

Massive Attack - Teardrop (TUFO remix)

Just sit back, relax and clear your mind.

Mind Eraser (BandCamp)

Shadow Box

wishful thinking

Taken From: BBE20 Anniversary Mix Series #1 by Chris Read
Buy / Stream: https://bbemusic.lnk.to/ChrisReadBBE20

Celebrating 20 years of Barely Breaking even, independent UK record label presents a series of exclusive DJ mixes to mark the occasion. Available in both mixed and unmixed formats, the series includes a stellar lineup of DJs, selecting their personal favourites and obscure gems from BBE's bounty of classic titles.

The first BBE20 mix in the series comes from highly respected UK DJ and mix-tape specialist Chris Read, the man behind BBC New Music Award winning electronica outfit Maylight and compiler of BBE's 2012 album 'Latin Concrete', which was featured as 'Album Of The Week' by the Independent newspaper. The first of two mixes produced by Chris in celebration of BBE's 20th birthday, the first installment guides the listener on a journey through some of BBE's sultry downtempo and hip hop cuts, steadily making its way toward warm soul and disco, expertly building up momentum over the course of 23 genre-hopping tracks in the mix's 65 minute run-time.

Julien Dyne feat. Parks - Falling Down

Mandla Mlangeni:Trumpet,Mark Fransman: Tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and accordion Keenan Ahrends: guitar, Nicholas Williams: bass, Clement Benny: drums, Vocals: Zoe Modiga, Yonela Mnana and Vuyo Tshuma Music Composed by Mandla Mlangeni

Voices of our Vision

Umhlangano

"I love The Expansions their futuristic leanings inject new life into the form. Fresh material!" Ian Merchant (Black Acre)

“Exudes all the qualities I cherish most in music, warmth, integrity and a dedication to the groove… it’s a hard road to travel when you step in the footprints of giants, The Expansions are treading that path with ease and assurance.” Patrick Forge

"Coming off something like the UK's more jazz-funk fueled answer to BBNG, all four quarters of this monstrous unit are on point on this hugely anticipated release. There's got to be a very special long-player in the works, and I for one can't wait to immerse myself in that!" Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) 

“The Expansions, very funky! Headhunters/Weather Report inspired, and definitely worth checking out. My new favourite band.” Steve White (Style Council, Paul Weller)
=========
When The Expansions self released their first single in 2013, the laid-back jazz funk of Lavender, it quickly gained strong support from soul and rare-groove aficionados including Kenny Dope, Dom Servini, Patrick Forge and Andy Smith. A run of shows followed and before long, when someone was asking if there was a soul-jazz band around to play with, “The Expansions” was the answer. 

Although this popularity meant a hiatus in releasing music, the band have been constantly busy, playing around Europe with legendary British-Ghanaian soul singer, Andrew Ashong and the exceptional, upcoming talent Connie Constance. 

Murmuration, recorded over three days at Big Noise in Southend, is constructed of single takes, with minimal overdubs, as the band attempt to capture the feeling and energy they create live. 

Debut single Breakthrough introduced the insanely catchy but deeply soulful blend of synths and groove, but here on the album that is explored to the fullest with longer breakdowns and more expansive, experimental solos. Pocket 5 displays the, possibly unexpected, influences of broken beat and almost combative rhythm playing – particularly in the complex guitar and keys breakdown where Koor and O’Keefe layer conflicting time signatures and battle to ride it out to the heavy drum return. 

Cannonball brings warm mellowness that delicately evolves through beats, touching on bossas alongside their fundamental hip-hop sensibilities. But even here there is a raucous zenith before the band sublimely recede into the silence of the a-side ending. 

Colossal album highlight Ivory Mountain is truly an epic. Evoking moments of 4Hero, there is a lightness of groove in the first half of this soulful exploration. But at the halfway point, all restraint is let go as a live string section joins the four quarters of the band for three glorious minutes of soulful disco. Evoking sounds of Quincy Jones, George Benson and Johnny Hammond, all the way through to a beautifully cacophonous finale. 

Dragonfly undoubtedly reflects on the work of Herbie Hancock and is the most direct throwback to the band’s earlier work, which is a welcome marker of how far they have come. A quintessential jazz funker. 

The album closes with the thoughtful and introverted shuffle of Miles Away. In the final eight minutes of Murmuration, The Expansions allow space and time to take precedence, with once-more-restrained peaks and developments. It becomes clear though, that the band cannot resist one last explosive finale, as they rise with screeching synths, strings and dubs for a perfect race to the finish line. 

You can hear the influences of Idris Muhammad, Grover Washington, even parallels with South London peers Yussef Kamaal and Ruby Rushton. But The Expansions have tirelessly worked to create a sound of their own and are very proud, along with label Albert’s Favourites, to finally share it.

Massive Attack - Teardrop (TUFO remix)

Five Easy Pieces

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