Soul Exposed - 15 Stunning Soul Gems Awaiting Discovery - Radio Commercial - Expansion Records 2005

Soul Exposed - Radio Commercial

"Get Up" is a great steppers track from 2005 recorded by the group Da Producers out of the Windy City (Chicago) taken from their debut CD The Official Steppers Music - The song is introduced by all members of the group; Paul Simpson, Miles Dalto, Crag Chang and Kwasi Pecou. Step with it!

Da Producers (2005) Get Up with introduction by the group Da Producers

Michael Walker (from the American funk & disco band The Fatback Band, later simply Fatback) introducing the title song from his 1983 LP "Is This The Future", the song is a personal favorite and actually skips two generations in terms of the funk/hip-hop style; with it's midtempo, textural arrangement and pointed rap by Michael Walker regarding the contradictory cultural politics of the Ronald Regan era, combined with Ed Jackson's sax solo on the bridge of the song actually precipitates the early 90's G-Funk tradition of combined dreamy, slower paced jazz-funk with socio political rapping. The rest of the album has a very high level of quality and worth a listen. 

Fatback Band (1983) Is This The Future with introduction by Michael Walker of the group Fatback Band

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Andreas Hellingh began to discover soul music in the mid-70s, while listening to seminal soul groups like The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire and Parliament-Funkadelic. In 1982, he joined FMAK (his first radio experience) and in a team of 14 they literally pioneered Soul/Funk/R&B music and managed to create huge awareness across the country! Since the early 80s, he has DJd extensively in clubs all over Europe and as recently as 2004, was a prominent member of the 40-plus team of DJs that brought the world quality Soul music 24/7 on the pioneering station www.soul24-7.com
 
His freelance A & R activities began in the mid-90s initially out of frustration towards the music industry and as a result of artists continuous battle for recognition and airplay. He has worked extensively with international artists and record labels worldwide. Andreas explains: "I love to track down unknown talent as well as the heroes of the past to breathe new life into them. It's inconceivable that true artists are dropped by record companies, knowing that most of them can easily out-sing the majority of the current younger generation of artists dominating the airwaves. I'm aware that the music industry is a multi-million dollar business. However, there is a market for any artist no matter what their age or type of music. We consumers are entitled to make a choice and get the best the music should come first and that is something most major labels seem to forget!"
 
He firmly believes that in addition to his activities, it is the role of a good artist manager to develop a natural, detailed interest in the lives of the artists he manages, as this makes him a better manager. On the state of the music industry, he says: Unlike what a lot of people think, most artists dont make that much money in return for the amount of time, energy and commitment they put into the recording process. It is this sorry state of affairs that provides me with the motivation to do what I do.

Possessing impeccable musical taste and a musical knowledge to match, he has come a long way from being a listener to the person he is today, making huge financial sacrifices and personal commitments along the way, in order to make his dreams come true. He is an avid record collector of over 25 years standing and rumour has it that he has accumulated more than 50,000 vinyl albums and over 20,000 soul, funk, disco, r&b, jazz and house CDs.
 
From the early eighties to the present, he has interviewed and worked with the likes of Barry White, Leon Ware, Temika Moore, Jean Carne, Phyllis Hyman, Indira Khan (daughter of Chaka), Sy Smith, Slave, Janita, Gwen McCrea, Zapp, Nathan Heathman, Ledisi, Frank McComb, Res, Robert Brookins, Mary J Blige, Peggi Blu, George Duke, Kloud 9, Leroy Burgess, Charles & Gwen Scales, Shabazz, Lalah Hathaway, Alyson Williams and N'Dambi to name but a few.
 
Other notable achievements include the successful label signings of the late Ali Ollie Woodson (formerly of The Temptations), Shabazz (not to be confused with the rapper, Ian Martin, husband & wife duo AJ (Andrea & James Rohlehr,) Felicia Adams, Vaneese Thomas (sister to Irma and daughter to the late Rufus Thomas), Bob Baldwin, Charles & Gwen Scales, Sandra St. Victor (of The Family Stand), Karen Bernod, Byron Woods, James "D-Train" Williams, Marva King (of Prince fame) and many more! He is constantly active within the industry, working on a variety of musical projects and taking every opportunity to promote the work of quality artists and labels.
 
After several years of hosting shows far and wide in countries like Holland, Sweden and The UK (with a combined listenership in the region of over 6 million), every now and again Andreas presents shows on UKs Starpoint Radio via satellite (Sky Digital) and cable (NTL). and world wide over the web www.starpointradio.com

Andreas

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