SoulNRnB's THIS IS SOUL

Happy New Year Mixtapers!

Here's a flashback to a nice mellow steppers, Rare Groove mix from a while back to ease you into 2015 after any New Years Celebrations!

Is what it says on the tin, enjoy, and stick with Grizz and I through 2015 for all the best in Soul Music from the 60's till the present day!

SoulNRnB's This is SOUL by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Wind-Down Soul

After the madness of the last few weeks its a chance to kick-back and relax with Wind-Down Soul!

A selection of the most mellow, soulful old time soul nuggets from the likes of Al Wilson, The Blackbyrds, a Blue Magic hit (familiar to revival Reggae fans), Norman Connors featuring some big vocals from Eleanor Mills,  a Maze Classic, an acoustic Teena Marie and more!!

My last post of the year (Mr S will squeeze one more 2014 treat in though)... so will see you all in 2015!

Grizz

Wind-Down Soul 1 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

The Soul Mixtapes Review of 2014 PART TWO

Every year, in our End of year review, we have selected the best LP's of the year. But last year marked a change when I found it very hard to pick whole LP's to recommend. The nature of the music industry has changed markedly in my opinion, where now we can all pick and choose tracks from an artists release rather than buying it as a whole.

This has led to a real detriment in  quality, LP wise IMO. where "Conceptual" works barely exist nowadays. In Part One of our 2014 Review, Marc Mac put it best when he said: "Quality in 2014? not an easy one for me to be honest, there has been some great tracks but not LP’s I can put my finger on in my opinion, I think a lot of artists have given in to the fact people download singles and tracks so they don’t make full conceptional albums of quality but just some good tracks."

Not that there isn't great music out there, there is, but an Album as a piece of thought through, linear, interlocking piece of work is hard to find nowadays. Albums are fragmented pieces of work, with some great songs (the "Singles") but not much else that makes you WANT to purchase the whole piece of work.

But that's not to say there isn't some works purchasing as a whole; Pick any LP from the above cover art and you've purchased quality work.

But, for me, one stood out. D'Angelo went and released his 3rd LP after a 14 year wait, and there's greatness there. Not sat with "Black Messiah" long enough to form opinions on where it lies in his discography, but its great work. It actually feels like an album, with themes that run through it both lyrically and musically. You get that instantaneous espresso hit of D'Angelo on tracks like "Really Love" and "Another Life", but you know with further listens the other tracks are gonna creep up on you. There's been great love for the LP as well as disappointment; Too many expected Voodoo Part 2 I think, but this is the work of an artist that we greatly need at this time. So, unsurprisingly, its my LP of the year.

Having said that, there were other fine pieces of work produced; Hiatus Kaiyote teased us with an EP that precedes their 2015 LP, and its got me real excited for it. Nai Palm's voice is something else; There are great LP's from Eric Roberson, the UK's Fatima, my fave beatmakers The Stuyvesants; Brandon Williams XII, coming on like a "Black Radio" part 3; and a great selection of unreleased material from the legendary Steve Arrington.

But this mix is about the best SONGS of 2014; And most are there. Some notable exceptions need a shout out: from the likes of Soulperfreesia (Check out their LP too, some great stuff there), the excellent 2000 Black remix of Paul Johnson's "Better than this", some nice Soul/Jazz work from Jarrod Lawson, "Florina" a soulful/Spacey work from Taylor Mcferrin, Mark De Clive-Lowe's excellent "Hollow", the Dangerfeel Newbies fantastic "Always with me", plus a few more, only left out for mix length reasons.

However, Remember this: If you purchased each tune on this mix and supported the artists, it would only cost you approx £30/$30. So get those iTunes/Amazon vouchers working for you. Because as negatively sounding this write up started out as, we gotta remember that WE, as purchasers, have the power to reward great music/art by buying it. And if truly great LP's don't make a comeback, then maybe we can make our own BEST LP of 2014. Just as Ive done in my mix below.

So press play, revel in some great music, and ill see you in 2015.

Happy Holidays and New Year from #TheSoulMixtape

The Soul Mixtape's Songs of 2014 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- 80's Dance Party

Its Xmas Party Season so time to pull out all those 80's Soul n Funk Classics from the box. Clear out the furniture, roll back the carpet, warn the neighbours and press play... its 80's Dance Party!

All the big hitters are here.... Jeanette Lady Day, Sharon Redd, Garys Gang, Rodney Franklin, Jocelyn Brown to name a few.

I'll be back to shifting through my dusty shelves for rare nuggets next week. Come back midweek too for SoulNRnB's  stellar 2014 review, part 2, including the blogs interview with one of my hero's Steve Arrington!

Have a great Xmas Mix-tapers!

Grizz
   

80's Dance Party by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

The Soul Mixtapes Review of 2014 PART ONE

It's that time of year again when we look back at some of the quality music released in the past year. Last year we had the legend that is Omar, Electro Soul Pioneers The System the year before, plus on the radar talent like Moonchild, Diggs Duke, SoulPersona, The Rebirth plus so many more talented artists contribute.


#TheSoulMixtape isn't gonna let you down this year.

So, press play on the mix below, our throwback to the best LP's of 2010, and lets get this review started

.

SoulNRnB's TOP 10 LP's of 2010 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

Answering our questions are:

 Marc Mac:

One half of the UK's Legendary 4 Hero (with partner in crime Dego), Marc is in my opinion one of the best producers the UK has produced. Musician, Remixer, producer and DJ (The man can select a tune let me tell you...) Marc famously had a pivotal role in the development of DnB and broken beat as part of 4hero and with the creation of Reinforced Records, he's also explored techno territory as Nu Era and hip-hop with his funky Visioneers act.

Then there's the Soul. As well as creating some great Soul tunes for 4Hero, Marc has produced and remixed some absolute gems too, many featured on this blog (We even did a "Great Producers" mix of some of his produced work back in our early days). And if you check out some of his podcasts, posts on Facebook, DJ sets etc you know the man can select a tune too! Straight from Dollis Hill, the man himself!

Princess Freesia:

The UK is representing this year! Along with partner in crime, Soulpersona, Princess Freesia has made some great music in the last few years. In fact, she released an EP and collborated with SoulP on the SoulperFreesia LP just in the last year and featured on 2 Street Sound mixes covers! 2012's "The Rainbow Ride" was one of our fave LP's of the year and as well as recording her own work she is a much in demand backing vocalist. A big character, were proud to have her share thoughts on this years music.

Conya Doss:

Ever since she released "A Poem about Ms. Doss", we've been fans at the blog. A great vocalist, Conya has released consistently great LP's on a regular basis. With a new LP coming out in 2015, we'd recommend catching up with previous work such as "Love Rain Down", "Still", "Blu Transition", "Pocketful of purpose" and "Just Because". She says: “If they want to label me in the Neo-Soul movement they can, but soul music is nothing new. The D’Angelos and Lauryn Hill's derive from what we grew up on — like Donnie Hathaway and Angela Winbush, it’s just modernized. I grew up on every form of music from Bonnie Raitt and Steely Dan to Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan. It’s hard to categorize me into one genre of music because it narrows your audience and I learned from them all. It’s just good music — and that’s the way I see it.”

Steve Arrington:

Member of one of the greatest funk bands of all time, Slave, plus solo artist on his own right. When the blog picked its top LP's of the 80's, Steve Arringtons Hall of Fame I and Slave's "Stone Jam" were both picked by Grizz and I. With a jazzy vocal style of his own, he is one of a kind. Still touring, producing music, and working with the likes of Karriem Riggins and Dam Funk, hes a very busy man! The Soul Mixtape welcomes The Invade!


So thats Intro's done, lets get down to the nitty gritty!

1. Back in the day, compiling mix tapes for friends, family, or loved ones was commonplace. Here at the Soul Mixtape, we still do just that via our mixes for our followers. If you compiled a Mixtape of tunes from 2014, what songs would have to be on there?

Marc Mac: Doing mixtapes was a big deal when I was growing up and its great to see the art-form revived in recent years. In my days (early 80’s) we actually played records onto a cassette tape so if you made a mistake the rewind and record process took some time and care. I was a sound system selector rather than a scratch/mix DJ so it was all about the ‘right tunes’. In 2014 would probably do a similar tape as the one I did for my then girl friend (now wife) a 2-Step Soul selection. Arnorld Blair, Edna Wright, Benny King, Milton Wright, Passion Midnight Lover... that kinda thing was dope and the new generation need a little love in their lives. true?

Conya Doss: I would put the following tracks on a mixtape: JOHN LEGEND'S " ALL OF ME," MAGIC'S "RUDE," CALVIN HARRIS' "SUMMER, ALGEBRA'S "NOBODY BUT YOU", CONYA DOSS' "YOU GOT ME," ARETHA FRANKLIN'S RENDITION OF "AT LAST," AVERY SUNSHINE'S "CALL MY NAME," AND LEELAH JAMES' "FALL FOR YOU"

Steve Arrington: My mixtape would include:

Drake - 'Trophies"
Christian Rich - "Better To" ft. DWNTWN and also "Real Love"
Childish Gambino - Telegraph Ave ("Oakland" By Lloyd)
Ras G - Big Booty Ahtay mpc 2000 xl
Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake - Love Never Felt So Good

Princess Freesia: Oooh... that's a tough cookie cutter question for me as I've got so many Freesian favorites with so many varying flavours, haha! I tend to do "virtual" mixtapes via Mixcloud, so for my latest HOXXX selection of stellarsonics, I'd have to extend my index finger to my "Wanton & Wistful" podcats Part I & II. I don't have any songs from this year in particular to be honest that I would say particularly excite and entice me because without meaning to sound like a total retro snob, I'm turned on by the 70s and 80s with a touch of the 90s for my float boat, haha. People held more artistic integrity and honored the process rather than just popping it out like a plastic baby, haha. Of course, I'm speaking more of the mainstream pop acts here, but there are plenty of artists that adhere to highly formulaic music for the sake of climbing the ladder, especially in the soul world I've noticed. It's unappealing, unappetizing, inauthentic, and I just can't stand "artists" who don't put the hard yakka in. Sorry for my bluntness, I don't like to be rude about it but we need to speak about this so that real talent makes the breakthrough they deserve.

Anyway, I digressed rather passionately there, apologies, haha! You can check out the track listing on my mixcloud page for the aforementioned "podcats" at MIXCLOUD LINK ;)



2. Some say the LP is dead as people tend to purchase single tracks. We love to champion great albums and encourage people to purchase them. So what LP's of quality would you recommend from 2014?
Conya Doss: Definitely "THE SUNROOM" by AVERY SUNSHINE.

Princess Freesia: Ooohhhhh... hahaha. Again, I'm not the best purrrrrrson to ask about current trends, but there's an album that does stand out to me that a friend recommended. And it's Jarrod Lawson's debut. Wow, what a TALENT! There's something beautiful about his productions, his silky soulful Hathaway-esque vocals, his subject matter... it's poignant for this blurry blustery bullsh*t we have to deal with in our systemised societal structure. He's a diamond in the rough, a real gem of an artist and with true talent to boot.

Steve Arrington: I would recommend the following albums:

Flying Lotus - Your Dead
The Roots - And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
Ras-G - Raw Fruit
Karriem Riggins - Alone Together

Marc Mac: Wow, well quality in 2014? not an easy one for me to be honest, there has been some great tracks but not LP’s I can put my finger on in my opinion, I think a lot of artists have given in to the fact people download singles and tracks so they don’t make full conceptional albums of quality but just some good tracks. Eska’s EP was a highlight and def Fatima - Yellow Memories was dope.


3. Championing new artists is another thing we like to do via our Street Sounds mixes, and getting them heard is a real priority for us. What new or independent artists/bands should we be keeping an ear out for?

Steve Arrington: Keep an ear out for Christian Rich, Karriem Riggins and Razihel.

Marc Mac: Ok on the home front a group called “Hawk House” should be dropping an album next year, I’m sure you guys know of them and all the way in Australia “Emma Donovan” has a debut soul/funk album sounding cool. Really looking forward to a full album from soul trio “KING” next year.

Conya Doss: Definitely look out for an artist named Kourtney Heart.

Princess Freesia: Haha, well I feel pretty connected to the music my stellarsonic shipmates are making (Joey Negro, Carl Hudson, Nick Van Gelder, Katie Leone, Wonderlush, Aisling Iris, Deborah Bond... to name but a few!) because they hold integrity as well as talent. No sell outs here, cause we'd never forgive ourselves for comprising in an already compromised industry! Having said that, I'm sure there's a TRUCKLOAD of talented cats out there I've never even heard of or know how to find (that's usually the way isn't it, poor struggling artists with truckloads of talent deserving SO much and getting SO little in return, it breaks my bloody heart!) and so I hope to be able to better navigate towards finding them in the online jungle :) (SoulNRnB: Try our Street Sounds Sessions mixes!)


4. Influences. Our mixes spotlight those who have developed our soulful musical taste from the 60's to the present day. Who has influenced your music over the years, and what songs are especially inspirational?

Princess Freesia: Oh man - Leon Ware's the headliner for me - his production, songwriting, vocal style... flawless for me, and the greatest inspiration of all. Also the work he's done for Marvin as well as Melissa Manchester, Lara Saint Paul, Maxwell... he's gorgeous, just bloody VUNDERBAR! I have a lot of influences near and far on the soul spectrum plectrum, and am a big advocate of that Westcoast Soul sound with acts like Erik Tagg, Byrne & Barnes, Lava, Steve Pocaro, Quincy Jones... it's a mixed bag of delights all round, SO hard to pick 'em out! I think one of my Freesian favourites from Leon Ware of all time is "Got To Be Loved". That track alone has everything I could ever want in a song.

Steve Arrington: My influences include;

P-Funk in general!
John Coltrane Live NewPort Live 63
Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness First Finale
Yes, - Close To The Edge album
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Thelonious Monk
Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsy Live @The Fillmore East

Marc Mac: Kinda obvious cos I go on about them so much but Charles Stepney and Richard Evans are great soul arrangers, the Mizell Brothers great producers, Motown, Jazz labels I love are Black Jazz and Strata East. Loads of electronic music from Detroit Techno - Jungle, Scientist and King Tubby.... as you can see my influences are far and wide!

Conya Doss: To name just a few, NATALIE COLE, BONNIE RAITT, STEVIE WONDER, ANGELA WINBUSH, MELISSA MORGAN, IRENE CARA, PRINCE, NINA SIMONE, GLADYS KNIGHT, CHAKA KHAN and DONNY HATHAWAY.


5. Is there an artist, producer etc that you would love to work with?

Steve Arrington: Id like to work with Flying Lotus (SoulNRnB: Just the idea of that had blown my mind) and Timberland production wise.

Marc Mac: I used to answer this question with names like Marvin, Nas, Raphael Saadiq, Minnie and Stevie but now I really think about finding a rough diamond, an unknown talented singer/songwriter musician that trust the producer to do as they will with them.

Conya Doss: DWELE, RAPHAEL SAADIQ, RAHEEM DAVAUGHN, AVERY SUNSHINE, MARY J. BLIGE, AND LAURYN HILL, just to name a few!

Princess Freesia: I'd love to do something with Mister Ware, though I have sung with him as a backing vocalist, highlight of my career to date I think! I think I'm already working with my favourites - Joey Negro was another highlight and he's producing re-edits of songs that Soulpersona and I have done together as well as releasing a re-edit of a track off my solo album, entitled "Freesia", and of course, working with Soulpersona has been an absolute honour and a privilege and continues to be so :)


6. 2015. What's in store for you musically? Any new LP's or tours that we should know about? And where can readers find out more about you!

Princess Freesia: WELLA BALSALM! I have a new Freesian "Han Solo" album I've been whittling away on quietly that's due out next year at some point I hope, and myself and Soulpersona are currently doing a Pledge Campaign to raise the funds to release our next album due out in February 2016 entitled "Fast Forward" which is princessly packed full of sexy synthaholic soulful electro jazz funk HOXXX with an eighties edge that we hope our fans will enjoy. You can support us via our Pledge page if you would like to, bless your darling HOXXXY hearts!

SoulPersona & Princess Freesia Pledge Link

Otherwise, feel free to keep up with me/us on our facebook pages under "Princess Freesia" and "Soulpersona Recordings" as well as "Soulperfreesia" in addition to our Twitter accounts and Soundcloud pages under the same names. Bless you for your stellarsonic support dear ones, we besot you!

Marc Mac: Recently I been re-visiting my past and resurrecting a few old alias like Manix and Nu Era (SoulNRnB: We loved the Nu Era and Visioneers "Mystic Brew" releases from this year!)

Next year is a special one for Reinforced Records as it’s our 25th year releasing music; that’s my Jungle/hardcore/D&B label I started all those years ago. The next Visioneers album will drop in 2015, good chance of some new 4hero music although it’s a bit of a logistical mountain to climb at the moment and I know 4hero fans are loosing there patience with us but I’m sure all will be forgiven when it finally surfaces. (SoulNRnB: Seriously. Play with the Changes was released in 2006! We cannot wait!)

I’m still remixing including something fresh with myself and Leroy Burgess and this year I also produced a small piece of music for a Debbie Tucker Green’s new movie “ Second Coming” starring Idris Elba, I tend to hear my music all over TV but producing something specific is what I want to do more of in future. t: @marc4hero Instagram @marc4hero hipology.org

Conya Doss: I will be touring in the US, DMV area and Cleveland this month plus working on additional dates. Contact me on Facebook or Twitter and check out my website Conya Doss Website

Steve Arrington: New music, interesting collabs. A lot of touring in 2015. You can find me on both Facebook and Twitter, but make sure you check out my Bandcamp page Steve Arrington Bandcamp for info and music! (SoulNRnB: The blog can't recommend the "Way Out 80-84" album enough.)


So that's it Until Part Two next week. A massive thanks to our four guest reviewers this year. Were big fans at the blog, so thanks for sharing with us and the readers! As I said last year, make sure you check them out and support them, cause in the end we only get the music we deserve.

I'm gonna pick some of my best songs of the year next week, but until then its Grizz!

DJ Grizz- Xmas Soul 2014

Less than 2 weeks to go before the big day so its time for my annual selection of Soul and Reggae tunes full of the festive spirit.

Soul from the likes of the Supremes and Teddy P, Reggae from Trevor Walters, something Bluesy from Albert King, plus Jazz from Nancy Wilson and much more.... all wrapped up with some tinsel and a helping of Xmas pudding!

Mr S and his years review starts soon and i'll catch you in a week in party mood!   

Grizz

Xmas Soul 2014 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Xmas December White Label mix

December's Journey into the Unknown Features some great soulful Xmas choons interspersed with the usual mix of Soul from the 70's to the present day. Features some big names in soul music alongside the whipper snappers!

Lets get Christmassy up in this place!

I'm back next week with PART ONE of our review of 2014 in all things soulful, till then, check Grizz out at the weekend for more musical heat!

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Dec 14 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness Vol.83

My last Soul Niceness of 2014 but its quality all the way as usual.... its Volume 83!

We start with 2 early 80's gems from Love Unlimited and Kinky Fox respectively, there's a wicked groove from the MFSB Mystery's of the World LP, we've a Jackson family member Rare Groove anthem, a blue-eyed soul hit from Boz Scaggs, and end on an early 70's stepper from Mr Reet Petit himself Jackie Wilson.

The Xmas mixes start in earnest next week on the blog so don't be a stranger... its time for my annual selection of Xmas soul next weekend!

Grizz

Soul Niceness Volume 83 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 135

Last upfront Street Sounds mix of the year before our Xmas specials, and this one features some great music.

Hiatus Kaiyote return with a brand new EP before they release an LP next year, and we feature one of our songs of the year in "Molasses"; Faith Evans releases her new LP just in time for Xmas and we've got "Forever" from it; The UK's own Terri Walker has her own EP coming out, Untitled to Entitled, and its fire. "Caught Up" is one of the tunes from it; Kem collaborates with Ronald Isley on "My Favorite Thing" and we have a soulful return of Ghostface Killah.

Grizz returns at the weekend, and I'll have a special Xmas edition of the December White Label mix for you. That's gonna be followed by 2 weeks of our Review of 2014 with some great Artists contributing.

Hold tight!

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 135 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- More Soul & Jazz Versions

Another helping of Soul and Jazz Funk artists covering familiar tunes in there own inimitable style.... its the More Soul-Jazz Versions mix.

Todays smorgasbord starts with a pretty faithful 2000 version of the Larry Young funk monster, includes a Latin take on the often covered Light My Fire, Penny Goodwin jazzes up Marvin, there's a nice version of the Barbara Streisand blues party wind-down anthem, a left field take on the Bacharach classic, ands end with jazzman Oscar Toney Jr and his interpretation of the Bread song (and as well known as a Ken Boothe reggae hit) and much more....!

Over December SoulNRnB has some big names contributing to the blog and I've my traditional offering of Soul Xmas tunes plus something to get the party going!

Enjoy!!

Grizz

DJ Grizz-More Soul & Jazz Versions by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Rare as Rocking Horse S^%*T Part Two

Part 2 of my trip into the rare and unreleased in the Soul, RnB and Neo Soul world concentrates on the Noughties and features the likes of Jazmine Sullivan, Jon B, Maxwell, Musiq, Rahsaan Patterson and so many more.

Its Easing us into our Xmas period where Grizz and I have some great things in store. There's a Bumper Street Sounds Sessions mix, an Xmas White Label mix, and our Review of the years music featuring selections from 4 very special artists plus my pick of the songs of the year in my end of year mix. And that's just from me, im sure Grizz will fill you in at the weekend in some of the specials he has coming up!

Anyway, press play below, and enjoy some 00's unreleased goodness!

SoulNRnB's Rarer than rocking horse S#*^T 2 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness Vol.82

Welcome back Mixtapers and Mixclouders. Have some great old Soul and Rare Groove on me.... its Soul Niceness 82!

Todays selection starts with a corking cut from the LP 'MVP' by Harvey Mason, The Brothers Johnson provide some 2 step goodness, a track next from the painfully good James Mason album 'Rhythm of Life', there's a blue-eyed soul classic from Mr McDonald (that's Michael not Ronald!), Love Unlimited give us a Rare Groove anthem and we end with a Soul-jazz gem from ex Spyro Gyro man Jeremy Wall.... plus more to re-discover.

Stay tuned for some cracking shows over the Xmas period from myself and Mr S... see you soon!

Grizz

  

Soul Niceness Volume 82 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Nov 14

Itinerary for November's Journey into the Unknown:

1:  4 Giants of Soul/Jazz contribute tunes, one unreleased.
2: UK Remix of Hip Hop Classic
3: Some more Unreleased RnB goodness from the 90's & Noughties
4: A dash of Soulful House

You know the score. Trust #TheSoulMixtape.

Grizz on the flipside!

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Nov 14 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Jazz Funk Vol.14

In our mission to bring you nuggets from all spectrums of the black music rainbow, here's something for all you Jazz Funk lovers now... its Jazz Funk Vol 14.

We kick off with some BrasilFunk from Black Banda Rio, there's an anthem from cover boys The Crusaders, there's Latin Fusion from 70's UK band Paz, we've 2 more Brazilian gems, Bob james does his stuff before we end with a spacy jazz-funk offering from jazz-funk giants Pleasure.... plus more!

I'm back in the land of the rare grooves next week after Mr S returns from collecting the midweek reins back from the safe hands of Lorraine King, our midweek guest selector!

Grizz

Jazz Funk Vol. 14 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

The Soul Mixtape's #Requestline - Selector Edition 2

DJ Grizz and I like to hand over the selecting reign's at soulnrnb.blogspot.com once in a while to those that know a good tune. Lorraine has pointed me in the direction of a track or two, so thought it might be cool for her to do the same for you.

Enjoy this Rare Groove, two step rarity extravaganza. Some of the tunes are so rare, they've got extra crackles!!! Thanks Lorraine for taking part!

If you think you've got the skills to deliver a playlist for a #Requestline mix, hit us up on the blog, on Twitter @SoulNRnB, or on Facebook. Social Media links are all on the sidebar.

And now.......for the music.

The Soul Mixtape's #Requestline - Selector Edition 2 -Lorraine King by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz - Soul to Reggae Mix

Reggae music going back to the 60's has a tradition of making a great job of covering Soul gems and here's 5 of my favourites side be side with their Soul originals ... its Soul to Reggae mix time!

We have 2 Reggae anthems to start in Country Living and Hurts So Good with their Soul counter-parts, next the Royalettes give us the first version of a tune spawned many covers including the Alton Ellis one featured, there's the peace anthem from Timmy Thomas and then Tinga, and we end with a soul club classic from William DeVaughn and the Cornel Campbell take on it.

Catch you in week but more good music is only days away.    

Grizz

SoultoReggae Mix by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 134

With the Xmas season coming up superfast, its time to catch up with all the new music coming up to years end.

Cover artist Nas brings a new joint from his final Def Jam LP, using a Dilla produced backing track, "The Season" is all you'd expect. Syleena Johnson returns with her latest LP "Chapter 6: Couples Therapy"; The Rebirth have just released the excellent "This is coming to" from the forthcoming LP. Dont forget to support their Indiegogo Fundraiser; Georgia Ann Muldrow has a new LP on Bandcamp which features "Ciao". Plus my current fave from Kehlani and "Tell your mama".

All in all, 12 tracks to get you all caught up. Grizz back at the weekend, ill be back with November's White Label mix.

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 134 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness 81

Morning Mixtapers and hope you had a Happy Halloween!! Nothing scary from my vaults this morning just good old revived Soul Music- its Soul Niceness 81!

We start right with an early 80's steppers favourite from Switch, some classic Norman Connors, a TS Monk gem, the Isley's offer a 70's goodie from the LP 3+3, UK songstress (and born within a stones throw of my beloved West Ham ground) Linda Lewis features, and we top the mix off with a Four Tops soul hit... plus more to re-discover.

Up soon and up to date - SoulNRnB and I'll catch you next Sunday!

Grizz

Soul Niceness Volume 81 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Eighties Boogie Bangers

Not been back to the Eighties for a while, so here's some Boogie tunes courtesy of that decade!

Two step the weekday blues away with a weekender soundtrack featuring Fonda Rae, L.A Boppers, Ingram, Norman Conners and many more!

Not much more to say, except for that fact that if you like this mix, your bound to love whatever Grizz serves up for you at the weekend, so keep up to date with the blog!

SoulNRnB's Eighties Boogie Bangers by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- New Funk Vol.18

Back for a dose of the Funky Stuff... its New Funk 18.

Eight cuts from bands that serve up new slices of Funk and Rhythm n Blues for you! Starts with 2 US bands Third Coast Kings and Lettuce (big collaborators with Soulive), we've the UK's New Mastersounds from up north in Leeds, we bring the pace down for some Jap soul-jazz from Indigo Jam Unit then some Hawaiian lovers-rock from the Jimmy Weeks Project and finishing with Essex based Rhythm n Blues Soul from James Hunter.

Got some more old gold next week straight after Mr S pops up midweek.

Grizz
 

New Funk Volume 18 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Oct 14

Whats they're to say? You know the score.

1) An 80's classic......A 90's classic.
2) Some great Soulful House
3) Rare Neo Soul tune
4) Dilla Remix (Nuff said)

So hit play below and see you the other side of Grizz's weekly soul injection.

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Oct 14 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz - Soul Niceness 80

Another injection of the Rare Grooves and Dusty Soul from the shelves- its Soul Niceness vol. 80!

We get your head nodding with a Trumains gem, there's something typically smooth from Ronnie Mcneir, Larry T brings the latin soul, a rare groove monster from Arnold Blair, and we sign out with 2 soul club classics from Phyllis Hyman and Change.... plus more great stuff to turn on to.

I'm in a funky mood next week after Mr S delivers his midweek package!

Grizz

 

Soul Niceness Volume 80 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 133

 

Super Soulful latest edition of our Upfront Street Sounds Sessions mix.

Some great comeback tunes from the likes of Cover girl Chrisette Michelle and "Super Chris", Frank McComb's "Soulmate", and a great track off Calvin Richardson's new LP.

Then we have the UK's own legend that is Omar on not one, but TWO tunes. The first from Sean Khan and remixed by none other than 4Hero; The second a retro sounder from EMV128. 

Also from the UK is Shanaz Dorsett with a track I love called "Four walls and a Garden" as well as the new Flying Lotus that has a touch of the $Hero's about it instrumentally. So much more too, 12 tracks in total, 50 mins of soulful sounds to keep you happy till Grizz gets back to you at the weekend.

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 133 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soulful 80's Grooves 22

Welcome back and something for you lovers of those synth led 80's tunes its Soulful 80's Grooves Volume 22.

The funk n soul fest starts with Captain Skyy (used by many an 80's pirate DJ for a jingle!), there's soul club classics from Barbara Mason (whose soul hits spanned the 60's 70's and 80's!) and Collage, Aurra and Nile Rodgers, whose career is having a revival recently,  bring the funk, and we end with a High Fashion gem plus more to re-acquaint yourself with.

Back with the rare stuff next weekend after Mr S gets box-fresh up to date!

Grizz

Soulful 80's Grooves 22 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Rare Groove Volume 6

 

 From the dusty side of the Rare Groove shelf comes some great two step tunes. 

Whilst we all have those Rare Groove and 2 Step tunes we know and love, my mixes will hopefully expose some of those tracks that didn't get quite the exposure some of the tunes, featured on these mixes covers, did.

So you got tracks from the Hawaiian Band Crackin'; A cover of Johnnie Taylor's classic "What about my love" by Damaris; Some Blue Eyed Soul from Laura Allan; Plus legends like Marlena Shaw.

I'll get back to the future next week and get out of Grizz's territory of rare Soul and Disco, and we can catch up with all the new music on the next Street Sounds Mix.

 

SoulNRnB's Rare Groove Volume 6 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness 79

After our midweek boogie down frenzy from Mr S we slow things down to a 2step tempo for Soul Niceness 79.

This 70s and 80's soul n rare groove fest includes the Greg Diamond anthem, 2 tunes from the dustier corners of my shelves from the Jones Girls and Edna Wright, an LP gem from the Pointer Sisters, the famous sample included in the Labi Siffre tune (Google the Chas n Dave link if you don't already know the story!), and we end with a wind-down monster from Black Ivory.

Back next with some pure 80's grooves!

Grizz

Soul Niceness Volume 79 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Disco Nites

As promised back in April, yes the year has gone that quick, here is part two of the Disco mixes I ran off for this year, a companion piece to SoulNRnB's Disco Daze.

Some great party time disco, again, with only a sprinkling of cheese, but LOTS of Soul and big vocals.

Get your 70's Hustle moves out the closet, and dance away till Grizz returns at the weekend.

SoulNRnB's Disco Nites by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul-Jazz Versions

Welcome back to todays selection of Soul n Jazz but done in a version-excursion fashion! All the tunes are covers of much loved gems in Soul-Jazz Versions

First up a funked up version of an Ben E King rare groove monster, Chairman of the Board does the Fab Four, the late great Joe Sample re-visits his Crusaders anthem, The Dells and Jay Berliner cover Bill Withers and Major Harris keeps it Philly with his take on the Blue Magic hit (also a lovers rock anthem by Barry Biggs).

More rare grooves and soul that time forgot next week, up soon- SoulNRnB

Grizz

Soul-Jazz Versions by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 132

Volume 132 of our latest Upfront mix featuring cover stars who are about to release their new LP "Being through the eyes of a child" in the new year and are looking for your help! Visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/th... and also check out a preview of the LP. We feature a track from it called "Wasteland" for your pleasure!

Then there's the first listen of a track from Mary J Blige's forthcoming "London Sessions" LP; I'm afraid to say im a bit late on this tune, but nevertheless need to put it on a street sounds mix to give you all the heads up on a great track by the legend that is Steve Arrington and the Karriem Riggins produced "This is a Black Man's Grind"; Gwen Bunn returns (and not a second too soon) with some great Nu Soul in the form of "Without a Doubt".

Add to that the likes of Raheem Devaughn, the return of Rahsaan Patterson and his new O'Jays Sampling track, plus Jazzy Jeff and Slakah, and yyouve got the makings of some great upfront Soul.

Back with you next week, in the meantime youll get some retro goodness from DJ Grizz!

SoulNRnB's Street Sounds Sessions 132 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness 78

Its Sunday morning so must be time for some Soul from the 70's and 80's... its Soul Niceness 78!

We kick off with the Soul Club classic from Greg Henderson, there's a Brazilian Soul-Jazz gem from Gilberto Gil, Sylvester turns from the Disco to the mid tempo, we've a Barbara Lewis corker from the late 60's, Moneys Too Tight originators The Valentine Bros serve up some mellow gold and we end with a lesser known goodie from the Jackson5.. plus more!

Mr S back with midweek magic, catch you next week for more Soul n Jazz memories!

Grizz

     

Soul Niceness 78 by Grizz Soul on Mixcloud

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Sep 14

It's that time again, Journey into the Unknown with our monthly mystery mix.

Some Clues:

1. Classic Mid Tempo 80's LP track from a "rent" obsessed singer.
2. What do you get when you mix classic Hip Hop Breaks with a Genius' classic track?
3. 90's British Street Soul Underground gem
4. What Jamiroquai's bassist did after he left the group a whiles back.
5. Original version of the song I cant stop singing.

Press play below, enjoy the above plus more, and check Grizz back out at the Weekend. Dont forget to give him (and me!) a follow on Mixcloud too for support!

SoulNRnB's White Label Mix Sep 14 by Soulnrnb on Mixcloud