Feature:

Urbanality – My diverse journey:

So, having wallowed around in mainly dance driven music for the last few years I’ve kind of flowed back to the roots of just what got me dancing and inspired this urban journey I’ve been on since my teens..

The roots of my journey began, listening to early Electro beats and later I drifted into the emerging Hip Hop vibes and Jazz. My journey in Jazz flowed from its purer forms to 70’s funk, fusion and rare groove. The latter thus taking a natural progression into the whole Acid Jazz movement. Although I loved the US House n Garage vibe, my roots always hung back to my Jazz loving beginnings.

So in this feature, I want to share my journey (past, present and future) with you, the vibes and the artists that have enriched my journey. This will take us through Jazz, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Drum n Bass, Latin, House n Garage, Techno, Reggae, Ska, Dub, Ragga  and whatever other illicit grooves I’ve encountered.

Of late its been Hip Hop Jazz from a couple of artists that have drawn me in. These artists being – Guru, The Roots and US 3. From these artists you get a fine fusion of Hip Hop and Jazz. My first encounters of spoken word and Jazz however came from Galliano and The Last Poets. Though, the latter could have been described as Jazzoetry.

Writing this article I’m being serenaded by the Latin tones of one of my favourite Jazz singers – Flora Purim, I’d say I’ve been a fan of Flora from around 1989/90 when I  discovered her track “Moon Dreams” on an old Jazz Fusion. Album. Flora’s “Milestone Memories” album is a great listen if you have a taste for 70’s latin fusion.

I digress though, back to the journey.

Ah, the revolution will not be televised. Though this is a journey not a revolution. A little thought of a classic Gil Scott Heron track “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”.

The beginning I would say starts with my emergence from my school years having listened to the popular Ska artists of the late 70’s early 80’s and all the Electro tracks I could lay my hands on. So below are a few of the tracks/artists that would see me leaving school in Blackburn in 1986.

More to come soon!!