Essential Records of UK Neo-Soul’s Present (& Future)

The UK’s relationship with neo-soul goes back to the mid- to late 1980s when acts such as Soul II Soul, Loose Ends, Brand New Heavies and Omar began to emerge. More recently, a contemporary wave of soul musicians and artists have emerged, standing on the shoulders of the aforementioned. 

It was once a widely held belief within the British music industry that neo-soul was considered a cheap imitation of what the US had been producing in the form of D’Angelo and his fellow Soulquarians. It was an erroneous miscalculation and misunderstanding of soul music’s relationship with Black British people, but that idea also ignored the likes of Mica Paris, Caron Wheeler, Jazzie B, Young Disciples and many more.

However, as we enter a new decade, the soundscape of British neo-soul (or nu-soul for the older heads) couldn’t be more diverse, with talents from up and down the country. Soul, for the most part, is one of the few genres in the UK that tends to be regionally inclusive and over the past two years, Manchester’s been one of the leading scenes. 

Lynda Dawn – At First Light EP

Funk is very much alive in 2020, not that it went anywhere but Lynda Dawn’s first official musical offering has shown us that it has its place in this new decade. Produced by Al Dobson Jr, At First Light does well to capture the vibrant colour of ‘80s funk without trying to lazily recreate it. At First Light is a rich tapestry of soulful funk which is slowly unravelled with each note, Lynda Dawn sings. 

Amber-Simone – For Those Moments

‘80s synths and reverbs have slowly been finding their way back into popularity when it comes to British music. CasIsDead’s “Pat Earrings” may just be one of the finest UK rap songs of all time because of his vivid storytelling over what sounds like the opening theme to an ‘80s kid’s show. But it’s Amber-Simone’s silky, idiosyncratic voice that anchors For Those Moments to the present. 

[K S R] – Unfiltered

If bedroom soul needed a new ambassador, then the scene’s found one in rising Manchester talent [K S R]. After teasing numerous releases prior to his debut EP Unfiltered, [K S R] took things up a notch, showcasing his expansive vocal range through a nu-soul vessel. Arguably one of the EP’s standout moments is where he interpolates the melody from J. Cole’s “Apparently” on “Headloss”. 

Children of Zeus – The Winter Tape

Leading the Manchester charge over the past few years has been Children of Zeus. In 2017, the duo comprised of Konny Kon and Tyler Daley dropped their first project together The Story So Far, followed by their album a year later Travel Light. Although last year’s Winter Tape proved to be a real treat for listeners. Rapping over old soul samples will always be a draw, but when Children of Zeus do it, they do it in such a way that allows their music to be incongruent with time. 

https://childrenofzeus.bandcamp.com/album/the-winter-tape

Layfullstop – Cherries

There’ll soon be a time when Layfullstop, another Manchester-based artist, will be compared to the likes of Lauryn Hill and The Floacist for her ability to seamlessly weave between rapping and singing, sometimes doing both at the same time. Following up 2018’s Colour Reaction with Cherries, her wordplay and cadence do accentuate the idea that she’s heavily influenced by artists such as Lauryn Hill, particularly on the EP’s title track, but she does so with her own West Midlands/Northern steez. 

Emmavie – Honeymoon

Emmavie work over the years has been some of the most fluid and malleable soul music to come out of London. Steadily working the underground circuit for years, her debut album came last year in the shape of Honeymoon. Her expansive soundscape comes from the fact that she produces her own work and DJs too, allowing Emmavie to craft for herself. Honeymoon leans on the soul traditions of yesteryear while it also easily finds its place here in 2020.

Manga Saint Hilare & Murkage Dave – We Need to Look After Us

Back in the early 2000s, Murkage Dave went by David Lewis and was deep in the garage and soulful house scene at the time. When he dropped Murkage Dave Changed My Life towards the end of 2018, it was a continuation of that deep soulful house vibe he’d started nearly twenty years before. Linking up with Manga Saint Hilare, one of grime’s most potent storytellers in recent years, proved to be a deft move on their late-2019 project We Need To Look After Us. As the lines between various underground scenes UK become increasingly blurred, more so than ever before, Dave and Manga embody the way in which grime, rap, and R&B are coexisting in unconventional ways. 

Blue Lab Beats – Voyage

It’s difficult to call Blue Lab Beats just one thing, their music traverses the realms of funk, hip hop and jazz, however, whatever sound they experiment with, it always finds its way back to soul. The synergy between the two multi-instrumentalists, NK-OK and Mr. D.M, has grown exponentially over the years but it’s made abundantly clear through their collaborations with Sampa The Great, Jaz Karis and KinKai on Voyage.  

Tawiah – Starts Again

Tawiah isn’t a stranger to the soul scene.  Despite only dropping Starts Again, her debut album, late last year, the album presents a rich and layered offering. The album’s production gives a lot of room for Tawiah to display some of her vibrant vocal delivery but the percussive, funk-led sounds give some roots to her voice. As such, the album represents a beginning of sorts, in a context where this new generation British soul musicians stand on the shoulders of those that came before.