EVERY GENRE PROJECT - December 28 - UK Street Soul
Genre of the Day - UK Street Soul
Album of the Day - Volume II - 1990 A New Decade by Soul II Soul (1990)
There’s a deeper reason to why “let him cook!” is such a resonant rallying cry for any musician—the beauty of music is akin to cooking in that the same ingredients can constantly be combined yet again at differing levels, temperature, scrambled, thrown in as seasoning, and produce remarkably different results. This has often been the case in the UK, as influence from Jamaican and American genres have been transfused with attitudes and the incomparable droll yet inventive coolness of British musicians. Genre-level examples abound—the combination of ska with punk in 2-tone groups’ commentaries on racial unity amidst urban strife in the country’s late ‘70s, or in jungle’s innovations taking old funk breakbeats and spinning them into hyperactive gold that constituted a watermark moment for musical visibility for Black Britons in the ‘90s, UK funky’s transfusions of garage, dancehall, and tribal house in the late 2000s. British street soul not only represents this creative ingenuity, but the additional necessity of on-the-ground persistence in bringing new combinations to the mainstream.
By the late ‘80s, house was firmly entrenched in both the UK and US as a dance staple and up-and-coming popular mainstay. It provided new horizons and opportunities for R&B vocalists, both instrumental impetuses to today’s genre. Moreover, the consistent popularity of soul records in the UK (see: the cult classic genre of northern soul) helped foster a new generation of vocalists drawing from older soul and lovers’ rock’s romantic reggae in songs of love and hope. Hip-hop gave independent musical expression considerable flexibility and raw edge. All of these factors coalesced in the UK street soul movement of the late ‘80s, a scene that drew from the ecstasy (somewhat lazy and obligatory pun intended) of the acid house sweeping the UK, hip-hop, beloved reggae bass, and even more crate-digging into British dance history. The decade has begun with Britfunk, a blueprint for a uniquely UK dance genre that emphasized more jazziness and twinges of reggae.
UK street soul, then, was simultaneously a reconstitution of well-loved ingredients with new trends and a movement forward in how it proliferated its vision—collectives developing the sound relied on home studios, limited pressings of records, pirate radio, and above all the clubs. As I near the end of this column’s current form, I must say how floored I am by the immense efforts of millions of musicians through the ages to put their ideas to record, promote their music themselves, and push their message forth. For its many faults, a bright spot of the Internet era is that it shed digital light on these intangible histories. Back to musical elements, though, UK street soul had a pronounced emphasis on bass lines that sounded raw because of being produced on cheaper keyboards and for its artists represented a return to authentic expression.
Everyone talks about having heart-to-heart conversations, but what about the much more intense concept of a soul-to-soul? This is an implicit question for Soul II Soul, the collective who broke UK street soul out into the mainstream briefly with a few Hot 100 appearances. Their overarching mission is unity, though: on “Get a Life”, a choir of children on the refrain asks “what is the meaning of life?” Soul II Soul answers that it is expressing oneself through art, reflecting the moment’s emphasis on cross-generational spiritual guidance explored across the pond in projects like Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation. Steady bass, ascendant house piano riffs, and steel drum smatterings extend the genre-spanning message of uplift on “Love Come Through.” Freedom also translates to improvisational exploration as on the uninhibited saxophone spirals of “Courtney Blows,” complimented by a rich ensemble of percussion. On the eve of a new decade, just as we are on the precipice of a new year, Soul II Soul envisioned a higher state of mind (“1990 A New Decade”): no matter the moment, musicians and all of us moved by their ideas have the opportunity to reset our intentions and push for progress.