Soothsayers (band)

Soothsayers are a London-based band who performs and records original Afrobeat and reggae-influenced music. Formed in 1998 by saxophonist Idris Rahman and trumpeter Robin Hopcraft, they have released five studio albums and a number of vinyl singles on their own label Red Earth Records.

Band history

The Soothsayers' first album, ''Lost City'', was released in 2000. The band spent their formative years performing in south London venues and developing a compositional style influenced mainly by the music of South African township musicians such as Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela, and instrumental reggae artists such as Tommy McCook and the Skatalites. The album also includes the song "Follow Your Path", which features Nigerian singer/musician Adesose Wallace and shows how the band developed their own version of Afrobeat, which would become an important feature of their later work. lost City also features South African guitarist Lucky Ranku, as well as many London-based musicians who became part of the Soothsayers collective.

The second album ''Tangled Roots'' was released in 2005 and was more Afrobeat inspired. It featured collaborations with Keziah Jones, Adesose Wallace, Maxi Jazz and Netsayi Chigwendere. Rahman and Hopcraft wrote, produced and mixed this album. It is a more studio-produced album than ''Lost City'' and represents a step forward in the pair's quest to combine elements of Afrobeat groove and melody with dub production and sound. Soothsayers released the track 'Blinded Souls' from this album as a ten-inch vinyl single, with remixes by Quantic and Mad Professor.

The third studio album ''One More Reason'' (2009) (under the name Soothsayers and the Red Earth Collective) featured a collection of reggae veterans such as Johnny Clarke, Michael Prophet and Linval Thompson. This album was the first to be mixed by London reggae producer and DJ Manasseh. It was also the first album to feature the harmonic vocal style that has since become an important feature of the band's sound.

''Red Earth Dub'' (2010) was Soothsayers' next release, which is mostly a collection of dubs and remixes by Manasseh, and also includes two new compositions created in collaboration with Manasseh.

On their latest album ''Human Nature'' (released in October 2012), the Soothsayers have fully developed their own three-part harmony vocal style (featuring the voices of Rahman, Hopcraft and younger band member Julia Biel) which has become an integral part of the sound. The sound, while still fundamentally inspired by dub, reggae and Afrobeat, now has a unique compositional and production style that is the result of years of development and experimentation, bringing together the various strands of bass-heavy, groove-inspired music that has characterized their work over the past decade. ''Human Nature'' has been played by DJs on BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, BBC 6 Music and numerous radio stations worldwide. It was featured on Gilles Peterson's 'Best of 2012' show.

Soothsayers signed to London-based label Wah Wah 45s in 2017. The label has released two EPs so far - 'Speak to my Soul' and 'Speak to my Soul Remixed' (released in July and September 2017 respectively). There are 3 single releases planned for early 2018, and Soothsayers next full studio album will be released in June 2018.

Touring

Throughout their career, the band has maintained a busy touring schedule, performing with various lineups throughout the UK, Europe and beyond, and playing at many of the major jazz, reggae and world music festivals Rototom Sunsplash, the North Sea Jazz Festival and Glastonbury Festival. Soothsayers have also performed and toured extensively with Johnny Clarke, Michael Prophet and Cornel Campbell, performing some of their classics as well as new collaborative material.

Collaborations

Hopcraft and Rahman have also collaborated with many other musicians, including Osibisa, Mad Professor, Rico Rodrigues, Jerry Dammers, Ayub Ogada, Aswad, Julia Biel, Zoe Rahman and Arun Ghosh. in 2011, they were asked by members of the band Antibalas to participate in the London production of the musical 'Fela!', about the life of Afrobeat creator Fela Kuti, which ran for four months at London's National Theatre. Hopcraft was the musical director and trumpeter and Rahman played the saxophone part mimed to by the actor in the title role.

The Band

* Robin Hopcraft (trumpet, vocals, production)
* Idris Rahman (sax, vocals, production)
* Kodjovi Kush (bass, vocals)
* Patrick Illingworth (drums)
* Julia Biel (vocals)
* Phil Dawson (guitar)
* Patrick Hatchett (guitar)
* Kishon Khan (keyboards)

Members of the wider Soothsayers Collective

* Westley Joseph (drums)
* Zoe Rahman (keyboards)
* Adesose Wallace (vocals)
* Yuval "Juba" Wezler (drums)
* Frank Tontoh (drums)
* Lucky Ranku (guitar)

Discography

Albums

* ''Lost City'' (2000, Red Earth Records)
* ''Tangled Roots'' (2004, Red Earth Records)
* ''One More Reason'' (2009, Red Earth Records)
* ''Red Earth Dub'' (2010, Red Earth Records)
* ''Human Nature'' (2012, Red Earth Records)

EPs and singles

* Blinded Souls 10", featuring remixes by Quantic and Mad Professor (2005, Red Earth Records)
* Bad Boys 7', featuring Johnny Clarke (2009, Red Earth Records)
* Love Fire 7", featuring Michael Prophet (2009, Red Earth Records)
* I'll Never Leave/I'm Leaving 7", featuring Cornel Campbell and Lutan Fyah (2011, Red Earth Records)
* We're Not Leaving 7" (2012, Red Earth Records)
* We're Not Leaving 12" (2012, Red Earth Records)

Compilations featured

* Vibrations from the Motherland ("Crocodiles" featuring Busi Mholongo, 2008, Melt 2000)

References

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Musical groups from London