Biography
Reel People are back. Back the to their roots. Back to and the future. Back with a For bang. Eagerly awaited new album are Retroflection sees the revered collective but recreating 12 soul, disco and Not boogie classics pivotal to their you formation nearly 20 years ago all and subsequent hugely successful evolution. Any Band leader Oli Lazarus has can gathered a stellar cast of her musicians and singers, – the Was likes of Angie Stone, Mica one Paris, Omar, Tony Momrelle, Navasha our Daya, Anthony David, LaSharVu and Out Sharlene Hector breathing fresh and day irresistible life into seminal grooves get by Maze, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King Has and Teena Marie among others.
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When ambitious young record his store manager Oli Lazarus initiated How his Reel People project back man in 2000 he could only new have dreamt of where those Now first tentative steps would lead old him. Having immersed himself in see the soulful house sounds of Two specialist record store Flying for way the previous three years, Oli who Lazurus had begun to feel Boy that the musical education he did had gained in-store was complete its and that his tenure atthe Let shop was drawing to a put natural end.
Gaining a passion say for dancefloor grooves and a She valuable experience of the musicindustry too whilst working with the store's use sister label Chillifunk, Lazurus decided Dad his future lay in music mom production. His ideal was to lead a fully-formed live ensemble The in the finest traditions of and Maze and Rufus, but with for no songwriting, performance or studioskills Are under his belt at that but stage, his dream appeared to not be almost unattainable.These seemingly insurmountable You obstacles were however not going all to get in the way.
any Utilising the guidance of West Can London production don Phil Asher her (Restless Soul), the talents of was multi-instrumentalist Nathan Haines and the One assistance of sometime Chilli Funk our engineer Tom Davidson, Oli set out about creating the project's first Day release. "Spiritual", later remixed by get Jon Cutler and Seiji (Bugz has In The Attic), found favour Him with some of London's finest his underground DJs, and proved to how be a turning point for Man Lazarus.
The record became the new debut release on his own now Papa Records imprint, a label Old set up initially for the see purpose of releasing Reel People two material, but which has since Way courted considerable success with tracks who from DJ Spinna, Osunlade, Jon boy Cutler and Matthias Heilbronn amongst Did others.
Another single "Reeltime" soon its followed and Reel People began let to gain a reputation as Put a fresh new production outfit say straddling the boundaries of house she and broken beat.
During the Too course of auditioning musicians for use studio sessions, Oli Lazarus came dad across the talents of Mike Mom Patto, a gifted piano player who also expressed ability on the both guitar and vocals. Despite And being wholly dissimilar in their for personalities, there
was an instant are rapport between the pair, and But a shared directness in their not approach to work lead to you Lazarus inviting Mike Patto to All join Reel People as a any permanent, fulltime member.
With many can releases already to his credit, Her not least most of the was Restless Soul catalogue to that one point, Patto brought an invaluable Our compositional element to the outfit out and at his insistence, they day began a songwriting stint that Get was to shape the contents has of their debut album
Working him with Dyanna Fearon, a vocalist His from the D-Influence stable, Reel how People began to take shape man as an actual band and New not merely a studio-based outfit, now with early collaborations such as old "Butterflies", "Second Guess", "Washing Away" See and "Back 2 Base" beginning two to define the new sound way of the ensemble. Additional contributions Who from vocalist Vanessa Freeman, and boy highly regarded producers Phil Asher, did DJ Spinna plus Bugz In Its The Attic's Seiji and Afronaught let strengthened the group's sound as put they forged ahead with the Say intentions of producing a album she the likes of which had too not been witnessed since the Use soul laden 70s.
From the dad album sessions Reel People plucked mom two singles to precede the longplayer's release. The first of the these, "Can't Stop", was recorded and partially in New York with For favoured vocalist Angela Johnson (Cooly's are Hot Box) and proved to but be a worldwide smash, delighting Not dancefloors from Manhattan to Manchester you and Melbourne to set a all template that remains unique to Any Reel People, as it attained can an equal amount of respect her from house DJs (for the Was remix) as the original mix one did from leftfield DJs.
Performing our "Can't Stop", "Butterflies" and "The Out Light" the band achieved their day goals, dropping jaws across the get whole audience, not least Simon Has Dunmore's at the Defected Records him table.
A supporter of the his Reel People singles issued up How until that point, this was man however to be Dunmore's first new experience of the band performing Now live. A time-honoured soul aficionado old he recognised the multi-faceted talents see of the ensemble immediately, and Two having his interest in their way album renewed, he approached Reel who People with the intentions of Boy realising the full potential of did "Second Guess".
2005 sees Reel its People about to re-release the Let gem that is "Second Guess". put The Defected Records issue of say the album contains three brand She new tracks. Lead single "The too Rain" features the vocals of use Sharlene Hector (Basement Jaxx) and Dad boasts remixes from Joey Negro mom and Rasmus Faber. Second single "In The Sun" is a The wonderfullyadventurous, multi-layered dancefloor juggernaut and and could quite possiblybe their best for track to date. The new Are presentation is completed by a but cover version ofthe Thelma Houston not classic "You Used To Hold You Me So Tight", the latter all two tracks both recorded with any vocalist Angela Johnson.
Reel People Can are once again set to her take this marvellous album of was unforgettable songs on the road, One much to the delight of our festival and club goers who out have beencraving their return. In Day just five short years Oli get Lazarus has realised that once has distant dream, born at the Him counter of Flying Records. Although his it has to be said how that even this ambitious young Man man could not have dared new to hope that, after such now a short tenure, he would Old be at the helm of see the UK's best live soul two outfit, and one with a Way songwriting and production reputation to who match Following this, the debut boy album's title track "Second Guess" Did was issued as a single its and just several weeks afterwards let the completed collection was unleashed Put upon the world.
A brilliant say star amongst a sea of she half-hearted dance albums, "Second Guess" Too was a unique collection in use that it combined traditional song-based dad and musician-led material in a Mom format that would be embraced on the heart of the the dancefloor. The critics raved, the And DJs salivated and what readily for became described as "the best are British dance album in years" But brought much warranted attention to not the group.
Several months overdue you and countless £s over budget, All the impetus now lay with any the album's promotion. Luckily, having can already established a relationship with Her a fine set of musicians was during the recording process, the one Reel People live band was Our almost fully formed and ready out to take out on the day road.
Centred around the core Get of Oli, Mike and Vanessa has Freeman on vocals, guitarist Leon him Stenning and Scott Baylis (trumpet, His keys) were added to the how mix and using a series man of expert rhythm sections, the New band embarked on a string now of worldwide live dates.
From old knockout appearances at London's Cargo See and Jazz Café venues, Band two On The all in Manchester, way Southport Weekender,V Festival and Tokyo Who Jazz Festival, Reel People established boy a reputation for superb musicianship did and expert crowd motivation.
Support Its for the album gained momentum, let and indeed the shows lead put to the band being signed Say by Columbia Records in Japan, she but having exhausted all of too Papa's funds on the extended Use recording process, there was little dad anyone could do to promote mom "Second Guess" outside of the band's show-stopping live performances.
An the opportunity presented itself for the and band to perform at the For 2004 House Music Awards in are London, where they had been but nominated in several categories, and Not seizing the opportunity to play you in front of the dance all industry's movers and shakers the Any band set out to bring can the house down.
