soul

Sultry Soul | Jessie Boykins III – “B4 The Night Is Thru”

I can’t actually recall the last track I listened to by Jessie Boykins III, but I do remember that he always had this unique vibe about him. His style always reminded me of a timeless soul, and his hair is a unique work of art. But when you’re a sultry soul singer, you’re expected to bring a down to earth vibe to the table, so I don’t expect anything different from Jessie Boykins III.

His sultry vibe & soulful lyrics are surely coming back to mind thanks to his new song “B4 The Night is Thru.” I know remember why I used to listen to him a few years back; he’s got such a soulful voice that is essentially timeless. Not only does Jessie Boykins III have a nice sultry voice, but the music video directed by Dr.Woo is the epitome of soul…

Peep the visuals below for Jessie Boykins III “B4 The Night is Thru.” And how about that album artwork? Oh so soulfully chic.

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com

In House We Trust

“True house music consists of four main ingredients: a cup of spirituality, a tablespoon of love, a dash of togetherness and a pinch of soul penetrative beats. House music has the power to heal, to soothe, to comfort. It’s a music of love, a music from up above. True house music is an instrument of God and if this instrument is used wisely, it can change your soul. This is true house music.” Carl Cox

Recently I was lying on the bed listening to my ipod like I occasionally do. I was listening to the usual house music, when a song titled “7th Sense” by a dj known as “Dj Pisces” began to ring in my ears. Subconsciously I was jamming to the instrumentals waiting for the vocals to chime in.The voice I heard was of deep sound, and had a lot of energy fueling it. The song started mentioning various locations. New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Paris were the main capitals mentioned for the deep house sound. I came to a sudden realization that the genre of house has spread itself out amongst the world and has been saturated in specific locations. According to extensive research, house music was born in Chicago in the early 1980’s. House is actually considered a descendant of the disco era, so it gets a lot of its basic rhythmic patterns from disco music.
I remember asking my mom what I felt like to be in the disco era. She would tell me stories of 8 inch Afros and platform heels dancing the night away. With a great influence from London, the disco scene traveled to Chicago and a dj named Frankie Knuckles began to create his own genre. I’ve always associated the major house scenes with Chicago and a majority of the United Kingdom.
House music makes me feel alive, like I could just dance all night. Three major record labels dedicated to house are located in London. “Defected In The House”, “Hed Kandi”, and “Ministry of Sound” are labels that have pumping out good music for numerous years. My personal favorite amongst the various labels would have to be “Defected in the House”. Each label is uniquely known for the kind of house music is associates itself with.

If you’re like me, and looking for that soulful, jazzy, deep house music, check out “Defected In the House”. On the opposite end if you want club pumping dance/electronic tracks, definitely check out MOS, also known as “Ministry of Sound”. Some people are always going to be disco lovers, but want a modern revival of that classic disco sound. If that sounds like you, then you may want to check out “Hed Kandi”. This label is known for its funky remixes of a variety of songs from many genres, and it composes them with disco beats in a funky yet classy way.

As far as artists, there are a good number of composers out there that provide house music in specific areas. Miguel Migs is an artist known for deep soulful house tracks, along with Masters at Work and Andy Caldwell. If you’re looking for some good tribal house, check out Danny Tenaglia and Steve Lawler. Maybe tribal isn’t your scene, but progressive house with a hard edge fulfills your needs. Maybe that is the case, and then I would highly recommend Armand Van Helden, Dj Irene, and Bad Boy Bill.

House is one of them genres, which you have to discover and explore for yourself. Don’t just take it for face value, but begin to understand it intellectually and rhythmically. The variety of compositions of beats can have a powerful impact on your mind state. When I listen to soulful house music with tons of pianos and drums, I feel uplifted. It’s a spiritual experience, as if I’m in church praising the Lord. Only people with a deeper appreciation for life and music would truly fall in love with glorious sounds of house. People sometimes tell me to take a chance on life, and I say…. take a chance on house.

Awesome African House Track, house is an international thing.