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Publishing ~ Artists & Writers

Soothsayers – Idris Rahman, Zoe Rahman, Robin Hopcraft, Julia Biel

Photograph of Barrington Levy, Dancehall Musician, Jamaica

 

Soothsayers are a London-based collective that reach far beyond the restrictive clichés of 'World Music.' They have become known for their amazing live performances that take the audience on a mystical and exciting, afro funk fuelled, dubalicious journey. The main writers and conceptual leaders of Soothsayers, Red Earth Records and the wider Red Earth Collective are Idris Rahman and Robin Hopcraft. The producers met in the late 1990s while working together as a horn section for reggae producer, Mad Professor. They realised they had similar musical passions and an affinity for each other's playing. They decided to work together and call themselves Soothsayers, a name which suggests something of the deep and mystical power they felt for the music they began to study and create. Idris' sister, the Mercury Music Prize-nominated Jazz keyboardist Zoe Rahman was incorporated into expanding sound. Julia Biel, winner of the Perrier Young Jazz Vocalist Award, lends her contemporary yet timeless jazz vocals to Soothsayers .

Blending the pulsating rhythms of Afrobeat with the sonic adventurousness of dub reggae and urban jazz, Soothsayers shook up the jaded music scene with their acclaimed debut album, Lost City. They followed this with Tangled Roots, an exceptional release that defies standard classifications: the West African roots music that fired Fela Kuti's rebellion is filtered through the deeply seductive dub experimentation of Lee Perry, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, while funk, hip hop and other contemporary elements yield a complex sound.

The dynamic and exciting live act with thumping grooves, killer horn lines and uplifting vocal melodies has grown ever tighter making them one of the best live acts on the London scene. Soothsayers are able to unify influences from varied genres with a common purpose to create something unique and satisfying. Imagine what might happen if King Tubby and Fela Kuti lived next door to each other in South London in 2008, and you’re getting close to what Soothsayers are all about.

Check out Soothsayers at www.soothsayers.net or at www.myspace.com/soothsayers.

Julia Biel at www.myspace.com/juliabiel

Zoe Rahman at www.myspace.com/zoerahman or at www.zoerahman.com

Soothsayers comes to us through our sub-publishing agreement with Jack Russell Music Ltd. (PRS).