Soul:ID website: soul-id.com
Soul:ID myspace page: myspace.com/soulidmusic
I recently heard of a new group that I am really digging called Soul:ID out on ABB Soul Records. Their new album entitled 'Sex, Love & Philosophy' hit the stores in the USA on October 2nd, 2007. Soul:ID is in D.C. this week launching their first mini U.S. tour. Soul:ID took time out of their busy schedule to swing through LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge for a few questions, just to chill and kick it! Enjoy!
LT: Welcome to LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge, Soul:ID! For all those who may not be familiar with you, who is Soul:ID?
Dad'D: Soul:ID is an Afropean Soul music group, 3 singers and a producer/drummer hailing from Africa and Europe, Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Belgium respectively.
LT: How did you all come together?
V: We all met in Brussels/Belgium.
LT: How did you all meet?
Tchaï: Because the music scene in Brussels is so small, everyone who is serious about what they're doing in music sooner or later runs into each other. We all knew and respected each other long before forming this band.
LT: What began your musical journeys with each other?
V: Well, everyone was working as backing-vocalists or producers for other acts, it came time when Urban Deep and Tchai decided it was about time to pursue their own project as opposed to always work for other people. When starting working, it was natural to involve the two other members in the recording process, initially just as composers/vocal-coaches. Because we hit it off so well, their input became way larger than this, it naturally evolved into becoming a 4 person team.
LT: How would you describe your sound?
Dad'D: We call it Afropean Soul Music.
LT: What do you hope to do in the music industry with the impact you will have?
Urban Deep: First of all, we hope that we actually will have an impact [laughs] and then there's a message that has never been really conceptualized, but just the fact that we have a multiracial, multinational setting, the fact that we propagate a message of positivity, of peace and understanding, a different image of Africa than the cliche western media portrait. All of that, next to the music - we have received very enthusiastic reactions for. Every person can contribute to make this planet a better place. We are trying to add a tiny share to this process.
LT: What are your opinions on the music industry today? The web? Myspace? The ability for a band to sell itself and market itself compared to the old industry way of getting signed?
Urban Deep: There's the good and the bad side. The good side is that a whole new generation of business-minded artists is emerging. Today, everyone has tools at hand to create and produce an album. Today more artists than 15 years ago understand that if you control your product, you can sell fewer units and earn more than being signed. But you need to be ready to do the label's work for yourself, most artist are not ready to do that.
The bad side is that the upcoming of Reality TV has had a nasty impact on music. Being average, being your standard next-door-neighbor is being promoted. Being great at something or really talented is not important anymore. In that sense I am very happy that someone like Jennifer Hudson has a bigger career than any of these horrid TV show winners.
LT: What is the music scene like in The U.K. as far as Soul and R&B and Hip Hop is concerned? Any similarities to America's scene? Any differences?
Dad'D: We are not a U.K. act. Our first vinyl was released through a U.K. based label and I move to London for six months. But we are from Brussels/Belgium. Brussels is a tiny city, there's only a handful of people doing Soul/R&B, not enough to really create a scene. Everyone knows each other personally and funny enough, sometimes we get shout outs from way larger places like the scene in Paris/France, where people think Brussels scene is all alive and striving because we try to keep the quality level high.
Impossible to compare with what's going on in the U.S. Today our record has been named "hottest album of the year" and that's flattering to the point it's weird when inspirations like Jill Scott just dropped their record.
LT: There was the sound of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. Do you think music is at a crossroads right now or are we on to the new thing at last?
Tchaï: Today everything is different. Today with the technological evolution and the way Internet has changed the planet, there might not even be a way for a typical sound of a decade to develop. Also, when you look like at the world of fashion.
Trends and tendencies used to last for a decade, there used to be typical colors, shapes. These days hyper capitalism makes that every 4 months a new trend needs to be started so that somebody can cash in. Of course nothing of distinctive nature has the time to develop. Maybe that's nowadays style!
LT: When will you be in DC? Where can folks come and see you?
V: We will play our first U.S. show ever on 10/20 at the Posh "an exclusive Howard University Homecoming event", come through!
LT: Thanks for giving me this chance to interview you! Peace and Much Love, Soul:ID!
Soul:ID: Thank you, LT! Peace and Love!
Soul:ID -- EPK 07
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