The Reelists BIOGRAPHY
Meet The Reelists, the force behind a new, yes new - breed of British soul music. This duo are the walking, talking music making examples of the next - and therein future - generation of urban hymn-makers.
Sef and K1, two 25 year old Londoners, were the pre-teen students of classic 80s soul and rap, the virginal ravers of 90s swingbeat and hip-hop. They werent alive during soul musics heyday, yet despite being graduates of the MTV age, make music that pays tribute to the former without obsessing on the latter.
The Reelists music is a combination of the classic, the modern and the youthful. It refuses to make concessions to simplicity. It rejects naivete, and, as illustrated on their wry, picturesque debut single Freak Mode its very now. However, its important you resist all temptation to slot their music into the faceless chasm of British R&B. For as much as hip hop and soul influences K1s productions, for as much as R&B bathes of Sefs vocal delivery, The Reelists music is so much, much more than that.
So it comes as no surprise that The Reelists can be currently heard on So Solid Crew and Mr.Shabz Haterz single. Sefs soulful vocals adds a smoothness to So Solids industrial beats. The guest spot was inevitable as Sef was in an R&B group with MegaMan and Kaish in the late 90s and his brother is Mr Shabz.
The Reelists have already been creating a stir with those in the know. The group are being championed by artists as diverse as MJ Cole, Oxide and Neutrino and Gabrielle. And thats before anyone has even heard the album.
The debut album, On The Reel is written, performed and arranged by themeslves. Its 100% sample free, instead relying on original instrumentation and uncluttered vocals. The talents of the duo are even more remarkable when you discover they taught themselves to play and produce. When it came to recording live instruments like the guitar, I chose to teach myself to play what I needed instead of getting someone else. I started playing the guitar about 2 years ago and now all the guitars on the album are played by me admits K1.
Make no mistake, The Reelists are todays music makers with a reverential ear. Its of little surprise then, that their forthcoming material will be an example of the same. From the blatant jazz funkiness of Dont Be Shy, to the sexy romanticism of Written In Your Eyes, K1s arrangements illustrate how important the musical element is, proving that there is more to urban music than a dominant bassline, a guest star and a batch of frenzied beats. Im sure we'll be categorised as R&B, concedes K1, but we have our own sound. I think the musical element will make up for that."
This is confirmed by Freak Mode a sexily paced, tongue in cheek R&B groove. We always do the beats and melodies first, K1 reveals, we were just playing some tunes wed made in the studio, and people were coming in saying they generally liked it, they even started playing Freak Mode down the 'phone to their friends. The chemistry is just right between us, beams Sef of their creative partnership. We just vibe off each other, give each other space and know when to step back! Its something that comes naturally to the pair who have been working together as a group for three years.
Whether The Reelists brand of soul music is set to become the next example of British urban multiculturalism (following the success of UK garage) is open for debate, but the boundaries of who inherits what musical culture is certainly being challenged by their arrival.
Say Sef: The music my parents listened to hasnt influenced me at all, cos I've never really been that interested in that kind of music. But I remember the day I heard Luther Vandross, 'Give Me The Reason. Adds K1 I listen to Kurdish music, Arabic music, Latin music I listen to a lot of world music - I'm proper into it! I used to make that! So make no mistake. Freak Mode and The Reelists are here to make you see and hear music differently - challenging assumptions of who should make urban music, and what it should sound like. The Reelists shownprove what the future looks and sounds like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT9k7h6f-lk
