Crooked Spirituals

This release is a promotional copy - possibly a contradiction in terms but it is very limited on vinyl. Some of which will be mailed to DJ’s and the rest sold through a select number of shops and Bandcamp. Like all Lady Blackbird releases the vinyl will sell out! 

This latest release from Foundation sees the best tracks, and the unreleased ones, from the last Lady Blackbird album Street Spirituals get the remix treatment from one of the countries finest producers - Crooked Man. We love Parott aka Crooked Man at Foundation, nearly as much as we love Lady Blackbird !!

Since Foundations inception we have released several records by Crooked Man or Richard Barratt to his mum or a myriad of other incarnations Test One/All Seeing Eye and for Foundation he has released under two monikers Earth Angel and Athletes of God (which featured Lady Blackbird and did brilliantly). As Crooked Man Parrot has remixed several other artists for us… And had amazing success as a producer with amongst other projects Roisin Murphy and All Seeing Eye

We’re huge fans and, to uninitiated, this EP will show you why… Crooked Man has an uncanny ability to twist up, funk up, recontextualise, take deeper and generally mess with music in a way that is both unpredictable and brilliant. He can make you dance to things you don’t think you will (you just might need a bit of patience to get there)

Here we see him tackle three of the albums best cuts “When The Game Is Played On You”, ‘Let Not (Your Heart Be Troubled)’ and ‘Whatever His Name’. He also remixes two of our favourites that were huge on our limited Edition Sampler; “Slang Spiritials” EP (now a collectors item on Discogs and in second hand record stores) - “Purify” - which was label head Ross Allen’s favourite track from the LA recording sessions and Lady Blackbird’s amazing minimalistic take on Labi Siffre’s “It Must Be Love”, sung as only she could.

The mixes on all five of these songs take the tracks to very differing places

SIDE ONE 

“Purify” - is turned into a classic 90’s, NYC, Garage anthem with a little bit of Charles Stepney thrown in for good measure

“Whatever His Name” (Part 1)” - the original Country Soul feel of this amazing song is replaced by a techy,  slow and low, dubbed out club groove Ala Berlin’s techno dub pioneers Basic Channel

“It Must Be Love” - Here Labi Siffre’s classic drifts over a stepping reggae drum pattern and a huge, deep, techy Bassline. The dark and menacing groove doesn’t stop and Lady Blackbird’s voice floats ethereally over the top framing the song in a way that Labi Siffre probably never imagined

SIDE TWO

‘Let Not (Your Heart Be Troubled)’ featuring Lawrence Matthews - The most epic track from the EP (and album) is given the beat down treatment. It’s head nod central as Lady Blackbird and her choir wax lyrical over a beat (like all of them here) that just won’t stop ! . Up and coming Memphis rapper Lawrence Matthews adds his take on things in his unique style for his verse.  Epic- ness continues here just in a sound system style ! 

“When The Game Is Played On You” - a track singled out on the album as a brilliant re interpretation of the Bettye Swann classic . This is different again… An hypnotic, almost techno, repetitive hip hop beat under pins this brilliant Northern Soul classic. Pushing the song along and in to the future

“Whatever His Name” (Part 2) - With Crooked Man, Part 2 was never going to be just an extension of Part 1. It more dubbed out more driving and stands up in it’s own right.