Reel People - Amazing
January 27, 2008
On February 4th 2008 Reel People release ‘Amazing’, the second single from the much anticipated sophomore album ‘Seven Ways To Wonder.’
‘Amazing’ is an updated take on classic 80s soul, in the vein of Maze or Shalamar and marks Reel People’s first hook-up with singers Tony Momrelle & Imaani, both from influential UK band Incognito. Between them, the vocalists have sung with an impressive roll call of international artists, including Elton John, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Robert Palmer, Steve Winwood and Terry Callier.
As well as the original, top-notch producers Jon Cutler and Tarantulaz deliver two deep, vocal house remixes and one dub between them. Jon Cutler has been a key figure in house music for twenty years, best known for his massive anthem and, later, chart hit ‘It’s Yours’ plus a prolific production and remix career, with releases on labels including Azuli, Defected, Nervous and his own, Distant Music.
The Tarantulaz are London based collective Sir Piers and Toni Economides (KV5) who initially made their mark with an amazing remix of Angie Stone’s classic ‘I Wasn’t Kidding’, which Piers put out on his Tarantulaz label two years ago. This year Sir Piers has worked with several top soulful-dance names on his other label Curious Records, including Shaun Escoffery, whilst Toni continues to engineer for talented producers including Bugz in the Attic and Nitin Sawhney and, as Tarrantulaz, this year the two put our their first single ‘They Forgot It’ on OM Records in the States and also remixed Peven Everett (of ‘Gabrielle’) fame.
Hailing from London’s East End, Oli Lazarus spent three years of musical osmosis in Flying Records, a shop specialising in soulful dance music. After this grounding education and with very little song writing or studio experience under his belt, he produced Reel People’s debut single ‘Spiritual’. The entirely positive reception to his maiden voyage (plus a little help from production master Phil Asher and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Haines) helped spur him on to realise the lauded debut LP.
Oli and then partner Mike Patto set to it and in 2003 ‘Second Guess’ was released on Oli’s Papa Records label. The album was greatly received and led to the band being signed to Columbia Records in Japan, where they remain hugely popular, even supporting Herbie Hancock at the Tokyo Jazz Festival. In February 2006 the album was re-released on dance independent Defected Records. To enhance the new version, the guys penned the club classic ‘The Rain’ and the uber cool cover of Thelma Houston’s ‘You Used To Hold Me So Tight’. Accompanying this was a bonus disc of live versions which really showed off how the band had developed over the 3 years of touring ‘Second Guess’.
Live, Reel People have stormed auditoriums worldwide including week long stints at the famous Blue Note in Japan and Ronnie Scott’s in London. Other stand- out performances were delivered at The Southport Weekender, V Festival and T In The Park. Catch them on:
Feb 7th Jazz Café - London
Feb 8th HI FI - Leeds
Feb 9th Moho Live – Manchester
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