During the height of acid house in Manchester in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, across town from The Haçienda, the sound of the city’s soul music was packing out the dance floors at clubs like The Gallery and Precinct 13. Local heroes Fifth of Heaven and Cool Down Zone were just a few of the go-to producers in this resolutely DIY scene, which found a natural home on pirate radio, well away from the mainstream.
Inspired by Manchester’s clubbing past, a new generation of DIY soul artists are making music firmly rooted in the city’s vital present. “If there is something you think is missing in Manchester, you can try and create it and set the tone,†says Pops Roberts, singer and founder of Manchester neo-soul group Lovescene. “A lot of artists here have done that, I think.â€
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Pioneering Manchester’s soul renaissance were Children of Zeus—aka MCs and producers Tyler Daley and Konny Kon—who credited the street soul and hip-hop they heard on local pirate radio in the ‘90s as the source of their “soul project for hip-hop heads.†“Children of Zeus are a massive success story for Manchester soul music,†says Roberts, “and they showed there is an audience and a need for this music and expression in the north.â€
Coming from neo-soul yet hotwired to club music, Lovescene have taken their place alongside Children of Zeus as upholders of the city’s soul music legacy. The six-piece Lovescene (Roberts, Adisa Allen, Alex Hill, Ben Price, Jack Duckham, and Ruben Milner-Edwards) came together amidst the fertile live music scene in Manchester. “I started to go to jam sessions that were dotted around the city at places like the Fuel Cafe Bar in Withington, the Carlton Club in Whalley Range, and Jam Street Cafe to scope musicians out,†says Roberts. “And those are the band members in Lovescene today.â€
2 x Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD), Cassette
A regular at club nights like the bass music session Hit & Run and the hip-hop and dubstep party Hoya:Hoya, Roberts first made her mark as a session singer with club collective Swing Ting, “one of the greatest club nights to come to Manchester,†she says. “It really was the first club I went to that felt like home. So to be approached by them to sing on one of their tracks in the studio was amazing. That was ‘Signs,’ then we did another piece ‘Feel It,’ and that did really well. So I was buzzing.â€
Founded in 2008 by Balraj Samrai and Ruben Platt, Swing Ting represents the best of underground Manchester, a city that has always thrived by doing things its own way. “Everything in Manchester is very grassroots—partly because it has to be, but also I think that’s where we get our best results,†says Roberts. “It’s quite an underdog city, and I think that has some real benefits—for example, having the space to take from everywhere and not be too self-aware or self-conscious of what you ‘should’ be doing.â€
While Swing Ting became an important foundation for Roberts, it was those early Children of Zeus EPs that showed her how DIY Manchester soul could transcend the local scene. “Children of Zeus definitely played a massive part in exposing what is happening here,“ says Roberts. “They were really important to Lovescene’s beginnings and the belief we would be heard, and that there was a scene here in Manchester for classic, timeless soul music.â€
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That soul music is firmly rooted in the street sounds of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. “I think a lot of people sleep on the whole street soul thing and even people from Manchester are unaware of just how important the city was in that whole thing,†says Roberts. “That heritage of grass roots community music is something I really cherish about Manchester. As is the legacy of female singers on that scene. That is super inspiring to me.â€
Another group to whom Pops gives big props to are Secret Night Gang, the Brownswood Recording artists who were signed by label owner Gilles Peterson after hearing their self-released single “The Sun.†“I think Secret Night Gang are a great example of how you can mix soul and jazz,†says Roberts. “I just love the horn arrangements—which is something that’s definitely in the pipeline for our writing with Lovescene.â€
Lovescene released two EPs of sweet soul, “To The Side†and “Overnight,†in 2019 and 2020 respectively. “We gigged a lot before we made those first records, and I think playing all across Manchester was a great foundation for us,†says Roberts.
Over the next two years, Lovescene released beautiful neo-soul numbers like “Show Me What I’m Missing†that reached back to Roberts’s love of film soundtracks. “I took one of the snippets from a fleeting moment of an old raunchy Italian B-Movie that was on my old Fostex eight-track and developed it into what I now think of as a classic, cinematic Lovescene track,†she says. Released in January 2022, the first single from their debut album featured MC Blind Mic, one of Gilles Peterson’s “Future Bubblers.â€
Lovescene’s self-titled debut was recorded during various lockdowns. “As soon as we were allowed to play together socially distanced, we found this massive studio called WR Audio and managed to get this record done,†says Roberts. Standouts include the spine-tingling empowering soul number “Silver,†featuring Manchester gospel singers Yvonne Shelton, Gloria Bharda-Singh, and Tricia Ramarozafy.
Another important platform for the city’s soul and jazz scenes is the venue Band on The Wall, which Roberts calls “a constant supporter of community music here in Manchester, alongside other places like NIAMOS/Nia Centre in Hulme.†Band on the Wall now runs its own label, and released a dance floor mix of Lovescene’s “Overnight.â€Â Engineered by Manchester drum & bass producer Dub Phizix, it shows again how the live and club scene in Manchester are so closely connected.
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As with the street soul movement of the ‘90s, radio has plays a pivotal role in the current Manchester soul scene, specifically Reform Radio and Sweet Vibrations Radio. The latter is run by singer and DJ KatBrownSugar, “an amazing woman and DJ who saw a gap in the market and just set up her own radio station from her home. It’s a very soul-oriented station with great DJs like Meme Gold and Zeyla,†says Roberts.
Roberts is no stranger to radio herself, with shows on NTS and one on Worldwide FM in 2022. We asked her to shine a light on some of this scene’s brightest rising stars.
Akemi Fox
“A great songstress who’s really making waves on Manchester’s modern R&B scene. She’s been around since 2018, but came to prominence when she appeared on the title track from the Children of Zeus album Balance. She released the track ‘Distraction’ in April 2023 and has followed it up with this brilliant EP ‘Give it to Me.’ She also wrote and sang the track ‘Fall Back’ with Moby for his project Always Centered at Night.â€
Mali Hayes
“This sweet neo-soul singer from Manchester—and one of Gilles Peterson’s future bubblers—debuted with The Singles Club EP for Band on the Wall Recordings. The venue’s label has played an important part in the scene because of their tireless work with so many soul artists! I was over-the-moon that Mali returned this year with this gorgeous, loved-up ballad which highlights her intimate, sultry style beautifully.â€
Katbrownsugar
“The head honcho of Sweet Vibrations Radio and vibey singer/songwriter hailing from Whalley Range in South Manchester, the ever-mysterious KatBrownSugar is always serving a slice of chilled soul—when she isn’t DJing or broadcasting. Kat also appeared on the Band on the Wall Recordings compilation from 2020, alongside Mali Hayes and Lovescene.â€
Yemi Bolatiwa
“What I’ve always loved about the Manchester scene is the way artists take inspiration from so many different styles of music. Born in South London but Manchester-based, Yemi writes everything from soul to drum & bass, and I see her as a key artist in the Manchester scene. This track was written as an ode for inner peace, and is a platform for her sweet vocals.â€
Meduulla
“Produced by Manchester hip-hop collective The Mouse Outfit, ‘Limbo’ is the work of the incredible Zimbabwean/Manchester rapper who goes by the name of Meduulla. She has a serious lyrical flow and is an amazing story teller—as you can hear on this incredible song, written from her experiences of finding beauty in the diaspora. Seriously one to watch.â€
Ruf Dug
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“Not ‘one to watch’ so much—Manchester’s Balearic synth maverick Ruf Dug has been around for ages. But he has been a really important supporter of the Manchester soul scene, particularly us with our massive collaboration ‘Make This Right,’ which was even praised by the late Virgil Abloh. Ruffy’s music bridges the important gap between classic street-soul and modernizes it perfectly. I was delighted to team up with him again under my Private Joy moniker for this sizzling slice of laidback street soul. You can also look out for my solo EP as Private Joy coming out on Rhythm Section in 2024!â€
Jude the Obscure
“There must be something in the water in South Manchester. This is the fourth release from this singer/producer and multi-instrumentalist who prefers to keep things mysterious—as his name implies. Truly a lovely voice from Manchester—super intimate R&B from another one to watch! And trust me there are many, many more waiting in the wings.â€
