Soul Supreme – Soul Supreme (Vinyl)

“They say there’s no rest for the weary, and that surely seems to be the case for Soul Supreme. The work of Jerusalem-born, Amsterdam-based keyboardist/producer shows an insatiable hunger to study music and learn from the greats. An inexhaustible quest to grow, as a scholar of sound. Most recently with two 7-inch-shaped self-studies boldly reinterpreting fan-favorite tracks by Mos Def, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, and A Tribe Called Quest. Closely studying the compositions—and doing justice to their classics while he’s at it. Case in point: two now sought-after 45s. The last needed push of confidence to now, six-plus years since starting out, release his own compositions and productions.

The synthesizer in the intro of the Head Hunters-nod ‘Easy Breeze’ sounds like tumbling down a rabbit hole. Exactly what this release embodies: Soul Supreme exploring different twists, turns, and paths of rhythm. There’s the housey ‘Rich in Soul,’ only three tracks apart from a hip-hop drum pattern with near-singing of the keys on ‘Mellow Thompson.’ Or the B-side opening ‘Huit Octobre 1971’ with his own take on a same-titled 70s French sample-darling. And tracks like the broken beat on ‘Keep Moving’ and the G-funk-in-space album closer ‘Orbit’ show a lot of new promise, working more closely with fellow musicians. Yet again, on new takes and directions.

There’s a sense of beauty in that. To not take the easy route and focus on the trick you can already nail. But instead, to dig a rabbit hole to continuously study music, keep moving, and pursue the supreme.”

Danny Veekens