Welcome to Dome Records

It was 20 years ago that HIL ST SOUL released their groundbreaking debut album SOUL ORGANIC.  The team of Zambian-born vocalist Hilary Mwelwa and producer Victor Redwood-Sawyerr (VRS) had been working away in a North London studio creating a unique blend of neo soul, jazz and R&B that impressed critics on both sides of the Atlantic.

And now, to coincide with a September show at London’s Jazz Cafe, where Hil first appeared in 2000, Dome are releasing a 20th Anniversary Edition of the vinyl album - now in a gatefold sleeve and with three additional tracks.

The 16 tracks in the 2LP set include “Strictly A Vibe Thang”, which charted on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, “For Your Love” and Hil’s acoustic version of “Until You Come Back To Me”, which ended 2000 as the most-played vocal track of the year across US Smooth Jazz radio stations.  In the ensuing two decades it has been Dome’s most downloaded - and one of the most streamed - tracks.

Billboard magazine enthused: “Brimming with R&B/hip-hop/jazz-flavoured rhythms and image-rich lyrics….Even Aretha’s ‘Until You Come Back To Me’ glows again under Hil’s touch”.  And talking about lead single Strictly A Vibe Thang, US magazine Radio & Records  wrote: “You can’t sit still on this one.   While listening to this infectious tune you got to move something – even if it’s just your big toe!”    

The bonus tracks on the new release are the acoustic version of “Until You Come Back To Me”, the VRS remix of “Just A Matter Of Time” and “Down To Business”.

The first ever collection of remixes from DOWN TO THE BONE.  This album of dancefloor and Latin-oriented remixes and reworks opens with DJ Spinna’s take on “Electric Vibes” with guest Roy Ayers, while the Agent K (alias Kaidi Tatham) mix of “The Flow” features Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim.  Other key cuts include Speedometer’s rework of “Funkin’ Around”, the Afro Elements remix of “Wildfire Woman” and Daz-I-Kue’s remixes of “Angel Baby” with Mark de Clive Lowe and US vocalist N’Dambi, the remix of “Right On Baby Yeah” by Hoops Havona (alias Ceri Evans,former Brand New Heavies keyboardist) and German act Beanfield’s rework of “Black Choice”.   Several of these mixes have only been previously released on vinyl or on promotion-only releases.

The 15-track album is available digitally or as a 2CD package, from October 4 2019.

The band, who perform regularly in the US and Europe, have played dates in more than 30 cities in the US, where their festival appearances have included Capital Jazz Festival, The Hampton Jazz Festival, Pasadena Jazz Festival, Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz Festival, and the Capital Jazz Supercruise, among many others.   In the UK their most recent appearance was at London’s Roundhouse as special guests of Maceo Parker.

‘I didn’t want to do straightforward covers. I wanted to change the arrangements, be it from a rhythmic or harmonic aspect, sometimes both, while always keeping a soul/jazz flavour. Give the songs a new lease of life rather than just a fresh lick of paint’ - Rico Garofalo

LASPERANZA is the brainchild of UK producer/musician Rico Garofalo, with the debut album SEEDS a May 2019 release.   Ever since he became a professional sax player he has dreamed of making an album of inventively reimagined versions of songs from back in the day.   

Lead single is a sultry mid-tempo treatment of Gwen Guthrie’s disco era It Should Have Been You, featuring the delicious vocals of IZZY CHASE.   The single has been setting the UK’s soul radio alight - spins from Jeff Young at Jazz FM, a “Mi-Afternoon Delight” for Mark Smedley at London’s Mi-Soul, playlisted at Delite Radio and support from John Leech on his networked BBC soul show..

Justin Kantor at America’s Soultracks.com is full of praise for this new take on the song:

“What really makes this new incarnation of It Should Have Been You so special is that neither Garofalo or Chase have tried to emulate or duplicate Guthrie’s original. While Chase vocally maintains the sort of subtlety that Guthrie was such a pro at, she offers up new phrasing and melodic embellishments which take Garofalo’s surprisingly slowed-down, rearranged interpretation into a different sort of space..… It seems likely that the ever-prolific Guthrie and songwriter Darryl Thompson might be smiling down from above at such a well curated treatment of their timeless work”.

Down To The Bone present a seriously funky all-instrumental 3CD collection of their first three albums, which have been unavailable in physical format for several years.

The UK’s leading jazz groove band debuted with “From Manhattan To Staten”, which went to No 2 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart on its original release in the Nineties, while one of the key cuts, the Grammy-nominated “Brooklyn Heights”, hit No 2 on Billboard’s Jazz airplay chart.   Both these tunes also feature as 2019 bonus tracks, recorded live in the studio by the band’s current line-up.

Second CD “The Urban Grooves” also has a newly recorded bonus track, a cover of Willie “Beaver” Hale’s “Concrete Jungle”, long a favourite in their live set. Third CD “Spread The Word” features a new recording – available for the first time – a cover of Beyonce’s 2006 hit “Déjà Vu”.

The 3CD package is available to pre-order now on Amazon - release: 22 March 2019

Dome presents a Spotify playlist of relaxing, mellow music from some of the finest classic soul voices – Aretha, Whitney, Gladys, Deniece, Randy, Dionne, Brenda, Nina, Dinah, Sade, Stevie, Luther, Marvin, Bobby, and present day talents like Avery*Sunshine, Lalah Hathaway, Hil St Soul and Maysa. Join the growing followers now.

This is a project born of Bluey’s love for the guitar playing of UK guitar legend Jim Mullen, who features once again. Incognito regulars Matt Cooper (keyboards), bassist Francis Hylton, guitarist Francisco Salas, drummer Francesco Mendolia and trumpet player Dominic Glover also return.

The obvious difference from Incognito is that Citrus Sun is largely instrumental, with stunning funky instrumentals like Refugee and Calling Mr Wolf. There is also a five-part Krabi Suite, which closes the album. Says Bluey: “the bulk of the album stems from jam sessions recorded in Krabi on southern Thailand’s west coast.  This idyllic location provided all the positivity and inspiration needed to fuel these recordings”.

One highlight of the album is the assured vocal debut of the band’s percussionist Joao Caetano singing in his native Portuguese on the Marcos Valle-Leon Ware song Vontade de Rever Voce. Imaani handles lead vocals on Ride Like The Wind – while Natalie Williams sings lead on Send Me Your Feelings, recorded by New York-based Japanese jazz trumpeter Terumasa Hino. 

A second helping of classics from the Dome vaults on this 50-track digital album collection to celebrate Dome's 25th birthday. The album kicks off with the Brothers In Rhythm mix of Lulu's "Independence" - a Top 20 hit in 1993 - and Richard Darbyshire's brilliant "Wherever Love is Found" and spans the quarter of a century all the way up to Simon Law's "Higher", featuring the gorgeous vocals of Chante Moore, and Eric Roberson's duet with Will Downing on "Lyrics of Pleasure"

After his impressive 2017 mini-albums "Earth" and "Wind", Eric Roberson delivers the third collection of songs in his trilogy -what else but "Fire"? Eric calls the set "my most outspoken and important album to date". Long regarded as America's trailblazing indie soul star' the twice Grammy-nominated Erro demonstrates that social comment is still very much a part of soul music. Opening cut "Slave Owners" features Philadelphia rapper Dayne Jordan.

Latest volume in the long running Soul Lounge series, with a strong line-up of soul, R&B and jazz artists, including Shaun Escoffery, Tony Momrelle, Simon Law featuring Caron Wheeler, Jarrod Lawson, Avery Sunshine, Incognito and Down To The Bone. Released for the first time is a stunning, much requested Shaun Escoffery live version of the Bacharach-David classic 'A House Is Not A Home', as well as Jarrod Lawsons Trevor Nelson BBC 1Xtra Live Lounge recording of Lauryn Hills Ex_Factor

Stunning debut solo album from Simon Law, one of the UKs finest producer/writers, who has been a key part of the Soul II Soul family. As well as co-writing their Grammy-winning songs Back To Life and African Dance, and being involved in all but one of the band's albums, Simon has also worked as a producer, writer or remixer with, among others, Chante Moore, Brenda Russell, Maxi Priest, Johnny Gill, George Michael, Masters At Work, Duran Duran and Shabba Ranks. Look To The Sky sees him reunited with Soul II Souls Caron Wheeler on the uplifting Morning Love and with Maxi Priest on Sunshine Girl. Among the many other highlights are the Nadine Sutherland-vocalled Love Comes Back To You and Chante Moore guesting on Higher. Release date: June 23 2017