It’s been 25 years since Soul II Soul’s Africa Centre Sundays redefined club culture for an entire generation. So what better way to mark this quarter century than with Back II Life, another classic Sunday session? As expected, it fuses soul, reggae, hip hop and house, plus a few tunes that defy categorisation, into a dedicated dance groove that you won’t find anywhere else, but this time around Soul II Soul join forces with Doctor’s Orders and Trippin’ Records to create the ultimate Old Skool Nu Skool dance extravaganza.
“Back II Life’s brings together different deejays and promoters, to unite London’s disparate tribes under one banner – dance. Like the Africa Centre it’s a scene for like-minded people who have a love of good music, and don’t get hung up on what genre that happens to be.”
Jazzie B
This funky updating of Soul II Soul’s philosophy of a happy face, a thumping bass for a loving race, brings together London’s strongest party providers to produce way more than just another regular club night. Back II Life will give you everything you’d want from a club – the best music, good food, visual arts, live performance, the funkiest people – but with the capital’s most experienced groove perpetrators behind the decks Back II Life is always going to be greater than the sum of its parts. With free membership for everybody at any of the first month’s events, this is the only place to be on a Sunday afternoon, evening or night … or even on a Monday morning.
Never has a funk exclusive been more inclusive.
Jazzie B: the original Funki Dred
Playing records and making records since 1977, Jazzie is one of the few true international legends of modern soul music. With Soul II Soul he’s scored Number One hits all over the world; has won two Grammies and an Ivor Novello award; and received an OBE and the keys to no less than seven American cities – some states even celebrate a Soul II Soul Day. As busy now as he’s ever been, deejaying all over the world, and with a BBC London 94.9 radio show, the Back II Life event is the project closest to his heart: “I want to create a spiritually enhancing event for everybody who comes through the door, so in turn they will create a scene that develops into a community rather than just a crowd.” Which was exactly the same maxim as the Africa Centre, meaning Back II Life is already destined for greatness.
Spin Doctor: the driving force behind Doctor’s Orders
Doctor’s Orders sole resident, hip hop deejay Spin has been responsible for the creation of and soundtrack to many of London’s incredible events during the last few years – UK B-Boy Championships; Urban Games B-Boy Arena; Places & Spaces; The Southport Weekender – and he found the chance to work in collaboration with his good friend Jazzie B too much to resist. As his regular fundraising J-Dilla tribute nights will attest, Spin has a strong sense of community, and sees Back II Life as the chance to express that while creating something new and fresh for London.
Dominic Versell: Trippin’ Records label boss
Community is important to Dominic too, as for years he has been steeped in the international house music community, both as a label boss and as a deejay. His sense of what a good club should be is just as keen, as it’s based on New York’s legendary Shelter parties, that evolved out of the incredible scene that was Paradise Garage. With this as his starting point he will be bringing an third skill set to Back II Life, offering grooves that will further enhance the night’s total clubbing experience.
Solar Radio: your classic & 21st Century soul station
As one of London’s original FM pirate stations of the early -1980s, Solar became the most popular soul, funk and jazz station of the time, and they have, over the last 20 years, been and archive/library of club music. Now, as a satellite station, broadcasting on Sky Digital and via Internet streaming, Solar will allow like-minded clubbers from all corners of the earth to participate in Sundays at Back II Life with live broadcasts and uplink. Also, as they have done when broadcasting live from events and venues such as London’s Jazz Café or the Southport Weekender, as well as the music Solar will also present snapshots of deejay interviews and pre-recorded sessions.
