Smoove & Turrell keep upping their game
Smoove & Turrell hail from the North East of the UK and describe their sound as “Northern Funk”, fusing funk, northern soul, hip hop and electronica. They have just released their stunning fifth album “Mount Pleasant” which debuted in the top 10 in the official UK “indie Breakers” chart. 25ThC caught up with the guys for a quick chat during their current tour:
When and how did Smoove and Turrell first come about?
We’ve been together for about 10 years. It’s actually the 10th anniversary of our first album “Antique Soul” early next year. We met each other through my wife Nicola as I wanted a demo produced. We both enjoyed working with each other and had good banter and the rest they say is history.
Congratulations on the release of yet another superb album. Can you tell us about your writing and recording process and the current make up of the band?
There are currently six members of the band who all write with us depending on who’s got the ideas at the time. We just translate their vision and make it Smoove & Turrell. We have always been open to any type of inspiration so we don’t count anything out, from a sample to a couple of John’s scrawled lines or a happy accident while in the studio… it all gets used.
Like the majority of your releases “Mount Pleasant” covers many substantial issues. As there is so much going on on the world at the moment does this mean that there is almost too much to write about?
We try and keep to areas that we know enough about. We are working class lads from an area of the UK that has been frankly left behind. Our roots define our sound and in that way the lyrics become the message. We are positive people, I don’t think you can spend as much time in the music game and not be. It’s tough but it’s also so exciting and rewarding, I hope this comes across in our albums and live performances.
Craig Charles and Gilles Peterson are big fans of yours. How important is their support and why do you think they have stayed the course of time and remain so influential?
It goes without saying that without the support of such influential people such as Craig and Gilles we would have found our path much more difficult. It’s not just the plays, it’s the confidence that their support breeds in you that keeps you going. I still buzz when I hear us on the radio. Craig has been with us since our first release and has been a great sounding board on whatever we have done. It’s his honesty that keeps us wanting to up our game, we just don’t want to let him down.
Most of your single releases are on 7″ vinyl which I am a big fan of, as I DJ as part of the Original Forty Fivers. I know that Smoove regularly does 45 sets. What do you particular like about this format and why do you think it is having such a renaissance at the moment.
I know it’s a gimmick and I’m not afraid to admit that but collecting 7” Records is like stepping back in time and starting your collection all over again which is huge fun but often very expensive ha ha! Vinyl is simply the coolest thing anybody can own!
You are signed to Jalapeno Records which has a super roster of artists including Izo Fitzroy who features on the new album. How did you come to sign with them and how did the collaboration come about?
I was signed as Smoove to Acid Jazz about 15 years ago but was looking for a new deal when I started the project Smoove & Turrell, so was pitching the demo album around called “Antique Soul” to a few labels and Trevor from Jalapeno rang me up the minute he heard it asking us to sign to his label, which seemed to make sense on many levels as they were UK based and had a good reputation from Skeewiff. I’m really glad we signed as they have been a wonderful label to work with!
The Izo collaboration came about as I was remixing one of Izo’s songs called “Say Something” and as soon as myself and John heard her vocals we knew she was perfect for a duet song that we were working on at the time called “She’s Gone”. We later adapted the words to fit Izo’s part and then changed the chorus to ‘You’re Gone’.
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You can find out more at their website: http://smooveandturrell.com
Also check out Jalapeño Records for more great artists: http://www.jalapenorecords.com
Interview by 25ThC.
