A hip-hop, funk, latin and soul DJ of ten years experience, Natural Self broke into production in 2001 and numerous releases followed on Tru Thoughts and Breakin Bread.
His debut album "Let Peace Be The Ruler", released in 2006 turned heads worldwide with his unique style of raw, inventive, densely layered percussion, powerful horn lines and heavy drums. He gained props from a wide ranged of listeners, from hip hop heads to jazz smokers, beat fiends to funksters, they all dug his vibe. 'The Love Theme' a sophisticated and meditative beat-driven track with a clear hip-hop lineage was one of the standout moments on "Let Peace Be The Ruler" and Breakin Bread constantly got asked why it wasn't released on vinyl.
Now on 'The Love Theme' EP, the original version (featuring Natural Self, Alice Russell and Johnny Hughes on vocals) is finally available on wax. It's also been subjected to some special treatment by two respected musicians and collaborators.
Nostalgia 77's version is a complete reinterpretation of the original. Alongside Riaan Vosloo, Mark Hanslip and Graham Fox from the Nostalgia 77 Octet, he's transported 'The Love Theme' into the modern cosmic jazz landscape that he's made his own.
Prince Fatty's dub, which closes the A-side, features Fatty's trademark tape delay and vintage analogue effects, giving the track a totally fresh new sound.
The B-side presents an exclusive unreleased track, 'The Lament'. This lush, cinematic song features Mikey Simmonds on violin, giving it a pronounced Eastern European feel. Natural Self asked up-and-coming producer Kid Kanevil to contribute a remix of this song, and was blown away by the results. "I really respect what Kidkanevil does," says Natural Self. "He's trying, as am I, to expand the vocabulary of instrumental hip-hop music. I think it's important to support other like-minded artists.
All in all," he continues, "I'm delighted to have collaborated with such amazing artists - both on the original tracks and on the remixes. It's a testament to the respect that Breakin' Bread inspires, and to the quality and diversity of musicians and producers working in the UK today."
We hope you agree that Natural Self is real talent. With that unique sound of his, he gives us a different record every time he gets on the boards.
The remixes in this package complement the originals perfectly and push the envelope that little bit further. Give yourself some time have a proper listen to this and wonder what kind of direction Natural Self will take next...
ENJOY!