The Isle Of Jura Records bossman dishes out five low-tempo burners guaranteed to slay the club.
In 2016, Kevin Griffiths completely re-invented himself as Jura Soundsystem. Inspired by investigating the forgotten corners of his impressively eclectic record collection, the Adelaide-based Englishman laid to rest his renowned house music label, Tsuba Records, and birthed a fresh moniker and brand new imprint, Isle Of Jura Records.
It was a bold move that paid off, proving that one should always follow their gut. Or in Kevin's case, the changing winds of his musical tastes. Now a go-to label for all things ambient house/dub/electronica/leftfield disco/balearic, Isle Of Jura has been responsible for some of the most wonderfully kaleidoscopic music of the last five years, releasing original EPs, albums and re-issues from a host of talented producers, including his own music as Jura Soundsystem.
Kevin's musical nous and wide-ranging tastes across the bpm-spectrum make him an ideal candidate for Tempo Comodo, which he gears up to play on Thursday 13 July. In anticipation, he shares with us five slow-mo cuts that never fail to get limbs flailing.
1. Shiva - Never Gonna Give You Up (Jura Soundsystem Special Version)
I'll start with one of my edits, an extended version of Shiva featuring a vocal from Jo Ann Harris (a one time backing singer for Bob Dylan) that I just reissued on Isle of Jura. It's a 98bpm balearic disco number and on my edit I dial up the reverb and delay and pull back on the sax.
2. Imagination - Body Talk (Night Dubbing Version)
Taken from the Night Dubbing album, in itself a masterpiece, this was originally released in 1983 and has a sort of dubby electro vibe with super crunchy drums, something that always gets my attention.
3. UB40 - Don't Break My Heart (12" Version)
The drums on this are so phat it's actually insane. My brother bought it when it came out in 1985 so it really sticks out from my childhood. It's a tune I always play when doing a warm up. It has this mad breakdown that switches up the groove. Global Communication sampled the drums on their 7'39 tune.
4. Undisputed Truth - Show Time
An Editions Disco edit 12" by Eric Duncan (also from Rub n Tug) from 2005 that has one of the all time great disco edits of US RnB group, Undisputed Truth. Killer killer groove.
5. House of Assembly - Hot Rock (Dub)
Another Island of Jura reissue from a couple of years ago, but such a great example of a 707 slow-mo drum workout that I had to include it. It has a dubby vibe throughout which works so well with those drums and FX.
Jura Soundsystem plays Tempo Comodo on Thursday 13 July with Jose Lopez and Phil Smart. More info HERE.