Somewhere Soul - Rituals Volume 02 (Album Sampler)

Taken from 'Rituals Volume 02', Somewhere Soul’s forthcoming compilation on Mr Bongo, this sampler highlights three tracks from the day-to-dance section of the release: a sun-drenched Brazilian beauty courtesy of João Selva, a short but sweet slice of infectious boogie for the dancefloor from Peki Momés and a hit of afrobeat-infused funk from Ireke.

Somewhere Soul presents the second volume in his 'Rituals' compilation series. A collection of exclusive, genre-spanning tracks from his most hotly tipped, contemporary emerging artists and underground forerunners. Across the compilation listeners are taken on a 24-hour journey through Somewhere Soul’s ritualistic listening habits.

João Selva’s ‘Futuro’ may seem like a carefree Brazilian boogie cut, but underneath you’ll find a wake-up call to our current climate crisis - the song’s final line dropping the hard truth: “The tide will rise and it won’t go down”. Lyrically, it’s pure Northeast Brazil - troubadour charm meets capoeira soul. Musically, it’s got a fresh funk feel with nods to Jorge Ben and French producer Patchworks’ signature groove tying it together. “This track is just the sort of breezy, sunny earworm that I could listen to all day”, Somewhere Soul says.

Up next is Turkish-born, Germany-based rising star Peki Momés who gives a taste of her unique blend of intuition and authenticity on this Turkish city pop-infused cut. Championed by the likes of DJ KOCO, Iggy Pop and Coco María, her debut self-titled album was an underground hit of last year.

‘Ahşap Kutu’ is a dancefloor heater with production handled by Curió Curió’s Dustin Braun. It’s a tribute to a timeless piece of Peki’s past centred around an old carved wooden box that housed sewing materials during her childhood. It was always there, waiting to be used, while the scene around it changed. Peki grew up and moved away, but recently when visiting her family home, she decided to take it with her. It now holds Peki's own pins and buttons in her home in Germany and formed the inspiration for her and Braun to write ‘Ahşap Kutu’. A thread connecting past to present, with all the familiarity of an old friend. “A lot of the artists featured on this compilation I discovered away from algorithms. Peki popped up in my inbox with her debut record and after listening to it I immediately asked her if she wanted to get involved. When she sent over ‘Ahşap Kutu’ I couldn’t believe my ears! It was the first track I locked in for Volume 02.”, Somewhere Soul mentions.

Lastly, there’s an infectious blend of afrobeat and funk via Ireke. A project masterminded by duo Julien Gervaix and Damien Tesson, their track ‘Got A’ is powered by the unique vocal tones of Beninese Nigerian singer/rapper Nayel Hoxo. It’s an insatiable heater, that’s feel-good and fierce in equal measure. “Got A’ was written in Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin. It touches on themes of unity and intercultural connection, drawing on simple everyday imagery and shared experiences. In doing so, it highlights the equality and richness found in diversity”, Ireke state.

All tracks are free to play. Album announcement and pre-order start on September 16th with the release of first single 'Futuro'.