Despite having done a ton of remixes for BBE over the years this is Simbad’s first long form release for the label as an artist and it’s a warm and uplifting journey through his many influences. Bringing along a whole host of guest singers and players, ‘Collections Vol One’ is soul music observed through Simbad’s kaleidoscope of electronica, hip hop, house, broken beat and most of all London.

I actually used to bump into Simbad a lot in the late 90s when he had first moved to London, always with his sax on him, always seeming to be where the best music was (initially we met at the now defunct internet radio station Gaialive), searching perhaps for his place in the metropolis. Over the years it has been enjoyable witnessing his career trajectory from young player to Gilles Peterson favourite, DJing around the globe and being a prolific producer and remixer for some of the most on-point labels out there.

With heads as diverse and talented as Byron The Aquarius, Lulu James and Steve Spacek contributing their chops on this collection of unreleased tracks, we can discern why Simbad is appreciated by so many different audiences. The music is experimental but not mental, jazzy chords permeate each track, rhythms are fresh and off-kilter but encourage the dance. You can groove to this album or spark up and lay low and just listen. Lovely stuff…

“I came to London end of the 90's with my saxophone for a summer & ended up staying. This is the place where my music journey as a DJ & a producer truly began. The culture of this island hit me hard & deep. And because most of the stuff I've done is still unreleased (and I never stop making music where ever I go) I am absolutely delighted to share this collection of tunes featuring some of the most talented singers (and friends for life) that I had the pleasure to work in these last 10-15 years, recorded in my London studio sanctuary throughout the years. And hopefully even the old songs still stand the ground...” - Simbad.

BUY HERE - https://www.bbemusic.com/downloads/simbad-collections/

Words - Justin Turford