Picture the scene a beautiful Sunday afternoon sailing along the Thames London from 2 pm in the afternoon until 6 pm listening to some of the best music of our lifetime!
With a touch of Disco and a whole lot of Soul from the 70's, 80's to the present date by such artists as
The Fatback Band, The Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Loose Ends, Tavares, Lou Rawls, Luther Vandross, Shalamar, Barry White, Phyllis Hyman, Bobby Womack, Teddy Pendergrass etc you know you are in for not only great memories but an afternoon to remember.
Special guests include Marc Staggers flying in for America for The Cruise, Million selling artist Keni Stevens who has recently been featured on the #1 Soul Album by Lasperanza called 'Seeds' & Gigi.
DJ's from Solar RadioGary Spence who happens to be the happiest DJ on the planet, Gary Van den Bussche from Disco Soul Gold and Starpoint Radio, Andy T from Starpoint & Soul Groove Radio, and million selling songwriter producer Nigel Lowis who will re-edit a few gems for the cruise as well as introduce some surprise celebrate guests.
The 1st Cruise in April to launch the Disco Soul Gold vol 2 CD was a sell out with huge demand for a 2nd one, we will also be releasing a new format with the extended full mixes by Nigel Lowis and other contributors such as David Morales and Tom Moulton.
So book your tickets today as availability is limited for this special Disco Soul cruise along the Thames on Sunday 21st July, boarding at the London Eye Pier 1.45 pm returning 6 pm . This promises to be The Party Of The Year!
In 2017 Nigel Lowis produced one of the best compilation soul albums ever, DSGVolume 1, it spent 8 weeks at the #1 spot which extended it's CD demand right through until today. Having kept you waiting a good eighteen months to introduce Volume II. It is with pleasure that we present to you a timeless collection of 19 new songs that you will love and treasure for the rest of your life. If you go through the wardrobe of Nigel Lowis, you will not only find Tweed jackets and designer shirts but unreleased gems from musical giants.
About Nigel Lowis
The Genius of Nigel Lowis will change your mood with his uplifting hands in the air type anthems, classy Philly styled gems and romantic ballads. Nigel gets his influence from many parts of the world such as Memphis, Philly, Detroit, London, Prague, & New York.
Brought up in Brixton with the sound systems of yesteryear be it Street Soul, PIR, Reggae or Motown, Nigel has the ear to be able to pick up a guitar and groove, you just cannot help but to groove along too. Just how many other producers can cover a Chic production, put their slant on it and have a crossover top 10 hit as he did with Maureen Walsh for Polydor.
Nigel has worked with Dina Carroll,Eternal,Be Be Winans,Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross,Burt Bacharach and many other huge greats from the 'who's who' in the music industry although Lowis is not one for shouting about it, but if a name like Lamont Dozier crops up in conversion, he will add "Oh I wrote a song with him".
DSGVol2The Album - Various Artists...
The Story of DSG started with SouLutions so it is fantastic that they have allowed us to revisit 'Philly Line" with a first-time Nigel Lowis mix, the song has been re-vocalised and reproduced to give it a completely new Philly vibed up version for 2019.
Paul Reid (Nightcrawler's), Steven Dante and Rebekah Ryan were in the Lowis wardrobe of classics songs that only he and they knew about, the songs are suited and re-booted giving them a crisp edge for today's ears.
The first single from the new DSG Nigel Lowis Vol 2 CD album is Kenny Thomas's wife Francisca Thomas, who was born in Cape Town in 1982.
She came from a very musical family and was singing from a very early age, in fact her first TV appearance was in South Africa when she was only 8 years old!
She has performed in several groups along with her sisters, travelling all over South Africa doing shows.
In 2003 she was a finalist in pop idol in South Africa and went onto signing a deal with EMI records.
In 2007 she visited the UK to do some gigs, on one of these gigs in Cheshire, she met Kenny, they were were both performing on the same bill that evening, the rest as they say is history, marriage, kids, Housework, which to a degree prevented her from getting on with her music, but she still managed to write songs for Kenny, along with other artists and do some recordings herself.
She hopes to be able to record more material in the coming months.
JULY 21st- DSG SUMMER CRUISE - LETS GO ROUND AGAIN with Gary Spence (Solar Radio), Gary Van den Bussche (DSG & Starpoint Radio), Nigel Lowis plus special celebrate guests. 'Clouds In My Mirror' was written by the talented Francisca and co-produced by Nigel Lowis who gave the song it's Memphis feel.
Kenny Thomas - 'Back To Broadway' was first written with George Benson in mind, Thomas loved the track and was really up for recording the song, with maybe some Benson licks forthcoming in the future.
Jimmy Gallagher oddly gets his first release on a DSG CD, although a stable DSG artist who we've released tracks on previously and lets face it, this man can seriously blow the house down and here with The Dig Band paying full respect to the likes of our orchestras back in the day namely Brass Construction, MFSB & Salsoul
Teddy B was first spotted by Mark Franklin singing on-line, his details were passed to Gary Van den Bussche who then helped him promote his first couple of sides to then suggesting he cut a track with Nigel Lowis. Lowis just happened to have the perfect song that Teddy B helped him finish for the CD.
Patti Austin - Terry Jervis approached Quincy Jones with the idea for a song, book and movie, Quincy Jones then suggested his goddaughter Patti Austin to sing it. This track was first used as the launch for a shuttle to Space, then Jervis got in touch with Gary Van den Bussche for suggestions for a remix release. The song will be featured in a forthcoming movie that is currently in production with Lego. As for the music, great to have Patti Austin back in our CD player.
Peter Symporien - originally featured onDSGVolume 1 CD, but is now featured here with the cool Fitzroy Facey in a Norman Whitfield nod to cool grooviness, that at first might sound different but the more you hear it the more you'll be replaying. Watch out for dance mixes of this soon! Peter Symporien, Marc Staggers, Roger Samuels (fresh from The Voice), Hannah White, Jimmy Gallagher and Lowis Nigel aka The Soul City People, originally a whole album project idea almost like Louis Vega's NuYorker Soul, but many of the tracks have now been released on DSG or featured remain in the wardrobe for another time. Soul City People track was written by Nigel Lowis & Ola Onabule.
Ellis ... This is a first & we are proud to present Ellis. the song was co-written by Lowis, David Morales & lElis with Patti Labelle in mind . Nigel is currently working on Ellis's forthcoming album project overseas where she is signed to a major label, they thought it would be great to give you all a preview of this great ladies talents.
(Georgie B, Gary Van den Bussche & Gary Spence) Lol Williams is a singer that Gary Spence discovered when he saw him singing live which lead to the original version becoming a favourite on his Solar Radio show. Nigel Lowis The Artist features for the first time here as a soloist in his own right and who knows, maybe an album to follow if this track is well received. Clif & Freda Payne follow their #1 smash 'No Payne, No Gain' with 'Yesterdays Payne, Tomorrow Joy', now with a Thom Bell influenced arrangement, that Bell even thumbed up himself when he heard it, the version that was on Clif's album last year was not the finished mix, so here it is for the first time.Fiona Yorke - Love For Me was a runaway #1 Gospel/ R&B hit and although played on soul radio in the UK, we felt this new mix would give the song another chance with it's new exciting direction.
Tilly Grace the youngest, so no doubt the hippest member of the DSG family, takes time out from recording her follow up to 'Ghetto Superstar' with a song she originally recorded as a jingle for the BBC Soul show.
Hannah White sounds completely at home and snug with this co-written Burt Bacharach styled lush vintage classic 'Tell Me'.Marc Staggers who we all know and love, sings one of the finest ballads of the year, which is Timeless for sure.
I hope that you enjoy the new DSGVolume2CD, 19 timeless tracks that you will enjoy playing for many years to come. It's a shame Nigel's jackets didn't fit me or I might have taken those too HA!!
The CD Pressing are half sold, so you better be quick! BUY IT HERE!
After a year of planning the big Disco Soul, all dayer is almost upon us on Saturday 14th October at
The Grand Burstin Hotel, Marine Parade, The Harbour, Folkstone, Kent, CT20 1TX.
The show starts at midday until midnight with DJ's Nick Doodney (Soul
train Sounds), Markus Yearly & Sue Hill (Teddington Disco Soul), (Disco) Gary Van den Bussche (Disco Soul Gold, DSG), Fitzroy (Soul Survivors Magazine), Guy Unger (Stomp Radio), Gary Spence (Solar Radio) who has been voted a national treasure by his listeners, Nigel Lowis (Dig Productions, Songwriter, producer, remixer) Nigel is all set to make his all dayer debut on the Folkstone stage with a set of tunes that is impossible to hear anywhere else! Nigel has been rehearsing for the past three months in creating a set of tunes that you will know, but with live parts added as if he was producing a remix, but he will sho nuff be in the mix!
You will also get to hear exclusive DSG tracks from the forthcoming CD album that will not be available until the CD is released in November. The label started 5 years after discovering the then unknown SouLutions, a demo version of Listen had been sitting in a drawer for over seven years, when Linda Lucas (Louise SouLutions Mum) sent it to DSG head of Music Gary Van den Bussche, who after a break from the music industry decided to make that the first release on his new record label DSG! The song reached #1 on the Soul charts with a Drizabone remix Gary arranged and they have gone on to not only have other number ones but have established themselves as the UK's #1 modern Soul band. Louise's voice is not too be missed live, SouLutions were recently invited to support Melba Moore (This Is It, Love's Comin At Ya) at her recent sold out Jazz Cafe concert in London.
Peter Symphorien The Soul Man had been singing in his local area for years, Beverly Creswell sent DSG's Gary Van den Bussche a clip of Peter singing The Love I Lost at a pub gig on an exclusive video, Gary tracked him down, introduced Peter to Nigel Lowis for production on a Soul City People release that would feature Peter on lead, we both agreed Peter could easily be a modern day Eddie Levert (O'Jays) or indeed Teddy Pendergrass, the most amazing thing, around six weeks later Nigel Lowis listen to the clip not once but like me three times, I thought you already heard it before Peter started recording? Nigel said no, I could not find it, so I took your word for it!
Marc Staggers The Gentleman Of Soul returns to follow up last years double Soul number one success of 'Let Me Be The One' & 'Bring It Home To Me', with Keep Those Fires Burning. Great news this week as Keep Those Fires Burning has jumped to #1 on the official UK Soul chart! Giving Marc three number ones in a row in the UK Soul charts.
Keep Those Fires Burning was co-written by Marc Staggers with the song producer Nigel Lowis. The song is released from Marc Staggers forthcoming album 'Timeless'. Marc Staggers before the DSG release of 'Bring It Home To Me' was recorded was in fact going to give up singing & the record business! Luckily Gary Spence of Solar Radio introduced Marc Staggers to DSG and the rest is now history.
The Full length Nigel Lowis mix is available to download only, with the Radio mix available for streams and downloads! The Inferno mix is released 31st March.
Bigger said: Marc Staggers delivered one of THE Soul tracks of 2016 and you know what? He's gone and done it again in 2017. KTFB is gonna take some stopping for SOUL TRACK OF THE YEAR!
Marc always delivers and with the loss of Luther it is so good to see someone still giving us real quality vocals and songs in 2017.
Bigger
This just gives me goose bumps - Gary Spence Solar Radio
Best DSG Release to date and i've loved them all! Mc Goff
So good to have voices like Marc's still coming through and giving the soul scene such a buzz . This is quality , so lush and a number one .
John Leech BBC Soul Show
Dripping in Philadelphia International class, The Soul paternity is gonna love this one, that's for sure!
DSG are proud to Present Jimmy Gallagher first solo single release with The Soul City People which is currently cooking up a storm with only two copies out there!
Jazz Fm's John Osborne has been playing it on his Saturday Night 'Funky Sensation' show which has lead to many people asking where they can get hold of the track, John said it's making him move parts he has not moved in years!
The Soul City Theme is part of a double a side with Philly nights where i'm sure you will feel the Philly Bumping influences from the likes of The Salsoul Orchestra, Love Unlimited or indeed MFSB.
All about Jimmy .... Jimmy Gallagher The Saxophonist who is so musically talented that plays Alto,Soprano, Tenor saxes.Flute, wind , Synth,Vocals & also Keyboards.
Jimmy's Early Years….
He started playing sax when he was just 10 years old and would often be seen playing weekends with the wedding band in his dads pub. When Gallagher reached 16 he was busking in Glasgow with some mates and was approached by a man named Elliot Davis. This led to touring with a band called Morrocan Coco,and then to a Scottish tour with label mates wet wet wet.
He decided around 18 that he wanted to be in London working, so after attending a Jazz summer school he joined a band with a guy he'd met there called Len Arran. The band was called Siren and featured Dominique Atkins on vox, len on guitar, Gallagher on saxes. After the band changed it's name to Big Blue Sea they did pretty well for 4 or 5 years.
He then embarked on a session career with my first successful recording being 3 tracks for a band called Bros of 'When Will I Be Famous' fame.
Soon after he then met Nigel Lowis which led to various sessions between 1988 and 1998 for such people as Vanessa Mae, Dina Carroll, Tom Jones, Eternal, Louise, Terry Ronald, Sara Brightman, London Beat, Soup Dragons,Guru Josh,Therapy? To name but a few.
During this time when Gallagher wasn’t touring or recording, but often did gigs around London with The Gill Manly Band at Ronnie Scotts,The 606 Club,China Jazz, Pizza on the Park with Ian Shaw at the Vortex and Pizza Express. With Mark Murphy, Helena paul. Gallagher played on Ola Onabule first album which also included touring as part of Ola's band.
The Continental years….
Around 1997 he received an offer from an old friend Jason Wright,to relocate to
Germany, which led to working with a 14 piece band playing all over Europe.
Gallagher now resident currently in mallorca and play around 300 gigs a year as well as working with The Soul City Orchestra and Nigel Lowis!
Jimmy Gallagher & The Soul City Orchestra will be released on Friday April 7th on Full length download on DSG through iTunes and Amazon or a short version via streaming sites.
Producer Preston Glass unites the Paynes together for a timeless ballad, which has now been remixed by Nigel Lowis as a ballad called downtempo mix (DOWNtown mix) or Uptempo in a UPtown mix, which has just released on DSG. You can feel the Soulfulness in the vocals which cut through Lowis's phillyesque remix production. People have already been comparing the cut to Patti & Michael's' On My Own', Peaches & Herb' Reunited'. If there such a thing these days as The Last Dance, we would hear songs like this more often.
The song has just reached #1 on the Sweet Rhythms chart & is the highest new entry in the UK soul chart. The song was written by Larry Batiste, Preston Glass & Clif Payne.
Harlem-born singer Clif Payne was first Discovered by Bobby McFerrin, is a 3-time Star Search winner who has opened for Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick and Lakeside. Clif hails from a family of musicians and singers. His father was a reedsman who gigged with Lionel Hampton. His mother was a talented vocalist who once backed Nat "King" Cole in a vocal ensemble. Skilled at reading music, arranging and improvisation, Clif's voice has been featured on numerous albums and commercials. Several years of living in LA enabled Clif to sing with incredible musicians and share the stage with jazz diva Dianne Reeves, Lionel Richie and The Commodores, Tony Toni Tone, and Sheila E. Clif has sung with American Idol judge & vocal coach Peggy Blu, Four Play drummer Harvey Mason, Grammy award-winning producer Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin), Lenny Williams, jazz fusionists Hiroshima, former Chicago vocalist Bill Champlin and legendary R&B band, Tower of Power. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer requested Clif to sing "When A Man Loves A Woman" at her wedding reception.
As a voice teacher, has studied with legendary LA vocal coach Seth Riggs (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) associates, Chip Hand and Roger Burnley. Clif's strength as a teacher is rooted in his musical diversity, experience, patience, encouragement and passion for sharing what he has learned in performance and study to his students. Clif's motto: "Sing not just to be heard--but also to be heartfelt and believed!"
What you said:
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* R & B of the highest level on this record of Clif Payne will surprise you." cloudJazz.com
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* "Clif Payne is a lush tenor with soaring melismas in his individual passages."
Don Heckman, LA Times
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*Clif has opened for Johnny Mathis, Lenny Williams, Tony Bennett and Dionne Warwick
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* "A great singer that reminds me of Kenny Lattimore."
Freda Payne (Jazz/R&B vocalist "Band of Gold
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The best soul ballad I've heard in 2016 . It sounds timeless and the song exudes in quality, with its infectious melody . The vocals are so lucid and their voices intergrate effortlessly . I love this song ! Perfect end, to a brilliant year of new soul . John Leech BBC
With just a little luck this could be a surprise Christmas hit! William Buckley
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Paul Miller BBC- My E Mail server exploded by the public response to Clif Payne & Freda Payne
Freda Payne is a worldwide household name who first record release was in 1962, Payne was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up listening to different jazz singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Though best known for her 1970 R&B/Soul crossover smash hit “Band of Gold,” Freda Payne has always first and foremost been a jazz singer, dating back to The Jimmy Wilkins Big Band at age 14. Payne performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem alongside Billy Eckstine backed by Quincy Jones and His Orchestra, comedian Redd Foxx and the dance team Coles & Atkins. She also graced the stage with Duke Ellington for two nights in Pittsburgh, after which he composed “Blue Piano” just for her.. In 1969, her old friends back home in Detroit, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland, Jr., persuaded her to sign with their newly formed record label Invictus. During that same year, her first Invictus single, "Unhooked Generation and became her first American R&B hit. The hits followed, UK #1, "Band of Gold", US #3 "Deeper & Deeper", "Bring the Boys Home",
In 1973, she left Invictus recorded a duet "I Wanna See You Soon" with Capitol stablemates Tavares, which was a radio airplay hit in the UK in 1977. in 1982, she recorded a single entitled "In Motion" for the Sutra label in New York that was arranged by Leon Sylvers, produced by Edmund Sylvers. Freda Payne has recently toured the UK as part of the late David Guest Soul legends live shows.
1....3-CLIF PAYNE & FREDA PAYNE SINGLE NO PAYNE NO GAIN (NIGEL LOWIS MIX) DSG
As compiled by Tony Monson for Solar Radio- See the chart in Echoes Magazine.
There will be a forthcoming album called, The Soul City People to be released next year on CD, which this will also be included , along with some other great artists. #TSCP
Expansion's most successful and longest running compilation series returns with a 2016 edition. This is in the label's 30th anniversary year, 'Soul Togetherness' is an annual event since 2000.
The concept remains the same, fifteen must have modern soul room gems taken from some of this year's biggest dancefloor spins and revival tracks on the soul scene.
2016 has seen disco soul beats more prominent, reflected here by the music of Dutch Djs Diephuis Eastar feat. Jocelyn Brown, the Earth Wind & Fire inspired Los Charlys Orchestra Sunshine, the DSG Salsoul dance grooves of a Nigel Lowis produced mix of Hannah White's #1 Soul Hit ''Sunny Day'' presented here with the remix that was specially created for, The Caister Soul Festival weekender, where Hannah White sang the anthem live to a packed house.
As usual there are exclusives here to the CD and vinyl in new music, this year from Farina Miss, Tracy Hamlin (Boogie Back Remix), Seest and Trina Broussard. With revival tracks, the full length version of Breakwater's 'No Limit' (posted above) which is officially released for the very first time in it's full length 12 inch version(which Ralph Tee only just discovered and he worked for Artista records back in the day), there's a Puff Johnbson track released on this compilation the first side out of Australia, then there's the year's biggest 'real soul' spin from Big Lee Dowel & The Cannonballs that first surfaced in Italy and has been flying out on a limited 7 inch for big dollars.
Also featured on this great new album is another of the year's biggest new modern soul music floorfillers, 'I Got To Party' by SouLutions, who Gary Van den Bussche first discovered a couple of years ago and persuaded Drizabone to remix their demo of ''Listen'', which was DSG's first release. The extended original mix of Nicolette Larson's revival of Neil Youngs cover of 'Lotta Love', plus an exclusive edit of 1983's 'You And I' by Ronnie Jones released on CD and vinyl for the first time.
Well done Ralph Tee and Richard Searling on your 30 years of Expansion records, keep on doing what your doing as you do it just so well. Order Soul Togetherness 2016 here!
Soul / R&B Star Little Anthony and Jazz -Soul Grammy award winning Superstar George Benson penned “Electric Together” with hit maker and successful producer Preston Glass. They recorded the tune at Private Island Audio in Los Angeles, CA where both Little Anthony and George Benson sang lead vocals while incorporating a “classic George Benson” guitar solo.
Anthony Gourdine, better known to the world as Little Anthony, is quite simply a musical legend. His early R&B standards paved the way for the development of soul music, with songs like ‘Going Out Of My Head’, ‘Hurt So Bad’, and ‘Tears on my Pillow’ standing the test of time. With nearly six decades in the music business, Little Anthony is still going strong: performing with his group The Imperials, alongside co-founder Ernest Wright, and due to be performing in the UK next year at the Blackpool International Soul Festival, Anthony is also busy penning his autobiography.
GEORGE BENSON IS A TEN TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER
Most impressively, Little Anthony has lost none of his legendary falsetto voice. Similarly, Jazz guitarist turned R&B/soul/pop icon George Benson also shows no sign of slowing down. He continues to perform dates around the world, to one-nighters to dates at prestigious Jazz festivals; in 2013 he put out a brilliant new album in tribute to the late Nat ‘King’ Cole. And now these two icons of popular music have teamed up with producer Preston Glass, famous for his work with Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole among others, to produce an up-tempo duet in ‘Electric Together’. Nigel Lowis has produced, remixed, written & done some legendary work with likes of Dina Carroll, Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Ola Onabule, Luther Vandross & Marc Staggers. His work has recently topped many Soul charts on his co-owned DSG record label. Lowis's dream was to work with George Benson, so DSG partner Gary Van Den Busche contacted Preston Glass who had just written and produced, "Electric Together" and was excited when he heard Nigel Lowis wanted to remix the song.
(Electric Together Little Anthony, Preston Glass & George Benson) The song itself is pretty catchy, with an infectious lyric that will have you singing after hearing it just once. It’s a classic Preston Glass production, with Lowis providing a groove for the vocalists to do their thing. Both are in fine voice, and its delightful to hear them both recording together. How Little Anthony, in his seventies, continues to sing so high is truly one of the wonders of the modern world. Benson is also given room by Preston to perform one of his guitar solos, reminiscent of his 70s & 80s hit recordings. This is the first single from a newly created album due on DSG called Soul City People with various artists that we love & respect with Nigel Lowis writing and producing for it as we speak.
Electric Together ? Not Arf!!"
* LITTLE ANTHONY 75, GEORGE BENSON 73 COMBINED AGE OF 148 YEARS
OLD POSSIBLY THE WORLD ELDEST RECORDED DUET EVER!
* LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS TOURING THE UK NEXT YEAR.
*BENSON FEATURED ON SKY LIVING GUITAR LEGENDS
*BENSON CURRENTLY TOURING JAPAN & AMERICA
*BENSON SOLD OUT CONCERT TOUR INCLUDING THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL JUNE 2016
*KYLIE HAD A #1 COVER UK HIT WITH LITTLE ANTHONY'S ''TEARS ON MY PILLOW''
*GEORGE BENSON'S LAST RELEASE WAS IN 2013 - INSPIRATION TRIBUTE TO NAT KING COLE
