Interviews

After Swedish singer-songwriter Viktor Jakob-Jonsson has already caused a stir in the West Coast music scene with his excellent debut single “A Little Denial” in August, the next coup will follow at November 26th with the follow-up single “Monotony”, a wonderful 70s-inflected duet with none other than legendary singer and multiple Grammy Awards winner Bill Champlin. Reason enough to ask the Stockholm-based artist and passionate West Coast music aficionado, who says of himself that he still has hundreds of songs in his drawer, for a talk.

Originally founded as a project by four established artists, PREP has developed from EP to EP from an insider tip to a bearer of hope of sophisticated British pop music. The quartet comprises of Grammy nominated producer Dan Radclyffe, French drummer Guillaume Jambel, Welsh keyboardist Llywelyn Ap Myrddin and London-based singer and frontman Tom Havelock. Together, they have created over the past five years an eclectic blend of contemporary indie pop, soul and synths, deeply rooted in the melodic West Coast elegance of the 70s and 80s. In late October, the quartet finally released their highly anticipated self-titled debut album on Bright Antenna Records. WEST COAST SOUL talked with Guillaume Jambel and Tom Havelock about the making of their debut, their musical development, their shared love for Steely Dan, the importance of smoothness and the value of nostalgia.

Just in time, before the dull autumn weather makes us feel depressed, a dose of sunny optimism comes straight from the Netherlands. Today “Making Up”, the first single of the Dutch duo Martin & Garp, is released by Légère Recordings. A song that, with its catchy guitar and synthesizer licks and luxurious, radio-friendly harmonies, takes us straight to the heyday of Californian West Coast music of the late 70s and early 80s. WEST COAST SOUL talked with Timothy van der Holst aka Phil Martin about the new single, their forthcoming album “Sentimental Fools” and their fascination for smooth West Coast music.

The fact that in the golden era great West Coast music was not only created in sunny California, but could also flourish in the rather rainy Great Britain, was demonstrated not least by the English duo The Rhead Brothers in the late 1970s. The brothers John and Steve Rhead recorded two albums whose quality could compete with any American production and which are still sought after and loved by many music aficionados today. WEST COAST SOUL talked with John Rhead about their musical beginnings, the making of their two excellent albums, “Dedicate “and “Black Shaheen”, his memories of the Muscle Shoals music scene and the rediscovery of the Rhead Brothers in 2016.

Three years after his critically acclaimed debut “Walkin’ On Air”, Finnish songwriter, producer and arranger Tomi Malm returns with his sophomore effort “Coming Home” via Contante & Sonante. His new album presents another flawless collection of pop, soul and fusion songs, recorded with the help of some of the most talented musicians on the West Coast music scene. WEST COAST SOUL talked with the multi-talented artist about the making of his new album, the importance of collaboration, the characteristic Tomi Malm sound and his everlasting love for West Coast music.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Hamish Stuart shot to fame in the 1970’s as the falsetto voice of The Average White Band, his distinctive songwriting and guitar style paving the way for the band’s worldwide success.

A key member of the California West Coast scene in the 70’s, Ned Doheny reached cult status thanks to his 1976 album “Hard Candy”.

If you love 70’s and 80’s R&B and funk, you can’t get past the American multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and arranger Chris Jasper. Whether as a member of the legendary Isley Brothers, the successful trio Isley-Jasper-Isley or as a solo artist: Jasper shaped the sound of an entire era. WEST COAST SOUL talked with the legendary musician and Grammy Award winner about his early beginnings, the golden era of the Isley Brothers and his new, soon to be released album.

On his new album “Companionship”, prolific writer, producer, performer and multi-instrumentalist Joel Sarakula keeps the mood easy and the grooves deep. Ten new songs see Sarakula develop a deeper, more introspective lyrical style from his previous works as he celebrates and laments friendships, love and loneliness. The result is one of the most exciting albums of 2020. We spoke with the Sydney-born and London-based artist about his new album, his fascination for smooth West Coast and soul music of the 70s, and the effects of the Corona crisis on his new release.

The current corona crisis especially affects musicians, bands and artists. Against this background, we at WEST COAST SOUL would like to give musicians the opportunity to talk about the current situation, but also give fans a little insight into their musical roots. Today we talk with the Berlin based DJ veteran and Too Slow To Disco curator Marcus Liesenfeld aka DJ Supermarkt.