The Berlin and UK disc jockey duo Many Hands present Basement Soul episode 24 on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an Asian electronic music radio station, DJ agency, promoter and music-news platform connecting audiences across Asia and internationally.
Many Hands is the project of musically absorbed, wide-ranging DJs Jona J and Kava. Jona Jefferies was born in Barcelona and raised in Spain and the UK, beginning as a DJ in the free-party and rave scene of south-west England during the early 1990s.
After relocating to Ibiza, Jona was drawn to its Balearic sound and hedonistic style, and has returned to the island as both a raver and DJ. He later moved to Bristol, where its inner-city outlook and sound-system culture informed several years spent honing his craft.
Having been well received within Berlin's international music community and played across venues throughout the city, Jona returned to the United Kingdom earlier in 2020. His track Nocturnal, made with Stardelta Mastering's Lewis Hopkin as Sapience for Tom Middleton's Sound Of The Cosmos label, received radio plays from Gilles Peterson, Mala and Laurent Garnier.
Originally raised in New Zealand, Kava has lived in Berlin for more than a decade. His musical education took in Wellington's melodic music scene alongside Soul, Bashment, Hip Hop, Disco, House, Techno and Drum n Bass, before he sold vinyl and hosted shows for several New Zealand radio stations.
After moving to Berlin, Kava was a resident on the now-defunct monthly programme Float Some and Jet Some with Rodi Kirk of Scratch 22 fame on the former Berlin Community Radio. He has also played at venues across the German capital.
Jona and Kava met through a mutual friend near OYE Records in Berlin and immediately recognised their musical connection. That meeting led to Many Hands, an eclectic dance session held in a Berlin basement, from which the name Basement Soul emerged.
Jona J and Kava work across the rhythmic and harmonic cultural spectrum, where Disco, Soul, Latin and Afrobeat meet MPCs and drum machines, Jamaicans in New York, West Africans with synthesisers and funky Euro-freaks. Sometimes quirky and sometimes bashy, their selections are made for dancers.
Many Hands' Basement Soul episode 24 opens with Al Green's Love & Happiness on Fat Possum, bringing R&B into the programme before the Lijadu Sisters' Orere Elejigbo on Strut introduces House Music. Kenny Knots' People So Nice Riddim (Instrumental Mix) and Camoufly's Foda-Se follow before Camar Flava's Get Up Back on Jazzykitt Music Group supplies the first Reggae reference.
Cristina's Rage & Fascination on Ze Records brings Rock into the sequence, while Bullion's Hula on Ghostly International adds an Alternative turn. Begin's Hansa, issued on Begin, settles into Downtempo territory before The Last Poets' Black Lives Matter and Julien Babinga's M'Bongui-Percussions (sOund vOyage Future World Edit).
Blair French's Faded By The Sun (12" Mix) on Rocksteady Disco brings Afro House into focus, followed by Danny Russell and Ronald Christoph's Love Rescue. Verdo's Procida on Hell Yeah Recordings then shifts the tone towards Nu-Disco, keeping the mid-set movement broad and dancefloor-facing.
Mike Agent X Clark's River People (House Mix) precedes WU15's The Anthem on Eglo Records, before South Bronx return to R&B with The Bottom Line on Beeside Music. Rabo De Saia's Ripa Na Xulipa (Extended Charles Maurice Version) on Favorite introduces Disco, while kLap's Engana gives way to Shut Up & Dance's Epileptic (Martyn's No Strobe Mix) on Shut Up And Dance Records and its Breaks rhythm.
Sapience's The View From Here (SD Tweak Mix Master 2020) leads into Kromestar's Weak on Deep Heads, where Dubstep takes the programme into heavier low-end pressure. ST.Cal's Red Light on Soul:r brings Drum n Bass into the late stretch, and Nolige's The Blue Hour on Droogs follows with Drum and Bass.
DieMantle's Shellaz, Digital's Bitter Wind (Double O VIP) and June's Lost Area (DJ Sprinkles' Empty Dancefloor) extend the closing run before Keith Robinson And Some Mates' Keep On Dancing Pt 1 on Waiting-In-Vain Records returns to Disco. Som Três finish with Take It Easy My Brother Charles on Odeon, closing the show with a Brazilian selection.
Many Hands Basement Soul episode 24 14th of August 2020
Al Green - Love & Happiness
Lijadu Sisters - Orere Elejigbo
Kenny Knots - People So Nice Riddim (Instrumental Mix)
Camoufly - Foda-Se
Camar Flava - Get Up Back
Cristina - Rage & Fascination
Bullion - Hula
Begin - Hansa
The Last Poets - Black Lives Matter
Julien Babinga - M'Bongui-Percussions (sOund vOyage Future World Edit)
Blair French - Faded By The Sun (12" Mix)
Danny Russell & Ronald Christoph - Love Rescue
Verdo - Procida
Mike Agent X Clark - River People (House Mix)
WU15 - The Anthem
South Bronx - The Bottom Line
Rabo De Saia - Ripa Na Xulipa (Extended Charles Maurice Version)
kLap - Engana
Shut Up & Dance - Epileptic (Martyn's No Strobe Mix)
Sapience - The View From Here (SD Tweak Mix Master 2020)
Kromestar - Weak
ST.Cal - Red Light
Nolige - The Blue Hour
DieMantle - Shellaz
Digital - Bitter Wind (Double O VIP)
June - Lost Area (DJ Sprinkles' Empty Dancefloor)
Keith Robinson And Some Mates - Keep On Dancing Pt 1
Som Tres - Take It Easy My Brother Charles
Listen on Mixcloud here.