Many Hands DJ duo present Basement Soul 32 on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an English-language electronic music radio station, promoter and music-news platform for expatriates and local audiences in Asia, with connections internationally.
Many Hands is the project of wide-ranging, music-focused DJs Jona J and Kava. Jona J’s real name is Jona Jefferies, and he was born in Barcelona before being raised in Spain and the United Kingdom.
Jona began DJing in the free-party and rave scene of south-west England during the early 1990s. After moving to Ibiza, he was drawn to the island’s Balearic sound and hedonistic culture, and has returned both as a raver and a DJ.
Following his time in Ibiza, Jona moved to Bass City, Bristol, where its inner-city outlook and sound-system culture informed several years spent developing his craft. After being well received within Berlin’s international music community and performing at venues across the city, he returned to the United Kingdom earlier in 2020.
Jona released Nocturnal with his long-time friend Lewis Hopkin of Stardelta Mastering as Sapience for Tom Middleton’s Sound Of The Cosmos label. The release received radio plays from DJs including Gilles Peterson, Mala and Laurent Garnier.
Originally raised in New Zealand, Kava had lived in Berlin for more than ten years by 2020. His musical education took in Wellington’s melodic music scene, with regular exposure to Soul, Bashment, Hip Hop, Disco, House, Techno and Drum and Bass.
In New Zealand, Kava sold vinyl records and hosted shows across several radio stations. On arriving in Berlin, he became an early resident of a monthly programme with Rodi Kirk of Scratch 22.
The programme, Float Some and Jet Some, ran on Berlin Community Radio, which has since closed. Kava also built a profile through performances at venues across the German capital.
Jona and Kava met through a mutual friend near OYE Records in Berlin and quickly recognised a shared musical outlook. Their meeting led to Many Hands, an eclectic, dance-focused basement session in the heart of Berlin, hence the title Basement Soul.
Jona J and Kava work across a rhythmic and harmonic spectrum, bringing Disco, Soul, Latin music and Afrobeat alongside MPCs, drum machines, Jamaican music in New York, West African synthesiser sounds and European funk. Their selections can be quirky or forceful, but are made for dancers.
This edition originally aired on Friday 1 January 2021. Its 29 selections move between spacious electronics, hip hop, dub material and dancefloor-focused records.
Many Hands Basement Soul 32 DJ set opens with Wardown’s Selective Memory on Blu Mar Ten Music, bringing a measured Drum and Bass foundation. Coldcut’s First Time I Ever Saw Your Face then gives way to Harold Budd’s alternative Balthus Bemused By Color on All Saints Records and Kirk Degiorgio’s ambient High Tide on Delsin Records.
Hillside’s Walpole Days in Joe Claussell’s Sacred Rhythm Version and Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti’s Poison Fruit in Dokta Venom’s Digital Dub Mix broaden the early selection before STR4TA’s Jazz-Funk Aspects arrives on Brownswood Recordings. Stars N’ Bars’ Stars N’ Bars on How Do You Are? and Temu’s Ready Or Not on Star Creature Universal Vibrations bring the first Nu-Disco passages.
Bullion’s Caroline, No and Cleo Sol’s Rose in the Dark prepare a shift towards Main Source’s rap cut Just Hangin’ Out on Wild Pitch Records (2). Jay Electronica’s trap-influenced Fruits Of The Spirit on Roc Nation, LLC is followed by Common’s Rap/Hip Hop track Say Peace on Loma Vista Recordings.
The Revolutionaries’ Kunta Kinte and Dubmatix’s Peace & Love featuring Linval Thompson in its Dub Mix lead into Social Lovers’ Love Come Down on Star Creature Universal Vibrations. The Whole Truth’s Disco cut Lord, Quench My Soul in its Club mix on Parkway Records (3) precedes Oleta Adams’ Garage House remix of Circle Of One, issued by Fontana.
Dan Kye’s Rainbow Road on Rhythm Section International returns to Nu-Disco before Hollie Smith and Mara TK’s Soul track The Spirit Racing The Mind on Soundsmith Records changes the mood. Charles Webster’s This Is Real featuring Shara Nelson is followed by Mark Pritchard’s alternative Be Like Water on Warp Records and Mr Beatnick’s House Music track Honeycomb on Mythstery Records.
Cyclonix’s The Way We Breathe in the Broken Snare Remix on Broadcite Productions keeps the house rhythm in place before El-B’s Electro record Dusk Till Dawn changes the texture. Minnie Ripperton’s Dub Inside Me in the Shall I Bruk It Flip and Burnier E Cartier’s Mirandolina in the NewLife Dirty Edit lead to Mtume’s final Nu-Disco selection, Tie Me Up, on Epic.
Many Hands Basement Soul Episode 32 1st of January 2021
Wardown - Selective Memory
Coldcut - First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
Harold Budd - Balthus Bemused By Color
Kirk Degiorgio - High Tide
Hillside - Walpole Days (Joe Claussell's Sacred Rhythm Version)
Ivan 'Mamão' Conti - Poison Fruit (Dokta Venom's Digital Dub Mix)
STR4TA - Aspects
Stars N' Bars - Stars N' Bars
Temu - Ready Or Not
Bullion - Caroline, No
Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark
Main Source - Just Hangin' Out
Jay Electronica - Fruits Of The Spirit
Common - Say Peace
The Revolutionaries - Kunta Kinte
Dubmatix - Peace & Love Feat. Linval Thompson (Dub Mix)
Social Lovers - Love Come Down
The Whole Truth - Lord, Quench My Soul (Club mix)
Oleta Adams - Circle Of One (Yvonne Turner "Hot Mix" Remix)
Dan Kye - Rainbow Road
Hollie Smith & Mara TK - The Spirit Racing The Mind
Charles Webster - This Is Real Feat. Shara Nelson
Mark Pritchard - Be Like Water
Mr Beatnick - Honeycomb
Cyclonix - The Way We Breathe (Broken Snare Remix)
El-B - Dusk Till Dawn
Minnie Ripperton - Dub Inside Me (Shall I Bruk It Flip)
Burnier E Cartier - Mirandolina (NewLife Dirty Edit)
Mtume - Tie Me Up
Listen on Mixcloud here.