Freestyle Records

Australian vocalist extraordinaire Kylie Auldist will be no stranger to soul & funk fans, her searing soul singing having featured on her own albums 'Made Of Stone' ,'Still Life' (Tru Thoughts) also in The Bamboos, as well as Freestyle Records own Cookin' On 3 Burners.Her unmistakable voice is currently topping the pop charts across Europe, as the Kungs remix of Cookin' On 3 Burners 'This Girl' has proven a sure fire hit with club audiences as well as pop fans. It has been playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Capital FM, and is now a Top 10 hit in the Official UK Chart.For her first solo album on Freestyle, Kylie, assisted by long time friends & collaborators Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos/Lanu/CO3B/Black Feeling) and Graeme Pogson (of Aussie electronic duo GL) have honed and perfected a collection of amazing new boogie, disco & electro-funk inspired tracks that evoke the feel and sound of late 70's & early 80's club classics. Think of classic acts like D Train, Sinnamon, and singers like Chaka Khan, Maxine Singelton, Sharon Redd and you will already start to understand where this new project is rooted.Kicking off this authentically disco style 5 track, 12 inch single and download single is Waste Of Time, a shimmering, soulful and devilishly catchy mid tempo groover. Graeme Pogsons' synthesizer bass lines are so evocative of that era , they act like a musical time machine! This is perfect summer time soul.Sensational (which has a sensational video to accompany it) hits a little harder, the beats, bass line and Kylie's vocals will drive you onto the dance-floor and stay there until the very last note and begging for more. Good Time Girl doesn't let the pressure drop for a second and also features a fantastic proto-rap contribution from King Merc - whilst Family Tree (the title track from the forthcoming album) is pure Saturday night, feel good disco aimed at the ears and dancing feet.The last track Rewards is yet another supremely insistent and catchy song that provides a tantalising hint of the goodies to come when Family Tree finally sees release later this year...can you wait?

Having been one of the bands that has spearheaded the resurgence in deep, gritty funk and soul for over 10 years, and having collaborated with luminaries like Eddie Bo, Marva Whitney, Sharon Jones, Billy Wooten, Sir Joe Quarterman and most recently ex James Brown vocalist Martha High, Speedometer enjoy a worldwide reputation as a class act.And now in 2015, band leader Leigh Gracie and the group bring a welcome spotlight to a fresh vocal talent - James Junior.James has been part of the UK soul and gospel scene mainly as an in-demand session vocalist and arranger. He has generally stayed of out the limelight until now. Having grown up on a diet of classic soul and Motown, his collaboration with Speedometer on this album brings together the band's heavy grooves with James' rich vocal tones to produce an authentically old school sound - yet totally fresh.You only have to listen to the album opener Don't Fool Yourself to immediately grasp that this young man's voice is the perfect choice to grace this new Speedometer collection. Likened to a young Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder, James has all the perquisite tone, phrasing and soul to make a big impact on a world awoken to genuinely soulful sounds by acts such as Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, but is also fully adept to adapt to the varying genres Speedometer specialise in - the latin/bossa nova groove of the title track No Turning Back, the deep, funky afrobeat of Troubled Land and the stomping Northern Soul style track Homebreaker.James Junior gives the band an extra dimension and purpose but more importantly gives James the spotlight which he deserves. And No Turning Back is just the beginning...