{"product_id":"electribal-soul","title":"Electribal Soul","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded in 1991 by the quintet of vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eBillie Ray Martin\u003c\/strong\u003e and Birmingham-based electronic musicians \u003cstrong\u003eBrian Nordhoff\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJoe Stevens\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eLes Fleming\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eRoberto Cimarosti\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eElectribal Soul\u003c\/em\u003e was conceived as the sequel to the band’s 1990 debut album, \u003cem\u003eElectribal Memories\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eElectribal Memories\u003c\/em\u003e had yielded the hits ‘Talking With Myself’ and ‘Tell Me When The Fever Ended’ and pushed \u003cstrong\u003eElectribe 101\u003c\/strong\u003e to the forefront of a crossover electronic scene that fused dance music with pop savvy. They were snapped up by Phonogram, managed by Tom Watkins and hailed as “the next band to meet the Queen” by i-D. The band took the coveted support slot for Depeche Mode on their epochal World Violation tour and supported Erasure at Milton Keynes Bowl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeen as the next big thing, everything pointed toward enduring critical success for \u003cstrong\u003eElectribe 101\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the band settled into putting their second album together. “There was a degree of confidence among us when we came to write the second album,” recalls \u003cstrong\u003eBillie Ray Martin\u003c\/strong\u003e. “To me, the songs we put down sound like some of our finest moments.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMore immediately lush and warm than the dancefloor-friendly structures of \u003cem\u003eElectribal Memories\u003c\/em\u003e, the clue to the sound of \u003cem\u003eElectribal Soul\u003c\/em\u003e lies in the second word in its title: soul. Songs like the aching sensuality of opening track ‘Insatiable Love’ or the emboldened defiance of ‘Moving Downtown’ showcase \u003cstrong\u003eBillie Ray Martin\u003c\/strong\u003e’s distinctive vocal range as it moves from haunting quiet to dramatic, euphoric rapture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLyrics from ‘Moving Downtown’ had found their way into ‘Pimps, Pushers, Prostitutes’ by S’Express, and the song would appear as ‘Running Around Town’ on \u003cstrong\u003eMartin\u003c\/strong\u003e’s 1996 solo album. The striking production on the version of the song presented on \u003cem\u003eElectribal Soul\u003c\/em\u003e suggests classic late sixties soul influences, such as those of legendary Motown producer Norman Whitfield, with the long shadow cast by Kraftwerk never being far away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Deadline For My Memories’, the song that provided the title for \u003cstrong\u003eMartin\u003c\/strong\u003e’s first solo album, was originally intended for the second \u003cstrong\u003eElectribe 101\u003c\/strong\u003e album. Its lyrics document a sense of freedom and liberation from the darkness of a bad relationship, accompanied by jazzy piano and organ sounds over a quiet rhythm and discrete electronics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn contrast, ‘A Sigh Won’t Do’ finds \u003cstrong\u003eMartin\u003c\/strong\u003e in soothing vocal mode, despite its devastating message about the final ending of a strained relationship, her lyrics framed by restrained and subtle beats and sounds. To spend time with \u003cstrong\u003eMartin\u003c\/strong\u003e’s voice on \u003cem\u003eElectribal Soul\u003c\/em\u003e is to find yourself moved deep into the ordinarily impenetrable emotional corners of your own psyche.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“I was into big ballads at the time and listening to all kinds of US and UK singers, and I was also young enough to want to prove myself as a belter of ballads,” explains \u003cstrong\u003eMartin\u003c\/strong\u003e of the classic soul edge the album showcased.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Electribal Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50475707597131,"sku":"1137902","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50475708219723,"sku":"1137901","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8a4fa05b-772a-493e-80f5-4cb808a29e77_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727449539","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/electribal-soul","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}