The soulful (spiritual) experience began for me one fateful afternoon back in the late 70’s, when I walked into the living room at home to find my older brother dancing to Parliament’s “One Nation Under A Groove”, followed by The Ojays’ “Used Ta Be My Girl”, then Jean Knight’s “Mr Big Stuff”, finally rounded off with Teddy P’s “Take Me In Your Arms Tonight”. That was it. The spell was cast. That was the moment my little young life was changed forever and I haven’t looked back since.

My musical experience became and has remained one huge gumbo filled with everything soulful, from the Afrobeat of the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (and The Afrika 70), the Afrofunk of Segun Bucknor, the Juju of Commander Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade all the way to seminal US groups like The

Temps, The JBs, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, The Dazz Band, Lakeside, Dynasty, Change and more, all played around the clock on the then Radio Nigeria One.

As a young man growing up in the sprawling urban city of Lagos, it was difficult to begin collecting records early, as whatever available funds had already been earmarked for other “essential commodities”. The collecting only began in later years. However, luckily for my soul and funk-loving brothers and I, most of the Radio Nigeria DJs and presenters had stepped in and done quite a lot to satisfy the never-ending hunger for all sounds soulful that found its way to that part of the world. Needless to say, the collecting continued apace, just as soon as I re-located to the UK at the end of the 80’s.

Some of my personal highlights include playing drums in my school band - yes, a rarified experience for a young man back then - and much more recently, having the privilege of working as Studio Manager at the sadly now-defunct Soul24-7.com, where I had the all-too-brief opportunity to work with some of the best, music-loving “personalities” in the UK music industry, as well as having the opportunity to meet a large number of headline acts from all over the world. A treasured experience.

At present, my love of the music is manifested in different ways, from writing album and single reviews for various music magazines to running my own promotional outfit (Soulcurrents & Music Management), with the sole aim of discovering and assisting budding talented artists in getting their music heard through radio exposure and securing the right record deals. In that context, I also work behind the scenes with the well-respected Andreas Hellingh out of Amsterdam, as Promotions Manager/UK Representative for “The Soul of Amsterdam Entertainment”.

Of the contemporary artists out there, my favorites include the ultra-talented Bilal Oliver, Alison Crockett, Eric Benet, Take 6, Adriana Evans, Rahsaan Patterson, Omar, Jill Scott, The Roots and other like-minded souls with a deep respect for the enduring traditions of the soul sound.