8 Tracks: Of Late Night 80s Soul Rollers With Ooft!

Music

Glasgow is a small yet friendly city, a place which many a disc jockey calls home and which has become a notorious breeding ground for new musical talent. However, this is only the result of several individuals who maintain commitment to the city which raised them alongside the bread and butter principles it has taught them so well. Ali Ooft! is a familar name to many amidst the Scottish city: as a purveyor of the finest funk, disco, house and soul he has established himself as one of the hottest selectors in town.

Today marks the release of a new full length album on FOTO Recordings. We invited him to nominate some tracks of influence as he picks late night soul rollers.

See below:

Buy the new album HERE.

LISTEN

Kashif / Help Yourself To My Love

Cutting his chops on keyboards for BT Express in the 70s, Kashif was one of the first guys to push through the polished synth/drum machine combo for production in the early 80s when he went solo. He went on to produce loads of other artists as well as his own music during this period and really laid the foundation for the 80s soul sound. Much of what everyone does these days production-wise isn’t far off what guys like him were pioneering back then. Smooth late-night soul for the lovers.

Kashif / Help Yourself To My Love

Cutting his chops on keyboards for BT Express in the 70s, Kashif was one of the first guys to push through the polished synth/drum machine combo for production in the early 80s when he went solo. He went on to produce loads of other artists as well as his own music during this period and really laid the foundation for the 80s soul sound. Much of what everyone does these days production-wise isn’t far off what guys like him were pioneering back then. Smooth late-night soul for the lovers.
Rocket - Here Comes My Love

A lot of 80s soul band members came from the disco scene after the big backlash around the turn of the decade. Rocket’s main guy man was Ray Rock, formerly of disco giants Crown Heights Affair. This is another cruiser of a tune. Also worth seeking out the Touchsoul edit from a few years back which ditches most of the vocals for an altogether smoother ride.
Bb&Q - Dreamer

This one is all about the Shep Pettibone mix and its amazing middle break section, which must have been right at the bleeding edge of digital studio technology back in ’86 – there’s no way did the amazing chop-ups at 3:30 cutting tape! Heavy 808 beats underpinning the whole shebang too.
Precious Wilson - I'Ll Be Your Friend

I came across Precious Wilson after watching Jewel Of The Nile, a great (or so I remembered as a kid) action film from 1985. This one is another solid 808 drum workout with some moody synths on top. Although we think of Roland drum machines and Minimoog basslines as essential parts of dance music today, they all feature heavily on a lot of soul productions way back when.
52nd Street - Tell Me

Turn the lights down low for this one, feel the space from the reverbed-out beats and crystal clear production. Simple but effective.
Howard Johnson - Keepin' Love New

Howard Johnson’s 1982 debut album yielded this classic amongst loads of other great jams. That man Kashif on production again along with Paul Laurence (studio man for Evelyn “Champagne” King, Melba Moore, and Lillo Thomas amongst others).
Billy Griffin - Hold Me Tighter In The Rain

Mr Griffin came to the limelight after replacing Smokey Robinson as lead of the Miracles on Motown in the early 70s. Fast forward to 1982 and he knocked out this doozy as part of his debut solo album.
Imagination - So Good, So Right

I couldn’t do an 80s soul selection without the masters. Pushing that shiny futuristic (for the time) studio aesthetic with big digital delays and reverbs plus all the drum machines and synths, Imagination totally nailed the modern soul vibe. Plus the piano lines at the end are Balearic heaven! Check out their “Night Dubbing” alternative versions album too – still hits that dancefloor even today.