VA — V4 Visions: Of Love & Androids (2022)

FLAC (tracks), Lossless / Mp3 320 kbps | 01:29:42 | 535 / 204 MbDance, Disco

Nose-to-tail good vibes from early \’90s London, scanning street soul\’s links to Chicago House, jungle and swingbeat R&B via 18 all-rs from the legendary V4 label. Trust, it\’s a pearl.
Numero\’s V4 session pinpoints a more specific era, 1990-1994, and the label\’s key artists; Ashaye, Endangered Species, Julie Stapleton, and Rohan Delano, for an ideal showcase of how their soulful styles fed into one another. The influence of then contemporary Chicago styles is strongly felt, and woven with foundational Afro-Caribbean sound system inspirations in a way that\’s unique to the UK during those pivotal years and which continue to resonate in influence and style decades later.
Paralleling scenes in the UK\’s other Black music hotspots such as Manchester, Bigham, West Yorkshire and Bristol, V4\’s sound was readied for all night \»blues\» parties and sweltering club basements, toggling the levels between hip-winding new jack swing beats, updated echoes of lovers rock and early jungle, with standout producers like Trevor Ashaye acting as mutual sinew and soul between each style. While it\’s all certain to grab the hearts of certain weekender types from that era, the vibes properly endure for new eras thanks to overproof levels of soul that leave no dance wanting for more.
To play percies, we direct you to Ashaye\’s beauties, rag rom the balmy lovers jungle of \’Dreaming (Jungle Mix)\’ and its original downstroke, to the Wild Bunch-esque new jack swang of \’What\’s This World Coming To\’ and the rolling garage house of \’Nowhere To Run (Instrumental South Side Mix)\’, then to a killer slice of proto-jungle by Jungle Biznizz, and a quietly unmissable, beat-less R&B nugg in \’All The Way (Guitar Mix)\’ by Julie Stapleton & Ashaye, or the purring deep house of Julie\’s \’Where\’s Your Love Gone\’ which is like a street soul inversion of \’Can u Feel It\’ — all heartbreak and glamour. Ooof, kills us a bit this one.
Tracklist
1 01. Maureen Mason — I\’m Believing (In Love Again) (04:08)
1 02. Ashaye — What\’s This World Coming To (04:44)
1 03. Julie Stapleton — Just Dreaming (04:15)
1 04. Ashaye — Dreaming (Original Mix) (05:03)
1 05. Julie Stapleton, Ashaye — All The Way (Guitar Mix) (04:23)
1 06. Maureen Mason — If This Is A Dream (04:28)
1 07. The Wades — Get Off That (Poison) (04:45)
1 08. Ashaye — Come Go With Me (04:56)
1 09. Julie Stapleton — Where\’s Your Love Gone (Remix) (05:43)
1 10. Rohan Delano — The Way I Love You (04:24)
2 01. Ashaye — Dreaming (Jungle Mix) (05:00)
2 02. Endangered Species — Just A Memory (Vocal Mix) (04:39)
2 03. Endangered Species — Endangered Species (05:24)
2 04. Insight, Ashaye — Fantasy (Insight Mix) (05:18)
2 05. Ashaye — Nowhere To Run (Instrumental South Side Mix) (05:24)
2 06. Insight — Paradise (Para Dub) (06:04)
2 07. Jungle Biznizz — Joy In The Jungle (05:36)
2 08. Rohan Delano — Inflight (05:20)