| On August 19th, Movement Records will release Count On You, the debut EP from British soul revivalist Christian Gregory. Movement Records, which will be distributed by Fat Possum in the United States, is a new label helmed by multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Christian Gregory and 2013 Mercury Music Prize nominee and gold-selling artist Michael Kiwanuka. Gregory, who founded the label, will serve as the CEO and head of Movement while Kiwanuka will aid with the label’s A&R and provide creative direction to artists on the label.
The New York Times’ T Magazine premiered the video for the EP’s title track and said that it “recalls the classic ’70s funk of Bill Withers and Curtis Mayfield.”
“Count On You” was co-written with Michael Kiwanuka and recorded in one take at Movement’s North London studio using a range of vintage instruments and recording gear. All initial releases on the label will be recorded at their studio with an emphasis placed on traditional recording techniques like tracking live to analog recording equipment using only the finest vintage gear.
“It’s a blend of vintage instruments and equipment as well as modern techniques,” Gregory told The New York Times. “It definitely feels like new music, but the influences are still apparent.”
Inspired by the great artists, labels and studios of the ’60s and ’70s, like Stax and Motown, Movement Records aims to create their own version of the classic soul sound and modernize it for the 21st century.
“We feel that the sort of records we love that inspired us all to become musicians and artists don’t currently have a vehicle like they used to. We want to create that vehicle through Movement Records, a label which focuses on real musicians and writers who love making records,” explains Gregory. “We have a young team of talent at the label, and we believe that the soul music is timeless. We’re not making ‘throwback’ records, or trying to recreate something, we’re creating something new, using our experience and knowledge of how to make records.”
In addition to the debut from Christian Gregory, Movement plans to release an album by the new band Celeste – an amalgamation of members of Michael Kiwanuka’s band and the Mystery Jets.
“I’d love to release some of my own music through this label someday,” says Kiwanuka. “At the moment it’s not possible but I dream of releasing music on an independent label. Independent labels have always seemed concerned with developing artists’ careers who are a little off center that don’t fit the mold. I always dream of what kind of music I could be able to put out on a label like that which is why I started this with Christian. Hopefully one day.”
Track List:
1) Count On You
2) Won’t Get Nowhere
3) EYLYL
4) Nothing Matters
US Tour Dates:
July 17: New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall
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