For the second release on their newly minted dubplate series, Phuture Shock Musik welcomes on board upcoming Belgian talent, Rosie From The Block, aka Roselien - who delivers a soulful 3-tracker by name of ‘Believe In It’ EP.
Based in between her native Brussels and London, singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Roselien conceived the Rosie From The Block side project in late 2021 as a means to explore a more groove-orientated path aimed at the dancefloor. Taking major inspiration from broken beat - the West London-born genre that she was first exposed to whilst residing in the city, pre-pandemic – the artist released her first EP under the new moniker earlier this year via Belgian imprint Vice City, much to the warm reception of the bruk scene at large and further afield.
In contrast to the above recent outing, Roselien has refined her own brand of contemporary soul over the past few years, which has brought about a handful of self-releases recorded under her primary stage name; garnering support from the tastemaker likes of Lefto , Reggie Watts and Erica McKoy. Whilst as a performer, she has made headway across the live soul and jazz circuit, having opened up for world-renowned acts such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Gregory Porter, The Jones Girls and Bilal, among others.
Keeping in check with her soul and RnB roots, Rosie From The Block’s latest offering ‘Believe In It’ EP and debut for the Bristol label finds the Belgian sprinkling her dynamic vocals sparingly across the 3 cuts and further demonstrating her production skills, yet also stretching beyond the remit of broken beat and encompassing a wealth of influences from across the black music spectrum; from uptown modern funk and forward-thinking bruk to synth-laced 80s era soul.
Opening up the release is the razor-sharp, syncopated beats of title cut ‘Believe In It’, where Rosie pairs spoken word vocals and soulful hooks with deep emotive pads and a meandering, groovy bassline that weaves between bruk-influenced drum work. On the B-side resides ‘Let The Drum’, a modern bruk-funk jam with hip hop attitude that’s centred around an infectious Nile Rodgers-esque guitar riff, neck-snapping beats and melodic touches of jazz, all whilst Rosie commands for the listener to; in so many words let the drum rhythm take control of your body. Bringing down the tempo and rounding out the EP is the late-night feels of ‘Same Road Back Home’, an electronic funk dub, richly drizzled in wistful synths and finely chopped vocal refrains, well underpinned by crispy drum machine beats and warm analogue grooves that channels the 80s production mastery of Kashif.
credits
released August 12, 2022
All tracks written & produced by Rosie From The Block
Mastered by Sean McCabe
Melbourne’s Horatio Luna blends rich, textured jazz with shuffling to create a sound built for after-hours adventures. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 23, 2018
