Tortured Soul have broken free from the DJ booth once again to bring their 100% live modern, deep, soulful house music collective’s signature sound to the new track I Wish You Were Here featuring top Toronto-talent and scene mainstay Lisa Shaw — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Likened to “The Roots of house music,” the electrifyingly dynamic co-op of international musicians unite in groove-centred rhythms helmed by frontman John-Christian Urich. I Wish You Were Here serves up a deep house love duet that sees Shaw and Urich sweetly serenading each other with a promise of blissfully reuniting soon. Behind the scenes, the collaboration is especially notable in that, while the pair have orbited the same scene for years, this is their first time their paths have crossed on a track.
Better late than never; the chemistry is undeniable. “I’ve been friends with Lisa for years,” Urich says. “We came up playing the same clubs around New York City, and then the U.S., and then around the world. We have lots of mutual friends and we’ve even co-billed on some events, hung out backstage for drinks and late night hangs after gigs. The works! We’ve always had a great rapport, and I’ve always loved her voice and records. I guess we’ve always just been busy doing our own things and — for no good reason — we never collaborated on any music together. One day about a year ago, I started writing this song. It had a classic Tortured Soul vibe but I was like, ‘this song is a duet and Lisa Shaw is the right person to sing it with me.’ It was a moment of pure clarity.”
The rest, as they say, is history; Shaw visited LA to record in Urich’s studio and the results left them both wondering why it hadn’t happened sooner. “It was so fun, and I’m really happy and grateful with the way it turned out. “Lisa lays down an incredible, unique vibe that lifts the song to the next level.”
Listen to I Wish You Were Here above and keep up with Tortured Soul on their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
