Tortured Soul make it clear that Your Body Doesn’t Lie on their groovy new house EP — showcasing today at Tinnitist.
Diving deep into the search for happiness and discovering how messy the journey can be, Tortured Soul frontman John-Christian Urich admits the EP’s title cut was inspired by meeting his wife. “She was talking with a guy at a bar and I interrupted them and asked for her number,” he shares. “The guy was quite annoyed, but she gave me her email and the rest is history…”
Well, sort of. “I took a bit of creative licence here as my wife and this guy were just chatting and not directly involved, but I think almost everyone can relate to No. 1: Being in an unhappy or unfulfilling relationship, and No. 2: Not being in a relationship, and being quite lonely,” Urich continues. “So what happens when No. 1 meets No. 2 — and they hit it off?”
The EP includes mixes from South African DJ and producer Fka Mash and British DJ and producer Atjazz. Urich discovered Fka Mash’s work while reviewing potential South African producers to collaborate with; he was struck by the artist’s sound and reached out in hopes of working together. “Lucky for me, he was down and created a really gripping remix,” Urich shares.
Also having been a fan of Atjazz’s productions and having a chance to meet the producer at a festival in South Africa, Urich contacted him to also work on the track. “I was certain he would come up with something great — which he, sure enough, did,” Urich continues. “I was also pleased to discover we share a pretty strong affinity; we each have an over-the-top sense of humour complete with a healthy dose of self-deprecation which I think tends to be a prerequisite for any good musician. It’s good to be able to crack some jokes when working together to keep the ball rolling.”
Tortured Soul make modern, deep, soulful, house music freed from the DJ booth. Influenced by the classic songcraft of Prince, Heatwave and Kool & The Gang, Tortured Soul are a collective of international musicians united under a groove-centered rhythm. Frontman and songwriter Urich leads the group while simultaneously drumming and singing with effortless mastery. Tortured Soul’s sound is reminiscent of neo-soul groups like Jamiroquai or Brand New Heavies, while also being influenced by the contemporary freshness of house purveyors like Dave Lee and Louie Vega, and nu-disco artists like Soul Clap and Purple Disco Machine.
Listen to Your Body Doesn’t Lie above and below, and find Tortured Soul at their website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
