May 9th 2015 @ Koko, London 

California’s best kept secret is undoubtedly Soulection, the record label and radio show pushing forward-thinking music for the post Hip-Hop generation, covering all forms of beats and breaks but with a decidedly soulful aesthetic. Somewhere between classic Dilla and current trap music lies the production ethos of the Soulection collective – futuristic, glitchy trap-hop electronica. Soulection are all about pushing the producers – for the most part their releases feature instrumental beat-making in the vein of Flylo and Madlib, and with over 200,000 listeners on Soundcloud, they’re bringing those beats to bedrooms, headphones and dance floors worldwide, with a plethora of international talent handpicked by label owner Joe Kay.

Settling into London’s Koko for the third date on their European tour, Soulection touched down with a live set from Goldlink,

accompanied by DJ sets from Hannah Faith, IAMNOBODI, Sam Gailaitry, Joe Kay, Tom Misch, Pyrmdplaza and The Whooligan. Koko was a perfect choice of venue, with its glamorous interior and excellent sound system, and the crowd, mostly born in the 90s, was diverse, excitable and up for a good rave.

The lack of pretension was noticeable and smiles were in abundance as the crowd grooved along to the sets, particularly Hannah Faith’s charismatic turn on the decks, augmented by her homegirls honing their dance-moves on the stage. Goldlink was clearly the highlight of the night however, bringing his OFWGKTA-esque flow and hype beats to a receptive dance floor of young movers and shakers, hanging on to his every lyric. Label boss Joe Kay also kept it moving with an imaginative set of predominantly instrumentals, mixing old school hip hop classics with new Soulection releases.

Overall the night was well attended and well appreciated, offering a fresh take on new school hip hop-orientated dance music. For those not in the know, much of their music can be downloaded free from their site soulection.com, and much of it is well recommended.

Contributed by: Nat Illumine (Afropean.com)