Soul II Soul, "Back To Life" & The Third British Invasion | New British Canon

Compared to the drum-machine euphoria of dance music in 1989, Soul II Soul stood apart. Britain was getting sweaty in make-shift raves, with Euro producers snagging Disco samples to voice their four-to-the-floor 120 BPM party-starters. Meanwhile a loose collective of London-based DJs, dancers, singers and the occasional musician slowed it down, added doses of soulful groove and positive thinking, and changed the face of British music. The arrogance at the time of calling their debut Club Classics Vol. One has dimmed in the face of what we know now, its seismic cultural impact with songs that still ignite dancefloors today. This is New British Canon and this is the story of “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)”.

#soul2soul #britishmusic #musicdocumentary

Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.

Soundtrack
Luar - Citrine (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present
Luar - Anchor (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)

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Jazzie B's 1980s: From Dole to Soul - Documentary (2016) dir. Matt O’Casey
Classic Albums: Club Classics Vol 1 (2021) dir. Matt O’Casey
“Jazzie B and the New Black Economy” Cynthia Rose, New Statesman, Jun 1988
“Smith & Mighty and Soul II Soul: Anyone Who Had A Sound” Paolo Hewitt, NME, Mar 1989
“Get Into The Groove” Tim Jeffery, Record Mirror, Apr 1989
“Soul Searching” Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, Jun 1989
“Soul II Soul: Funki Bold Demeanour” Sean O'Hagan, NME, Sep 1989
“Soul II Soul - Profile” Cynthia Rose, The Observer, Oct 1989
“Soul II Soul - Profile” Chris Heath, Smash Hits, Nov 1989
“Soul Man” Muff Fitzgerald, Record Mirror, Dec 1989
“Soul II Soul: Songs In The Key Of Life” Ian Gittins, Melody Maker, Dec 1989
“II’s Company” Ian McCann, NME, Mar 1990
“The Remarkable Life of Jazzie B: "It's a tough job but someone has to do it..."” Chris Heath, Smash Hits, May 1990
“Soul II Soul: The Most Famous Mobile Disco In The World” Christopher Mellor, Jocks, Jun 1990
“The Cool Ruler” Giles Smith, Q Magazine, Jun 1990
”Soul II Soul: Voice of the B Jive” Push, Melody Maker, Jun 1990
“Soul II Soul: Jazzie B Keeps On Movin'” Mark Rowland, Musician, Jun 1990
“Soul II Soul: Two London club DJs redefine classic soul with a new approach to making music” Robert Sandall, Rolling Stone, Jul 1990
“Seeing The Light” Nick Duerden, Record Mirror, Sep 1990
“Caron Wheeler Soul II Soul” Chris Mellor, Jocks, Sep 1990
“Caron Wheeler: Solo Soul” Carol Cooper, Spin, Oct 1990
“World Domination: Volume II” Paolo Hewitt, Select Magazine, Oct 1990
“Caron Wheeler: Got a Life, Thanks” Barbara Ellen, NME, Feb 1991
“Posse Power” Sheryl Garratt, The Face, Mar 1991
“Hooked on Classics” Chris Shaw, Echoes, Apr 1992
“Soul II Soul: The Right Time” Jeff Lorez, Blues & Soul, May 1992
“Jazzie B on Soundsystem Culture and Soul II Soul” Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, DJ History, Feb 2005
“How Soul II Soul changed music” BBC Staff, BBC Newsbeat, May 2008
“Jazzie B Lecture” Jeff “Chairman” Mao, Red Bull Music Academy, 2010
“Jazzie B Interview” Miguel Cullen, Clash Magazine, Jul 2010
“How we made Back to Life by Soul II Soul” Jack Watkins, The Guardian, Oct 2012
“Jazzie B: 'Fashion was integral to what Soul II Soul did'” Lauren Cochrane, The Guardian, Apr 2013
“Soul II Soul’s Enduring Influence on the Music of the UK” Lloyd Bradley, Red Bull Music Academy, Jul 2013
“Soul II Soul Release Keep On Movin’, 1989” Lloyd Bradley, Mojo Magazine, Nov 2013
“Soul II Soul's Jazzie B: "Ride what you've got until the wheels fall off"” Lloyd Bradley, The Evening Standard, 11 Jun 2014
“Keep On Moving: Jazzie B Of Soul II Soul Interviewed” Yousif Nur, The Quietus, Oct 2015
“Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B Reflects on Their Game-Changing Debut Turning 30” Ron Hart, Billboard, Apr 2019
“Making Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One” Mark Lindores, Classic Pop, Aug 2019
“How Soul II Soul’s ‘Fairplay’ carved a new path for Black British soundsystem culture” Ben Osborne, DJ Mag, Feb 2022
“Classic Tracks: Soul II Soul ‘Back To Life’” Tom Doyle, Sound on Sound, Sep 2022
“Soul II Soul: 'Let's Not Compartmentalise Us Any More Than We Need To'” Cyclone Wehner, The Music Australia, Mar 2023