Soul Mekanik

Soul Mekanik

Soul Mekanik is a UK house music group made up of Kelvin Andrews and Dizzie Dee. The act grows out of a long run of work in club music, pop production and remixes, with a style linked to house, chillout, techno and electronic music.

Background

Before Soul Mekanik, the two worked separately and together under a series of aliases and projects. Danny Spencer records his debut single in 1988 during the rise of acid house under the name This Ain’t Chicago, with Ride the Rhythm. He later appears in Candy Flip, whose version of the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever brings him to Top of the Pops and the cover of Smash Hits. Kelvin Andrews becomes a DJ and one of the original Golden residents, while also building a large collection of experimental funk from the previous fifty years.

In the early 1990s, Andrews and Spencer work as Sure is Pure, a name associated with several house anthems from the genre’s early mainstream period. They also remix tracks for Aretha Franklin, Sister Sledge, The Doobie Brothers, South Street Player, Sly and The Family Stone, and Marvin Gaye. At the height of that period they set up the Pharm label and release more club records.

Notable projects and releases

One of their best-known successes is Blueboys’ Remember Me, which they turn from an overlooked scratchy B-side into a major mid-1990s club anthem. They then move into more experimental pop territory with Sound 5, a five-piece project that releases the album No Illicit Dancing. That record becomes a late-1990s favourite among dedicated listeners.

Andrews and Spencer also write with Robbie Williams after staying in contact with him from his early nights out in Stoke. They co-write three songs on Williams’ second album, including Rock DJ, which receives an Ivor Novello nomination. After a break from songwriting for others, they return to house music as Soul Mekanik and release their debut album Eighty One.

Style

Soul Mekanik begin with EPs on Rip Records that are aimed at the dancefloor, then move towards warm, melodic and slightly off-centre electronic music. Their album work features vocals from Clover Ray, Charmaine and Lanni, and their sound is described through comparisons with Mylo, Black Strobe, Richard X, Tom Tom Club and Röyksopp. The album title Eighty One refers to a period they see as a time of musical cross-pollination, with punk, disco, early electro and hip hop all feeding into the mix.

Later work

The duo continue to work as producers and writers, and they reconnect with Robbie Williams for Rudebox and other tracks. Andrews continues to DJ internationally as a pioneer of acid house, while Spencer keeps working on digital production.