Wayne Snow

Wayne Snow

Wayne Snow is a neo-soul vocalist and songwriter from Germany, based in Berlin. He works across soul, funk, house and electronic music, and is associated with the wider neo-soul and vocal-led club music scenes.

Early releases and debut album

His debut album, Freedom TV, is released on Tartelet Records. Before that album, he issues the singles and tracks Red Runner and Rosie in 2014 and 2015, both of which are produced by Max Graef. These recordings establish the sound that continues on the album.

Sound and collaborators

Freedom TV draws on Afro-Caribbean rhythms, soulful grooves and Snow’s falsetto vocal style. The record spans a range of tempos and textures, moving from restrained openers such as Cooler and Fall to the syncopated The Rhythm and the funk-driven Nothing Wrong.

Production on the album comes from three main sources. Max Graef contributes six tracks, continuing a collaboration that starts with Graef’s 2014 debut Rivers of the Red Planet. The Paris connection with Neue Grafik contributes three tracks, and Naples-based duo Nu Guinea also appear on Nothing Wrong. Ge-ology and Nu Guinea both provide remix treatment for that track.

Themes and influences

The album centres on themes of liberty, struggle and creative identity. It is recorded over two years and reflects Snow’s move to Berlin, which he describes as opening up space to experiment with electronic music and helping him to think about the black origins of that sound. The record also draws a linking thread from the writing of Zimbabwean guerrilla fighter-poet Freedom TV Nyamubaya, whose verses appear on Freedom R.I.P and act as a recurring reference point across the album.