{{Short description|English Afrobeat band}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Soothsayers | image = | image_size = | caption = | alias = The Red Earth Collective | origin = United Kingdom | genre = Reggae, Dub, Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz | years_active = 1998–present | label = Wah Wah 45s, Red Earth Records | website = {{official website}} | current_members = * Robin Hopcraft * Idris Rahman * Emmanuel Afram * Julia Biel * Saleem Raman * Kishon Khan * Andrew Gibson }} '''Soothsayers'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-18 |title=SOOTHSAYERS – Nu Afro Beat and Dub |url=http://www.soothsayers.net/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> is a London-based band who perform and record original Afrobeat and reggae-influenced music. Formed in 1998 by saxophonist, Idris Rahman, and trumpeter, Robin Hopcraft, they have released ten studio albums and a number of vinyl singles on their own label Red Earth Records as well as WahWah45s. <ref name="soothsayers interview">{{cite web|last=taylor|first=angus|title=reggae newssoothsayers interview|url=http://www.reggaenews.co.uk/interviews/soothsayers.asp|work=reggae news|access-date=8 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026101256/http://www.reggaenews.co.uk/interviews/soothsayers.asp|archive-date=26 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Band history== The Soothsayers' first album, ''Lost City'', was released in 2000. The band spent their formative years performing in South London venues and developing a compositional style influenced mainly by the music of South African township musicians such as Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela, and instrumental reggae artists such as Tommy McCook and the Skatalites. The album includes the song "Follow Your Path", which features Nigerian singer/musician Adesose Wallace and shows how the band developed their own version of Afrobeat, which would become an important feature of their later work. ''Lost City'' also features South African guitarist Lucky Ranku, as well as many London-based musicians who became part of the Soothsayers collective.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite news|last=Fordham |first=John|title=Jazz CD Releases|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/apr/05/shopping.artsfeatures5|accessdate=15 October 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian|date=5 April 2002|location=London}}</ref><ref name="Lost City Review">{{cite web|last=Bacon|first=Peter|title=Cd of the Week |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CD+Review%3A+JAZZ+CD+OF+THE+WEEK.-a081992353|work=The Free Library|accessdate=15 October 2012}}</ref>
Their second album, ''Tangled Roots,'' was released in 2005 and was more Afrobeat inspired. It featured collaborations with Keziah Jones, Adesose Wallace, Maxi Jazz and Netsayi Chigwendere. Rahman and Hopcraft wrote, produced and mixed this album. It was a more studio-produced album than ''Lost City'' and represented a step forward in the pair's quest to combine elements of Afrobeat groove and melody with dub production and sound.<ref name="Tangled Roots BBC Review">{{cite web|last=C|first=JJ|title=November 2005 |url=http://bbc.preview.somethinelse.com/africabeyond/africaonyourstreet/hosts/jjc/17868.shtml|work=BBC AFRICA ON YOUR STREET|publisher=BBC |accessdate=15 October 2012}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref><ref name="Tangled Roots All About Jazz Review">{{cite web|last=May|first=Chris |title=Soothsayers: Tangled Roots|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tangled-roots-soothsayers-red-earth-records-review-by-chris-may|work=All about Jazz|date=10 March 2006 |access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> Soothsayers released the track "Blinded Souls" from this album as a ten-inch vinyl single, with remixes by Quantic and Mad Professor.
The third studio album ''One More Reason'', was released in 2009 (under the name Soothsayers and the Red Earth Collective). It featured a collection of reggae veterans such as Johnny Clarke, Michael Prophet and Linval Thompson. This album was the first to be mixed by London reggae producer and DJ Manasseh. It was also the first album to feature the harmonic vocal style that has since become an important feature of the band's sound.<ref name="One More Reason The Jazz Mann Review">{{cite web|last=Mann|first=Ian|title=The Jazz Mann Soothsayers Review |url=http://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/soothsayers-one-more-reason/|work=The Jazz Mann|accessdate=15 October 2012}}</ref>
Their fourth album, ''Red Earth Dub'', was released in 2010. It was a collection of dubs and remixes by Manasseh, which also included two new compositions created in collaboration with Manasseh.<ref name="Red Earth Dub BBC Review">{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Angus|title=Red Earth Dub BBC Review|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/rhfd/|work=BBC Reviews|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref>
Their fifth album, ''Human Nature'', was released in 2012. At the time of its creation, Soothsayers had fully developed their own three-part harmony vocal style (featuring the voices of Rahman, Hopcraft and younger band member Julia Biel) which had become an integral part of the sound of the music. The music, while still fundamentally inspired by dub, reggae and Afrobeat, now had a unique compositional and production style, bringing together the various strands of bass-heavy, groove-inspired music that had characterized their work over the previous decade.<ref name="bbc music review - human nature">{{cite web|last=taylor|first=angus|title=bbc music review - human nature |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/n9gw/|work=bbc online|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="review - the independent">{{cite news |last=male|first=howard|title=review|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-soothsayers-human-nature-red-earth-records-8326266.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-soothsayers-human-nature-red-earth-records-8326266.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=27 December 2012|newspaper=the independent|location=London|date=18 November 2012}}</ref> ''Human Nature'' has been played by DJs on BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, BBC 6 Music and numerous radio stations worldwide. It was featured on Gilles Peterson's 'Best of 2012' show.<ref name="Gilles Peterson">{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Gilles|title=Gilles Peterson BBC6 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pglhf|work=best of 2012 BBC6 show|publisher=BBC6|access-date=27 December 2012}}</ref>
Soothsayers signed to London-based label Wah Wah 45s in 2017. The label had released two EPs in 2017, ''Speak to my Soul'' and ''Speak to my Soul Remixed'' (released in July and September 2017 respectively).
Their sixth album, ''Tradition'', was released in 2018. ''Tradition'' marked the first album to be recorded by the Soothsayers after their signing to Wah Wah 45s in 2017. ''Tradition Remixed'' was released the following year and contained remixes by, amongst others, Wu-Lu, Sarathy Korwar, Steve Cobby, Manasseh and Ben Hauke.
''We Are Many'', was released in 2020, featuring Victor Rice on bass plus musicians from São Paulo , where initial sessions for the album were recorded. The collaboration with Victor and other Brazilian musicians continued during lockdowns via zoom and produced the double album ''Soothsayers meets Victor Rice and Friends''
''Fly Higher'' is a new album due out in September 2025
==Touring==
Throughout their career, the band has predominantly performed in the UK and Europe, playing at major jazz, reggae and world music festivals Rototom Sunsplash, the North Sea Jazz Festival and Glastonbury Festival. Soothsayers have also performed and toured extensively with Johnny Clarke, Michael Prophet and Cornel Campbell,<ref name="Soothsayers/Cornel Campbell Live Review">{{cite web|last=Katz|first=David|title=Cornel Campbell in London |url=http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1052/080112/cornell-campbell-in-london|work=United Reggae Reviews|accessdate=15 October 2012}}</ref> performing some of their classics as well as new collaborative material.
==Collaborations== Hopcraft and Rahman have also collaborated with many other musicians, including Osibisa, Mad Professor, Rico Rodriguez, Jerry Dammers, Ayub Ogada, Aswad, Julia Biel, Zoe Rahman and Arun Ghosh. in 2011, they were asked by members of the band Antibalas to participate in the London production of the musical '''Fela!''<nowiki/>',<ref name="'Fela!' Independent Review">{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Paul|title=Fela! National Theatre |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/fela-national-theatre-olivier-london-2136932.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/fela-national-theatre-olivier-london-2136932.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=15 October 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=2012-10-15|location=London}}</ref> about the life of Afrobeat creator Fela Kuti, which ran for four months at London's National Theatre. Hopcraft was the musical director and trumpeter and Rahman played the saxophone part mimed to by the actor in the title role.
==Lineup==
* Robin Hopcraft (trumpet, vocals, production) * Idris Rahman (sax, vocals, production) * Emmanuel Afram (bass) * Saleem Raman (drums) * Julia Biel (vocals) * Andrew Gibson (guitar) * Kishon Khan (keyboard)
===Members of the wider Soothsayers Collective===
==Discography== ===Albums=== * ''Lost City'' (2000, Red Earth Records) * ''Tangled Roots'' (2004, Red Earth Records) * ''One More Reason'' (2009, Red Earth Records) * ''Red Earth Dub'' (2010, Red Earth Records) * ''Human Nature'' (2012, Red Earth Records) * ''Tradition'' (2018, Wah Wah 45s) * ''We Are Many'', (2020, Wah Wah 45s) * ''Soothsayers Meets Victor Rice and Friends'' (2022, Red Earth Music) <ref>{{Cite web |title=Soothsayers Meets Victor Rice and Friends, by soothsayers |url=https://soothsayers.bandcamp.com/album/soothsayers-meets-victor-rice-and-friends |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=soothsayers |language=en}}</ref> * ''Fly Higher'', (2025, Wah Wah 45s)
===EPs and singles=== * "Blinded Souls" 10", featuring remixes by Quantic and Mad Professor (2005, Red Earth Records) * "Bad Boys" 7', featuring Johnny Clarke (2009, Red Earth Records) * "Love Fire" 7", featuring Michael Prophet (2009, Red Earth Records) * "I'll Never Leave / I'm Leaving" 7", featuring Cornel Campbell and Lutan Fyah (2011, Red Earth Records) * "We're Not Leaving" 7" (2012, Red Earth Records) * "We're Not Leaving" 12" (2012, Red Earth Records) * "Goodnight Rico" 7" (2016, Red Earth Records) * "Nothing Can Stop Us / Take Me High" 7" (2016, Red Earth Records) * "Speak To My Soul" 10" (2017, Wah Wah 45s) * "Speak To My Soul Remixed" 12" (2017, Wah Wah 45s) * "Dis & Dat" 12" (2018, Wah Wah 45s) * "Sleepwalking (Black Man's Cry) / Natural Mystic" 7" (2018, Wah Wah 45s) * "Watching The Stars" (2018, Wah Wah 45s)
===Compilations featured=== * Vibrations from the Motherland ("Crocodiles" featuring Busi Mholongo, 2008, Melt 2000)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Musical groups from London