Imagine taking some of the best soul music from the past 40 years and pressing it onto vinyl. Now, picture those songs captured in a compilation so meticulous, it feels like a journey through time itself. That’s Love & Purpose, First Word Records’ tribute to two decades of unearthing the best in underground soul—a labyrinthine voyage into the core of British soul music.
Aly Gillani (a.k.a. Gilla), the architect behind this music time machine, has created more than just an album. It’s a curated map of the human spirit’s resilience and expression through music. From orchestrating club nights like Funky Mule and New Bohemia, to helming stages at festivals like We Out Here, Gilla’s journey has always been driven by a singular passion: to uplift and illuminate British music. Co-founding First Word Records with Sheffield’s DJ Andy H in 2004, Gilla established a stronghold for artists like Children Of Zeus, Kaidi Tatham, and Amanda Whiting. Winning the Label of the Year at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards in 2019 was merely the crowning of a kingdom well-earned.
Love & Purpose is Gilla and First World Records’ showpiece, a 12-track compilation that spans four decades of the best of underground British soul. The album unfolds over two halves: “Love” and “Purpose.” The first half pays homage to the artists who laid the foundation before 2000. Standout tracks from this side include Ruth Joy’s “Feel,” produced by Carl McIntosh, the nostalgic pangs of 52nd Street’s “Tell Me (How It Feels),” and Omar’s timeless “Ghana Emotion.” Flip to “Purpose,” and the torch passes to the future’s musical custodians. Here, Lynda Dawn and XL Middleton resurrect street-soul sounds with modern flair on “Roses,” while Children Of Zeus’ “Hard Work” spins a modern-day lovers rock classic.
While retrospective in nature, Gilla’s curatorial genius ensures Love & Purpose is more than a mere anthology; it’s a lifeline for British soul’s vibrant continuum. As Gilla reflects in the album’s liner notes, “This release is my contribution to the lineage of compilation albums that were so important to me in my early days as a DJ. The colonial legacy of Britain created uniquely diverse cities – and the music that came from those immigrant communities was equally singular. From the pain and struggle that the various peoples who ended up on these shores endured came a joyful expression that could not be contained.”
Love & Purpose encapsulates that spirit, a soulful odyssey through time, bearing witness to the unyielding pulse of British soul.
Listen/buy: Bandcamp
