{"product_id":"zen224","title":"Seven Davis Jr - Universes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eFrom time to time a DJ or producer comes along who transcends a particular scene, bridges the gap between disparate movements and unites tribal music fans. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e has that talismanic quality. His productions have a rawness… a loose-knit, lolloping groove that seduces even the most steadfastly stubborn of hips.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn 24th July 2015, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven Davis Jr\u003c\/a\u003e will release his debut album \u003cem\u003eUniverses\u003c\/em\u003e via Ninja Tune – his most honest and heartfelt musical statement to date. Recorded in LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam and London, it’s a unique exploration of his musical landscape, traversing tempos and flipping styles with typical panache but always embedded in the bedrock of soul and funk. Deeply personal, the record brings a positive message rooted in freedom, integrity and self-improvement: \u003cem\u003e“Finding your place. Knowing yourself. Being where you belong.”\u003c\/em\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Houston, Texas, before relocating to Northern California, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven Davis Jr\u003c\/a\u003e was raised on the classics – from Michael Jackson and Prince to Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. He studied gospel and jazz singing, channeling the spirit of heroes Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Burt Bacharach. During his teenage years he discovered dance music, specifically house and jungle, which coincided with a period of substance abuse and a downturn in his fortune and wellbeing. However, dragging himself up and out of this abyss, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e emerged from these dark times stronger and more resilient than ever, determined to spread positivity through his music.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSDJR’s\u003c\/a\u003e early Bandcamp output was more closely aligned to Los Angeles’ vibrant left-leaning electronic underground. Nurtured by the Hit+Run crew, he owes his first official release to \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kutmah#.VUH7W2TBzGc\"\u003eKutmah\u003c\/a\u003e (who bagged ‘Thanks’ for his Worldwide Family Vol.2 compilation on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood imprint in 2012). It was the only four-to-the-floor jam on an album curated by a DJ who is rarely drawn to that style and that fact alone is significant.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen he’s making straight ahead house music, the swing is reminiscent of classic Todd Edwards and the drums bump ‘n’ shuffle like Tuff Jam and Derrick Carter. And the vocals… well at times it’s like he’s channeling the spirit of George Clinton, offset with the sweet character of Peven Everett – the perfect balance of rough and smooth – it’s that undeniable funk that hooks in the hip-hop fans, the cats that don’t generally mess with “house” music. \"Good Vibes\" (feat. Julio Bashmore) nails this dynamic in a whirlwind 3 mins 18 secs that recalls Daft Punk at their boisterous best – proof that sometimes all you need is a chopped-up disco loop and a hook.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElsewhere on \u003cem\u003eUniverses\u003c\/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e brings a similar soulful energy that Moodymann or Theo Parrish purvey. \"Sunday Morning\" picks up where Seven’s \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/release\/seven-davis-jr\/wild-hearts\"\u003eWild Hearts 12”\u003c\/a\u003e left off, a mighty ditty with the cheeky mantra \u003cem\u003e“I bet ya never had a love like this before?”\u003c\/em\u003e sitting pretty upon bustling drums and bass punctuated with snatches of guitar. \u003cem\u003e“It’s about having healthy confidence in yourself and what you can offer the world,”\u003c\/em\u003e says \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e. There are more introspective moments on the record too – such as \"Fighters\" and \"Afterlife\" (feat. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kutmah#.VUH7W2TBzGc\"\u003eKutmah\u003c\/a\u003e) – that explore murkier downtempo depths. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e refers to them as \u003cem\u003e“ballads”\u003c\/em\u003e. \r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSeven\u003c\/a\u003e is a unifying force and the well of support for his endeavours runs deep, from Mos Def to Four Tet to Julio Bashmore and way beyond. As an intergalactic soul record Universes delivers on all fronts, admirably showcasing the breadth and depth of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/seven-davis-jr#.VUH6vWTBzGc\"\u003eSDJR’s\u003c\/a\u003e productions and the honesty and humour that makes his music so instantly recogniseable. Catch him in this cosmos before he jets off to another time and space.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934214877343,"sku":"ZEN224","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934214910111,"sku":"ZENCD224","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD Indie edition w\/bonus disc","offer_id":44934214942879,"sku":"ZENCD224X","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/universes-deluxe-version-main.jpg?v=1736246555","url":"https:\/\/merch.ninjatune.net\/products\/zen224","provider":"Ninja Tune","version":"1.0","type":"link"}