Rare Groove

Reggae

Remixes 

Soul

Sweet Rhythms

60s Soul

Soul is a major genre in it's own right, but over the decades has been associated with various related styles. Often transcending boundaries, countless artists have added spice to the constantly evolving music whilst preserving it's emotion and feeling. R&B has always been considered as the umbrella for all these genres and styles.

The soul sound evolved during the 60s with labels like Motown and Atlantic laying the foundations. In the early 70s the music allied itself to the growing number of underground clubs and the soul scene was born. Mainstream radio largely ignored soul music and sadly failed to acknowledge the talents of a whole multitude of artists.  

By the mid 70s the underground soul scene was firmly established and 1976 saw the first 12" singles released which coincided with an explosion in soul's popularity. The first commercial 12" was Double Exposure 'Ten Per Cent' (Salsoul), with Four Below Zero 'My Baby's Got ESP' (Roulette) and 
Barrabas 'Mellow Blow' (Atco) released soon afterwards.

The trend-setting DJs played an exciting mix of soul styles and the scene reached it's peak in the late 70s and early 80s which is often referred to as the jazz-funk era. The number of classic tracks originating from this period is remarkable. Certain record labels were associated with their own distinctive sound such as Philadelphia, Salsoul and Prelude which were very successful and influential. 
 
With the advent of electro, house and hip-hop, the soul scene gradually slipped back underground. As the 80s progressed quality soul music became scarcer and helped to fuel the 'rare groove' boom. Since the early 90s many new soul talents have emerged known affectionately as Sweet Rhythms and whose music can now be heard alongside gems from the 70s and 80s .......quality is timeless. 

KUTE playlists are an exceptional representation of the very best music of the past few decades.  Some artists and tracks are featured in several different categories, but it doesn't matter how the music is labelled .......it's what's in the groove that counts.