The Afro Soul Prophecy - Heat In The City

The Afro Soul Prophecy is an atypical musical project, out of time and trends, born out of the passion of a cosmopolitan group of like-minded musicians. ‘Heat In The City’ features all songs the band has ever recorded, including some previously released in 2017 on 7” (‘Red Light District / The Game of Love’, ‘Daddy’s Groove / Let Me Be your Lover’) and 10” (with three different versions of ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’).

The Afro Soul Prophecy formed thanks to the initiative of Luciano Cantone, co-founder of Schema Records, also the producer of the album.

‘Heat in the City’ is an almost completely instrumental album that finds its strength in its simplicity and balance between parts. The songs’ composer is Alex Puddu, well-known especially for his ‘Golden Age of Danish Pornography’ disco-funk triptych, flanked by a large group of international artists who helped him bring to life this project: Abdissa “Mamba” Assefa (Ethiopia, drums and percussion), Antti Lötjönen (Finland, double bass), Georgios Kontrafouris (Greece, Wurlitzer and Hammond), Timo Lassy (Finland, saxophone), Gendrickson “Pucci” Mena (Cuba, trumpet), Massimo Martellotta (Italy, guitar) and Morten Grønvad (Denmark, vibraphone).

The Afro Soul Prophecy’s sound and groove are rooted in Black music, and so rich of nuances it requires an in-depth listening to be fully assimilated.

‘Heat in the City’ is a record that draws inspiration from The Meters, War and Roy Ayers’ downbeat funk, but also indulges in Afrobeat (The Devil Made Me Do It), Latin (Let Me Be Your Lover, The Game of Love, Daddy’s Groove) and disco excursions (Everybody’s Going Uptown, Fire in Acapulco, Mean Street), while ‘Summer of ’75’ and ‘The Crowd Pleaser’ evoke pure Blaxploitation scenarios. 

‘Heat in the City’ owes most of its qualities to the fundamental contribution of Abdissa Assefa on percussion and Antti Lötjönen on double bass - a particular and atypical instrument in such musical context, as well as to Pietro Ciancaglini’s arrangements.

The final result is a rich, multi-faceted and deeply immersive musical experience that will reveal new details through many pleasurable listening sessions.