Smoove & Turrell

Formed in England, the Northern funk outfit Smoove & Turrell fused funk, Northern soul, and hip-hop into a timeless yet updated style, quickly establishing themselves as central figures within the vibrant northern English funk and soul community during the early 2010s. At its heart the group consists of the longstanding partnership between DJ and producer Jonathan Scott Watson, known professionally as Smoove, and vocalist and lyricist John Turrell, each of whom had already built significant careers in music prior to their collaboration. Smoove began spinning records in the early 1990s, later expanding into production and remixing while also hosting radio shows and leading the funk ensemble Rubberneck; he issued a pair of solo albums on the Acid Jazz label during the mid-2000s. Turrell, prior to linking with Smoove, served as lead singer of the Stevies and earned recognition as the top British male funk vocalist in a BBC radio audience poll; even after forming the duo he maintained an active role as a guest vocalist for other acts and issued his own solo record, The Kingmaker, in 2013.

Their first single, the 2007 track “I Can’t Give You Up,” appeared as a split release alongside Torpedo Boyz on the German imprint Club Tikka and sold out immediately, attaining instant rarity status with secondary-market copies fetching more than $200. Once the duo completed their debut album Antique Soul they forwarded the recordings to the British label Jalapeno, which reportedly extended a contract offer within an hour and brought the project out in 2009. Across three subsequent Jalapeno releases—Eccentric Audio in 2011, Broken Toys in 2014, and Crown Posada in 2016, the last named for Newcastle’s smallest pub—the band honed its characteristic blend of classic melodic funk and soul laced with hip-hop elements, all produced entirely by Smoove inside his compact home studio. Most tracks originated from an initial lyric supplied by Turrell together with a musical motif contributed by either member, after which the full ensemble layered additional parts; on later projects band members also supplied original compositions of their own. Deeply attached to their Northern roots, the pair frequently invoked that heritage, with Turrell’s enigmatic, seasoned, and lived-in lyrics serving as the primary appeal for listeners and sustaining interest in the group’s steadfast approach, which deliberately avoided modern pop production trends.