Vintage Soul
tagStarted 2001Peak 2006-2016Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Modern artists recreating 1960s-70s soul with period-correct fidelity: analog tape, vintage mics, live horn sections, gritty Booker T.-style rhythm pockets and unprocessed, gospel-grit vocals. Deliberately retro and warm, it sidesteps digital polish to chase the raw room sound of classic Stax and Daptone-style soul.
History
Driven by Brooklyn's Daptone Records, founded in 2001 by Gabriel Roth and Neal Sugarman, whose Dap-Kings backed Sharon Jones and later Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' (2006). Charles Bradley, Lee Fields and Eli 'Paperboy' Reed extended the movement, recording on analog gear and reviving the original soul sound for new audiences.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- 100 Days, 100 Nights — Sharon Jones & the Dap-KingsSpotifyYouTube
- The World (Is Going Up in Flames) — Charles BradleySpotifyYouTube
- Tears Dry on Their Own — Amy WinehouseSpotifyYouTube
- Faithful Man — Lee FieldsSpotifyYouTube
- Come and Get It — Eli 'Paperboy' ReedSpotifyYouTube
- Call Me — St. Paul & the Broken BonesSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daptone_Records
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Jones_%26_the_Dap-Kings
- https://daptonerecords.com/artists/sharon-jones-the-dap-kings/
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/retro-soul-ma0000025433