- 12inch
- Recommended
- New Release
Rajan James
Impossible Dreams
Left Ear Records
- Cat No: LER1024
- updated:2020-02-20
LEFT EAR RECORDS reissues a magical, previously unreleased synthesizer-pop gem by Jamaican-born British musician Rajan James.
Rajan James, the Jamaican-born English-raised musician’s ‘Impossible Dreams’ is an inspirational sax-laced single that walks a fine line between North American boogie and British synth-pop influences of the 1980’s, yet manages to sound distinctly her own. Left Ear have salvaged both the unreleased full-length versions, including the instrumental for a 12” single.
In the early 80’s Rajan headed to the States for a 5-week holiday, which turned into a 3 year hiatus. It was here that she was initially looking for inspiration from gospel singers, a natural progression from the choirs she had been singing in back home, even performing solo alongside her drum machine. It was in the States the she saw what she describes as the “future” of music, particularly “dance” music. Rajan returned to England with an open mind and an enriched cultural appreciation for a diverse range of sounds. It’s at this stage that she recorded ‘Impossible Dreams’ and released it on Steve Ayers’ ‘One Giant Leap’ compilation. Unfortunately, due to the release being an album of demos the track was cut short to make way for songs from other artists. Furthermore, it was never picked up for a single release and faded into obscurity. Rajan did release a single the following year called ‘Time’, unfortunately the label went into receivership and the release failed to make ground. After this, Rajan explains that “life got in the way and music had to take a back seat”. Thirty-seven years after the fact and Rajan’s ‘Impossible Dreams’ sounds just as relevant today, with an eternal message of optimism and hope.
“Remember don’t give up on Your dreams it's never too late. If you fall get up and try again” Blessings R T James
In the early 80’s Rajan headed to the States for a 5-week holiday, which turned into a 3 year hiatus. It was here that she was initially looking for inspiration from gospel singers, a natural progression from the choirs she had been singing in back home, even performing solo alongside her drum machine. It was in the States the she saw what she describes as the “future” of music, particularly “dance” music. Rajan returned to England with an open mind and an enriched cultural appreciation for a diverse range of sounds. It’s at this stage that she recorded ‘Impossible Dreams’ and released it on Steve Ayers’ ‘One Giant Leap’ compilation. Unfortunately, due to the release being an album of demos the track was cut short to make way for songs from other artists. Furthermore, it was never picked up for a single release and faded into obscurity. Rajan did release a single the following year called ‘Time’, unfortunately the label went into receivership and the release failed to make ground. After this, Rajan explains that “life got in the way and music had to take a back seat”. Thirty-seven years after the fact and Rajan’s ‘Impossible Dreams’ sounds just as relevant today, with an eternal message of optimism and hope.
“Remember don’t give up on Your dreams it's never too late. If you fall get up and try again” Blessings R T James

Jamaican-born British musician RAJAN JAMES crossed over to America for what was meant to be a five-week vacation and ended up staying three years — during which he began performing with drum machines alongside the gospel that was part of his roots. This is the previously unreleased full-length version of "Impossible Dreams," originally featured on 101 International's 1983 compilation "One Giant Leap," which gathered demos from independent musicians working in the wake of the then-burgeoning punk and new wave scenes. Enchanting sound production built on rhythm machines, layers of sax and guitar, and synth bass, drawing influence from cutting-edge American boogie and British synth-pop. Paired with his slightly idiosyncratic vocals, the result is exquisite. Instrumental version also included. (Original Japanese text by Saito)