Chris Read delivers an album that perfectly fits the Breakin Bread sound ...;...;.touching on Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Disco and Tropical flavours. "Small Steps" does exactly what the description suggests, rounding up the best tracks from Chris's many popular 7" inch releases for the label, placing them alongside new alternate versions and previously unreleased tracks.Not one to be held back by the restraints of genre classification, Chris's productions cover a lot of ground and gives us a palette of found sounds born out of the Hip Hop traditions of hunting for the unusual among the cast aside and forgotten. The resulting album is gloriously mixed bag of authentic sounding cuts influenced by groove led music from across the globe
The album opens with an uncharacteristic intro in the form of 'The Inconspicuous Man', an eerie, Eastern influenced ode to the mysterious practices of the record hunter. The album's real opener however is the Soul drenched 'Traditions (Of The Soul)' featuring long time collaborator and former Tru Thoughts vocalist Lizzy Parks. An instrumental version of this previously unreleased track appears among the album's bonus tracks.Continuing the theme of 'tradition', the album takes on a faster pace with the arrival of 'Rap Tradition' featuring legendary Philadelphia mic controller Phill Most Chill. Topping end of year lists worldwide as well as countless best sellers lists upon release, Chris's 2013 ode to hip hop's roots 'Rap Tradition' has become something of a throwback anthem. Chris's own 'Rap Renaissance Remix' is also featured as an album bonus track.
Heading to the warmer climes of South America, Ritmos Colombianos and Disco Cumbia fuse the infectious sounds of Columbia with the beat driven music of the West to create a pair of cuts packed with the spirit of the carnival. Ritmos Colombianos appears as an extended version not previously available on the 7 inch release. The midway point of this Long Player is marked by Chris's latest single, 'The Magic Is Gone' featuring Speedometer front man Myles Sanko and The So Much Soul Players, a collection of musical collaborators including Rob Barron (Nostalgia 77) who delivers a stellar Hammond Solo on this beat driven Hammond Funk floorfiller. The instrumental 'Hammond Reprise' version appears among the album's bonus tracks.
Taking the proceedings to Africa, 'Sons D'Afrique' and 'Dub Afrique' deliver two uniquely different takes on the Afro Beat sound. Chris's previously unreleased 'Extended Afro Chant Mix' of 'Sons D'Afrique' is another fast paced carnival workout fusing pulsing percussion with a heavy horn line and traditional chants. 'Dub Afrique' on the other hand takes a more laid back approach with an atmospheric flute sample sitting atop tempo shifting broken drums and warm bass. An alternate version 'Extended Afro Dub' is available as a bonus track for digital purchasers.
Remaining with the theme of Dub, the previously unreleased 'Forward Dub' offers an authentic take on the Roots sound with a contemporary twist. A stepper's delight packed with dubbed out delay and echo. Changing up the pace once again, 'Mambo Jazz Del Pito' returns to Latin America, this time with a jazzier twist. Featuring Giles Barratt on guitar, 'Mambo Jazz...' is a festival of percussion, whistles and an infectious piano groove lifted from Chris's 2012 7 inch single of the same name. Rounding off the proceedings is a reprise of 'The Inconspicuous Man', this time introducing drums and vocals to the Eastern blend and bringing the album full circle. We hope you enjoyed the trip!
BIOGRAPHY Chris Read, a collector of Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Boogie and related Jazz based music since the late 80s, came to prominence in the mid 90s as a result of a high profile 10 year residency at Midlands Hip Hop and Funk institution 'Substance' (one of the largest nights of its kind in the UK). Launching his production career a little over a decade ago, Chris has released music for the cream of Europe's independent labels including Different Drummer, Push the Fader, Bastard Jazz and BBE. Recent remixes and collaborations include DJ Spinna, Oddisee, Lizzy Parks and many others. He's also a prominent DJ on the UK and European scene spinning highly crafted sets honed over years of DJing and producing mix CDs.