Hifi Sean: ‘Ft’ album review

❉ Former Soup Dragon HiFi Sean has assembled an all-star cast for new long player “Ft”, reviewed by We Are Cult’s Ange Chan.

The long-awaited album by ex-Soup Dragon turned international superstar DJ HiFi Sean called “Ft” is a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of classic talent. From dance-floor groovers to chilled vibes, it’s all killer, no filler.

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The opening track features Crystal Waters, a house music singer and songwriter best known for her 1990s dance hits Gypsy Woman and 100% Pure Love. It’s the ideal opening track for the album, giving a funky vibe which can’t fail to make you shake your tush, and features an insanely catchy hook.

The next couple of tracks take the funkometer down a notch or two and features Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, the inimitable Yoko Ono, and William Earl ‘Bootsy’ Collins, who rose to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic.

The album progresses seamlessly to the tushie-shaking funkmeister himself, Mr David McAlmont with Like Josephine Baker, a track which can’t fail to have you grooving like the song’s namesake!

The dance floor fillers continue with Paris Grey’s Lost Without You, and then turning the funkability up to 11 with Ultratheque which has the unmistakable vibes of both The Grid and Soft Cell’s dance floor classic Memorabilia, which is unsurprising, as the legend that is Dave Ball features in this track. This track was written as a tribute to Glasgow’s first laser disco, and was available as the first released single from Ft.

Don’t sit down just yet because Truck featuring the legendary vocals of Fred Schneider of The B52’s fame will satisfy your need for an eminently danceable disco track.

Back to a more relaxed vibe, to catch your breath, is a track by Nu Jazz Lounge singer Jean Honeymoon, before the techno beat is ramped up again to the gorgeous Little Annie’s Just Another Song. The charming Jazz chanteuse is pure New York and is an amazing woman of many many talents including singer, songwriter, painter, poet, writer, performing and recording artist, pastor and stage actor. This track is most definitely not just another song and the trip hop melodies over rubbed with Annie’s unmistakeable husky voice will stay with you for a long time.

ft. Little Annie
‘You’re Just Another Song’ ft. Little Annie

The impressive line up continues with über-cool, disco diva extraordinaire Billie Ray Martin’s Heavy Game, a funky groove which fits right in.

Heartbreak House featuring Scarlett Fantastic’s Maggie K de Monde which is a dub-base departure from her usual style, however the change in direction isn’t unnatural and proves her depth of range as a highly adaptable and accomplished artiste.

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The album finishes all to soon with the poignant A Kiss before Dying by Soft Cell-influenced, electronic-protopunk Suicide’s Alan Vega who sadly passed away just two months prior to this album’s release, on 16 July this year. This track was the last thing Alan recorded so it’s right and fitting that his wish for the track to be included, is here.

It’s a lamentable song which is like a musical kiss before an eternal goodbye. Extremely moving.

All-in-all this ageless album will be played on repeat for a very long time. It will move you. It will groove you and you’ll lose yourself in its gorgeousness for many fun-filled nights and days to come. It’s if it’s time yet also a classic album in the making. Bravo HiFi and all who’ve been involved in this amazing release.


❉ ‘Ft.’ is available on double vinyl, CD and digital formats from iTunes and all usual retailers of fine music.  

Ange Chan is a poet and novelist. Her fourth poetry collection, ‘FAME; What’s Your Name?’ was published in paperback and on Kindle earlier this year, and her second novel, ‘Baby Can You Hear Me?’ was published this August in paperback and on Kindle. 

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