Artist: Opolopo
Title: Beyond Jipangu
Cat No: SBDIG001
Release date: 28/8 - 2009
Format: Album - digital download
Peter Major aka Opolopo has been immersed in soulful music since early childhood. Having a keyboard playing father with a respectable collection of jazz, soul and fusion records laid out the obvious musical path. Artists like Herbie Hancock, Jeff Lorber, Earth Wind & Fire, Brecker Brothers, Bob James, George Duke, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Gino Vannelli etc, started him off and are still major influences.
Opolopo started out with overdubbing on cassette decks with a Casio VL Tone toy keyboard and gradually moving on to proper synths and beat boxes to computers. After years of gigging and perfecting production skills in the studio, it was time to approach the record labels. After a few obscure independent releases, and productions and remixes for the majors, Peter dropped the Opolopo debut album, Omnifarious, in 2003. It kind of summed up the various elements that had made up his musical universe to that point, spanning from d'n'b through House to Soul. The second full length album, Beyond Jipangu, is out now on Swedish Brandy Productions. Most of Opolopo´s stuff is danceable but never looses the jazz and soul element. As Peter says, ”It’s like Herbie Hancock once said in an interview: "As much as I kept trying to make it funk, it kept integrating with these jazz elements, so after a while I stopped fighting."
Opolopo´s previous releases can be found on labels such as Especial Records, Swedish Brandy Productions, Sick Trumpet, Om Records and Tru Thoughs, but to name a few.
On this album you will find thirteen somking hot tracks, including three remixes of original tracks produced by Bennson, Chamade Beat and Sugar Beats, featuring vocalists such as Karl Wagner, Amalia, Stephanie Renee, Anna Sise, Nadine Francois and Ed Blak.
AND SOME NICE PEOPLE SAYS...
"Bennson remix, Trip to the Moon and Madness are my faves of the ones I haven't heard before. A slick soulful album, oozing with super tight production and great songs! Well done all, nice work!"
- Domu
"DOPE!!!"
- Seiji
"Quality album! Many favourites. Dope!"
- Volcov (isoul8)
The golden tag of Opolopo & Miss Amalia, plus the classic Trips to the Moon!!!
- Dai Kurihara
All quality stuf as ever! Some great soul vibes.
- Charles Webster
Proper soul album! Street Lights is Chaka-esque and good to hear that old Sugar Beats cut on there too.
- Dom Servini
Great album from start to finish! Perfect sound quality. Keep Walking caught my ear the most so far. Will play it at Pacha early hours and the beach. Thank you so much!
- Willie Graff
Swedish Brandy comin' through with the goods! I'm very much down with Opolopo's remix of Bennson & Life's A Dance - gonna sound awesome on the dancefloor!
- CASBAH 73
Always fresh vibes... Like it and will play it out loud!
- Frank Jensen (Soulparlor)
WOW, seriously? Brilliant!
- Junior (Record Breakin')
I have been playing some of these tunes already over the years, but great to have them on one project. Excellent future boogie!
- Kev Beadle
Amazing album. Loving all the production and all of the vocals... Peter is a very talented producer.. I see him going far!
- Rob Grega (Om records)
All tracks really nice. Nice balance of house, broken & downtempo. Good luck with the release, full support from this end. All the best.
- Ste (Sick Trumpet Records)
Good that Opolopo finally puts out another album. Many of the tunes I've heard previously, but others I haven't heard before are here too. Still that same tough-as-nails groove that Opolopo does so well; time to take it to the world! Full support!
- Velanche
Absolute Fire. Feeling the package and will support. Thanks for sending it my way.
- Boddhi Satva
Oh yeah let em in! This infectious & funked up groove makes me wonna holla. We at deephousemafia & superfly fm are feelin this one deep down! Cheers & please don´t stop that groove!
- Mierlansky (Deephousemafia)
Sorry for dwelling on the feedback.... I love this album.... so well produced it's ridiculous!! Proper funk space disco musix for 2009... especially diggin the broken vibes like on Street Lights, Lifes a Dance and Under the radar... Reminds me of good ol times with Kv5 and Agent K. So gald this kind of music is still around!! The intro of All Systems Down is mental.... Perfect groove! I wonder if you (Opolopo) ever heard Quant back in 2000-2005... such a big connection in sound and groove... Amalia keeping the whacky soul diva vibes up throughout the album... good stuff! My favourite track is the Sugar Beats mix.... fast and furiously fusionistic it's the kind of stuff that i always loved and the combination of live vs electronic is perfect. The programmed yet live sounding bass is to die for....
- Andreas Saag aka Swell Session
"Highly anticipated album by heavyweight futurist funk man Opolopo" - Beyondjazz
"Every time I hear music from Opolopo, my spirit lifts a little more. Technically and musically gifted, his risk taking grows with his confidence on every release. An undoubtedly necessary warrior in the new underground resistance to the norm." - Domu
"Always challenging, constantly surprising and definitely one of the leaders of the euro new school. Louder!!!" - Mark de Clive Lowe
"Opolopo and Amalia together is like FIRE!!!!!... I have to wear my oven mits to play their tunes!" - Daz-I-Kue
"Highly anticipated album by heavyweight futurist funk man Opolopo" - Beyondjazz
"Every time I hear music from Opolopo, my spirit lifts a little more. Technically and musically gifted, his risk taking grows with his confidence on every release. An undoubtedly necessary warrior in the new underground resistance to the norm." - Domu
"Always challenging, constantly surprising and definitely one of the leaders of the euro new school. Louder!!!" - Mark de Clive Lowe
"Opolopo and Amalia together is like FIRE!!!!!... I have to wear my oven mits to play their tunes!" - Daz-I-Kue