EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Searchlight x [KSR] team up for ‘Journey’ thrills

Making their mark on the UK Neo-Soul / Neo-Jazz scene, Searchlight debut and share about their latest track, ‘Journey’, featuring [ K S R ]

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Searchlight are here with a new track from their much anticipated debut album. Featuring Manchester Soul icon in the making, [ K S R ], the fusion of [ K S R ]’s soulful croon and Searchlight’s distinct cinematic sound. The new song is titled ‘Journey’ and the name really does say it all. [ K S R ] sonically guides you with his silky vocals through Searchlight’s progressive yet melodious backing.

Irish producers Cian McCann (Were T) and Dom Purcell (Beta2) make up Searchlight. Supported by Goldie’s Fallen Tree 1Hundred, Searchlight and their nuanced sound are defining the path for ‘future retro’. 

even though Searchlight is a new thing, we have been working on music together for over 20 years

[ K S R] and Searchlight met 5 years ago at Outlook Festival and since then have collaborated on a number of projects. These collaborations continue to showcase a mutual appreciation for their styles and musicality. Both Searchlight and [ K S R ] share a love and mastery of the essence of Neo-Soul. They also share their admiration for Dwele, D’Angelo and Maxwell, as reflected in their new euphonious track.

Searchlight are growing recognition with a single that surmounted 200+ plays across UK radio, support from the likes of Giles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Lauren Laverne, Future Soul and more. They are permanently on our radar and we can’t wait to hear what this duo are yet to release.

The story behind ‘Journey’…

“It’s a simple love song really…. When we work with vocalists we never give any specific direction in terms of theme or lyrical content. We only work with artists we completely trust, musically speaking, so we know when we supply the right piece of music, they will give it what it needs.” 

It’s just about catching a vibe in the moment… Our aim was to make a smokey, neo-soul, Baduizm vibe

“The track is all built around the simple piano line. That was the jump-off point with this song. It’s just about catching a vibe in the moment and then seeing it out to fruition. Our aim was to make a smokey, neo-soul, Baduizm vibe.”

Defining Searchlight’s signature sound, ‘Future Retro‘…

“The most futuristic music to us is not contemporary music at all. It’s music from the past that sounds like it came from the future. A future we won’t arrive at for centuries.”

The perfect time to listen to Journey, according to Searchlight…

“Somewhere intimate, ideally with company.”

The most futuristic music to us is not contemporary music at all. It’s music from the past that sounds like it came from the future. A future we won’t arrive at for centuries

On the vibes Searchlight have coming on their debut album …

“You can expect a mishmash of vibes and tempos that could all be loosely put under the umbrella of jazz. More specifically there are neo-soul tracks like ‘Journey‘ and ‘Can We Go Back‘, more uptempo instrumental tunes like ‘Freedom‘ and ‘Preacher‘ and then some more cinematic tracks like ‘Breathe’ and ‘Afraid of The Dark’, which both feature Tolü Makay.”

If you are new to Searchlight…

“If you are a fan of any of the following artists you might like what we’ve got: Erykah Badu, 4hero, D’Angelo, Children of Zeus, Dwele, Jill Scott, Kamaal Williams, Henry Wu, Gilles Peterson etc etc. The best way of describing what Searchlight is would be that we are set up like Massive Attack, but based in Jazz. We are two producers conceiving the ideas, then incorporating musicians and singers to complete the tracks. Like with Massive Attack, the singers and players may change and vary, but so long as we are at the heart of it: It’s Searchlight music!”

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Listen to Journey by Searchlight across streaming platforms now and follow them on Instagram