Review: Andre Espeut & Stefano de Santis - Wanna Know What’s On Your Mind (Ramrock Records)

Well it wasn't on our minds that Andre Espeut & Stefano de Santis would team up for a Lovers Rock summer, check out 'Wanna Know What’s On Your Mind' on Ramrock!

Regular readers may well be surprised to hear that Andre Espeut (last seen HERE teaming up with Inkswel as well Robert Burbridge - see HERE - and King Bee on Ramrock Red Records - see HERE) would get together with Stefano de Santis (a Ramrock regular - see HERE) at North Street West studio in Hastings via London and Rome, to produce 'Wanna Know What’s On Your Mind', original and dub, which are perfect lovers for a Sunday (and the rest of the week). 

Stefano says, "I met Andre in 2022 through some of his work. From the very first listen, I was struck by his tone and versatility, and I remember immediately thinking how great it would be to do something together.  Shortly after the release of my first EP, I received a message from him asking if I wanted to collaborate. “There you go, the law of attraction works perfectly!” I thought. We started working together, and a lot of great, diverse music has been coming out of it.   A common ground for our collaboration has been reggae. Both Andre and I grew up with this genre, and it was beautiful to reconnect with that vibe, since it’s not something we usually play and create, even though we both love it deeply".

 
Coming out just after Chilled Cider festival (which is just down the road from the much missed Wilkswood Reggae Festival and the news of the passing of Dubheart's Bongo Steve; RIP) this is the much needed boost to spiritual roots reggae and dub.

Let's hope by next years' Chilled Cider Festival I'll have a vinyl copy to play!

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER:  RR014 Andre Espeut & Stefano De Santis 'Wanna Know What's On Your Mind' EP | Andre Espeut, Stefano De Santis | Ramrock

Artist: Andre Espeut & Stefano de Santis

Title: Wanna Know What’s On Your Mind 

Release date: 10th July, 2026
Label: Ramrock Records
Cat. No: RR014
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Robert Burbridge ft. André Espeut - Leaf (Tangential Music)

We often think of turning over a new leaf every year in January and what better way to start with the single by Robert Burbridge ft. Andre Espeut called simply, 'Leaf'?

  

Well, it's a bit of a surpise actually as we know Mr Burbridge as he's mates with Richard E (now a LA resident and he's OK post fire) as he did a remix to Richard's 'Too The Moon' track (see review HERE).

And he's teamed up with the well known voice  of André Espeut, as in Inkswell (see review HERE), King Bee (see review HERE) - Ed. André Espeut is always in demand.

And there's definitely some synchronicity between the two of them as André's "lyrics and hook-laden vocals" top the string laden 'stadium' pop-rock sound of the track.  

It's a bit of a grower as it's like a Balearic friendly version on the Stones with touches of Mod, gospel and soul.

Quite a lot different to the last release from the label on YATM, Franck Biyong's 'Radio Masoda' that came out towards the end on last year (see review HERE) but equally as likely to get on the radio: perhaps this does mean everything.

BUY LINK: https://bfan.link/leaf

Artist: Robert Burbridge ft. Andre Espeut 

Title: Leaf

Release date: 16th January, 2024

Label : Tangential Music

Catalog Number : TBC

Format :  Digital 

Review: King Bee - Good To Be Back ft. Andre Espeut (Ramrock Red Records)

Can you feel a new jazz dance Brit funk happening?  Well, it's on the cards as King Bee says it's 'Good To Be Back'.

Once more, Ramrock Red Records (and Mrs Ramrock, Jo Wallace in particular) have got their finger on the UK pulse and this time it's in Newcastle we find this powerhouse of a seven piece band that features the classic three horn front line with vibraphone!

Think Incognito mixed with the Chevalier Brothers doing jazz-funk like Morrissey Mullen/Beggar & Co. brought up to date like BunnDebrett Quintet, that's a bit of a challenge to get your jazzdance feet around but definitely worth it.

And on this mighty single, in addition to the instrumental version, there's two versions featuring the vocals of Andre Espeut who you may not recognise the name but his soulful vocals have quite rightly been sought after on countless releases.

Indeed, this is not King Bee's first recorded outing eithre as they released their first single in 2016 and found fans in Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music) and went onto be remixed by DJ Smoove (yes, another fellow of the North East and to be found on forthcoming Smoove & Turrell's single 'The Light', featuring Ronnie Foster on Jalapeno Records). [Note: that's Ronnie Foster of jazz label Blue Note!]

DJ Robbie Vincent and another serious soul-funk remixer, The Relex, are also counted King Bee fans and it's easy to see why as sounding like 'Good To Be Back', they must be brilliant live; particularly going on the reworked vocal version with extra basslines and acid-jazz organ, but it's all fantastic.

Artist: King Bee

Title: Good To Be Back ft. Andre Espeut 

Release date: 31st July, 2023

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRR046

Format: Bandcamp / Digital