UNIVERSES by SEVEN DAVIS JR.

Seven Davis Jr's debut album, recorded in LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam and London, is a unique exploration of his musical landscape, traversing tempos and flipping styles with typical panache but always embedded in the bedrock of soul and funk. Check!

Born in Houston, Texas, before relocating to Northern California, Seven Davis Jr was raised on the classics � from Michael Jackson and Prince to Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. He studied gospel and jazz singing, channeling the spirit of heroes Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Burt Bacharach. During his teenage years he discovered dance music, specifically house and jungle, which coincided with a period of substance abuse and a downturn in his fortune and wellbeing. However, dragging himself up and out of this abyss, Seven emerged from these dark times stronger and more resilient than ever, determined to spread positivity through his music.

SDJR's early Bandcamp output was more closely aligned to Los Angeles' vibrant left-leaning electronic underground. Nurtured by the Hit+Run crew, he owes his first official release to Kutmah (who bagged 'Thanks' for his Worldwide Family Vol.2 compilation on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood imprint in 2012). It was the only four-to-the-floor jam on an album curated by a DJ who is rarely drawn to that style and that fact alone is significant.

Seven is a unifying force and the well of support for his endeavours runs deep, from Mos Def to Four Tet to Julio Bashmore and way beyond. As an intergalactic soul record Universes delivers on all fronts, admirably showcasing the breadth and depth of SDJR's productions and the honesty and humour that makes his music so instantly recogniseable.