Lack of Afro

A classic... 15 years on (has it really been that long?!) and I still play tracks from ‘Press On’. It’s that kind of album. If you’re only hearing it for the first time then I’m jealous as you’ve got it all to come.” Craig Charles, BBC 6 Music / BBC Radio 2

“A musical brother...and I only f*ck with the best!” Madlib

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Lack of Afro celebrates the 15 year anniversary of his seminal debut, Press On. Long out of print, this new vinyl edition comes beautifully packaged on a gatefold sleeve and 8 page booklet featuring words from one of Lack of Afro’s early and most vocal supporters, Craig Charles & from longtime collaborator Dr. Damon Minchella (Richard Ashcroft, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene). It also features an introduction & track by track run-through by the man himself Adam Gibbons (aka Lack of Afro), as well as unseen session photos and comes pressed on vibrant heavyweight yellow vinyl.

The Lack of Afro story began in 2006. Unbeknownst to Adam, his song Wait A Minute had been uploaded to the Ninja Tune Forum by a friend, where it caught the attention of Jon Sheppard (A&R at Freestyle Records at the time). The resulting single went onto be one of the label’s fastest selling singles and set the blueprint for 2007’s Press On.

Hailed by iDJ magazine as one of the greatest albums of the modern funk era and with contagious drum patterns, flawlessly snatched vocal samples, and countless nods to vintage funk & soul, hip-hop and jazz, the album still sounds fresh and downright funky as it did when first released.

“I was determined to produce something that utilized both samples and live playing – I came from a musician’s background, but I was also completely obsessed with the hip-hop aesthetic of scouring charity shop vinyl bins for heavy breaks and obscure samples.”

The record laid down a marker and set Lack of Afro on a path to becoming one of the most celebrated funk and soul artists of his generation. Now finally back on vinyl, the album will bring fire to any dancefloor, whether it’s the hard-hitting Roderigo and its cut up jazz drums, the groove-laden, hit-you-with-a-horn-riff The Outsider or the ultra heavy cover of Artic Monkey’s When The Sun Goes Down.