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Feature: Interview with Stuart Baker of Soul Jazz / Sounds of the Universe
Interviewer: Oliver Scott
Having moved across Soho from their charming, if cramped, site on the corner of Ingrestre Place to a bigger and busier
location in a converted pub on Broadwick Street, the shop now known as ‘Sounds of the Universe’ has been providing enduring
aural treats from myriad different genres for many years.
From jazz, soul and reggae to the very latest techno, hip-hop and broken beat, the shop alone would represent a refreshing
story of consistency in these ever changing times. But what’s more, Soul Jazz and Universal Sounds – the shop's offshoot
labels – have been educating listeners across the globe to amazing music both old and new for almost
ten years.
Always ahead of the game and certainly never afraid to break new ground, Soul Jazz / Sounds of the Universe embody what
Gilles Peterson famously described as ‘joining the dots’. Whatever it is, and wherever it comes from, if music is good,
it is good, period. So, on the verge of the release of a compilation of British Jazz Funk and a sixth instalment in the
hugely successful and influential Dynamite! Series, Know the Ledge recently caught up with label boss and shop owner
Stuart Baker to find out more about him, the shop and, of course, their associated labels.
If we can talk about the shop to start with, can you share what inspired you to open Soul Jazz in the first place, and
what was your personal musical and general background? And how ‘hands on’ are you with the shop at this point?
What inspired me was that there were a lot of records that I wanted to hear, and that I wanted to visit the US. It seemed
like a very exciting thing to do. I grew up on punk, disco and pop! By the time I started going to the US to buy records,
I was into jazz, funk and soul. I still buy all the US stuff for the shop, but new releases etc are done by a number of
managers.
When the name of the shop changed to Sounds of the Universe from Soul Jazz a few years back I thought at the time that
it must have been a deliberate attempt to widen your potential audience.
Yes. I wanted to also sell house, reggae, electronic, african, techno, disco, and hip hop, as well as jazz and soul. Which
we now do.
I remember visiting the Soul Jazz shop which was open for a while in Brighton. Have you considered opening another one,
perhaps further afield?
This was opened by my partner at the time. I am quite happy with the one shop as most of my time is spent on the label.
I met you in '94 or '95 in Minneapolis at a record dealer's flat. You were just passing through the town and were off to
Bemiji the next morning. You looked tired! Do you still go on buying trips in the States?
Yes I remember! I still go maybe once or twice a year.
Can I ask what is selling well at the moment? While the shop has always been diverse, along with the jazz, soul and
reggae, I¹ve noticed that hip hop and disco together with a wide variety of post-punk sounds seem to be featuring quite
heavily on the walls.
We sell everything in roughly equal amounts, which is part of the fun.
Has moving to Broadwick Street had an overwhelming positive effect on the shop? I imagine that being more ‘on the
beaten track’ - literally - has both an upside and a downside!
Yes to both!
And, if we can move onto the records Soul Jazz and Universal Sounds have released, at what stage, after opening Soul Jazz
the shop, did you think about moving into releasing music yourself? Had it always been an ambition?
Maybe a couple of years on. We wanted to release both US music that we liked, as well as new music that our customers were
starting to bring in. More like a dream than an ambition.
How has your vision of the label progressed? While you've released acclaimed LPs by the likes of Jessica Lauren, Chris
Bowden and Osunlade, the reissue side of Soul Jazz/Sounds of the Universe has dominated the releases for a while. But now,
it seems the label is releasing more ‘new’ music again.
Yes, it comes and goes with new music. Sometimes we have a lot, sometimes a little. There is no particular rule that
drives us except for a love of music!
Thanks very much to Stuart, and also to Karen Tate for helping to hook this up!
RELATED LINKS:
Sounds Of The Universe
Buy British Hustle at Amazon
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Buy 600% Dynamite! at Amazon
UK
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US
PUBLISHED: Sunday 30 November 2003
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