Soulection is a Los Angeles-based music collective that serves as a platform and community for artists, musicians, and fans from across the world. DJ Joe Kay and artists Guillaume 96' Bonte and Andre Power collaborated to establish the brand in 2011. Today, Soulection exists as an Apple Music 1 radio show on Beats1 Radio, an independent music label, festival, world-touring concert and clothing line. The brand defines itself as uniting a "borderless, genre-bending musical movement".
Founders
Joe Kay Joe Kay is a Southern California native. He is a co-founder and current CEO and Head of Artists and Repertoire of Soulection. Kay started a musical compilation podcast out of his grandmother's basement known as "Illvibes" in the summer of 2007. Joe Kay transferred to California State University, Long Beach in 2011. A meeting with the program director and general manager of the university's radio station, KBeach Radio, secured Kay radio time that very same day.
Andre Power Andre Power is a co-founder and current creative director of Soulection. Power attended art school in San Diego and was a listener of Kay's Illvibes podcast. After participating in the event as an artist, Power became involved with organizing San Diego's Art in the Park. In 2010, Power invited Kay to DJ at Art in the Park and soon after made Kay a resident at the event.
Guillaume Bonte Guillaume Bonte is a French artist known as "96". He is a co-founder of Soulection. Bonte was an Internet friend of Joe Kay and Andre Power. Bonte is accredited with creating the Soulection logo. His initial role in Soulection was art director.
Early stages Kay and Bonte initially conceptualized Soulection as a blog and platform for the community to arts and culture. After growing impatient to website development delays, the two created compilations of music they liked. Soulection ultimately formed as an extension of Kay's podcast, Illvibes. Kay envisioned two sides to Soulection: a radio show and original material released by Soulection. On January 24, 2011, the first show of Soulection Radio (Show #1) aired for an hour on KBeach Radio. The first Soulection compilation was released on the same day as well. With only a splash page and zip file of the radio show, they received 5000 downloads in their first compilation all through organic outreach. The release was a compilation of 29 different artists. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Soulection was contacted by Australian producer Ta-ku. Ta-ku proposed that the beat tape he had recently made within 24 hours, be released through Soulection and the proceeds of the release be donated to tsunami relief. Their second release, 24, was released for free on Bandcamp with an option for donation. Soulection's fifth release, Mood by Evil Needle, became its best-selling release to date. The fourteen song album was released on October 31, 2011. Joe Kay says it was around the time of this release that the Soulection team decided to seriously pursue the expansion of the Soulection brand. Soulection continued to release music under the Soulection label, releasing over 30 albums by 2015.
Apple Music and Beats-1 Radio
In June 2015, Apple announced its streaming music service, Apple Music. Apple Music's first broadcasting station was called Beats 1 Radio. Beats 1 Radio was led by DJs Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and Julie Adenuga and was contributed to by artists such as Drake, Q-Tip, Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, and Elton John. Soulection was among the list of names chosen to serve as a tastemaker for the broadcast. The first Soulection radio show broadcast on Beats 1 Radio on July 4, 2015. The show aired their 500th episode on April 11, 2021.
The Soulection brand
Independent music label Soulection has released 78 records including albums, singles, EPs, and compilations since 2011. Artists such as Sango, GoldLink, Sam Gellaitry, Monte Booker, IAMNOBODI, Tom Misch, and even popular streetwear brand Stüssy have worked to release music with the label. 2021 releases under the Soulection label include Ari PenSmith's City Girl: Acoustic Performance, Jayla Darden's Exhausted My Options, Phabo's Soulquarius & Slippery, AYLØ's Clairsentience LIVE and three works from Lou Val: Tayo and the Dreamer, Eternal Sunshine, and Cruel Silence.
Experiences Soulection also functions as a touring festival and concert attraction. The brand holds a monthly event, The Sound of Tomorrow, in Los Angeles. Their festival, dubbed "Soulection Experience", hosts a variety of artists and genres. The group has been commissioned to perform in a variety of venues, as well. In 2013, Coachella invited the group to perform at the southern Californian festival. In 2015, Soulection performed to a sold-out crowd in the "Whale Room" displayed in The American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Merchandise line Soulection has also developed a merchandise line of clothing apparel and lifestyle items. Around the time of their 2014 music compilation, Stüssy and Soulection collaborated to release special edition t-shirts. In March 2015, they worked with Dutch brand Daily Paper to design and create 300 limited-edition windbreakers. Soulection estimates that about 60-70% of their overall revenue comes from merchandise and about 20-30% comes from selling music.
Current team +Soulection TeamName PositionJoe Kay CEO Founder
Head of A&RAndre PowerCo-founder Creative Director Sahar HabibiDirector of Soulection Records & Operations Dom Prieto Chief Operating Officer Andres Javier Uribe Director of Worldwide Bookings & Production
Discography Source:
2011 Title Artist Release dateCompilationSoulectionJanuary 23, 201124Ta-KuMarch 31, 2011SankofaAbJo August 21, 2011 The Sound of TomorrowBMB SpaceKid September 26, 2011Mood Evil Needle October 30, 2011 Luck & Love Insightful December 26, 2011Balanced J-Louis February 21, 2013Gradient ESTA March 7, 2013 Pictures on Silence Atu March 21, 2013
2012 TitleArtist Release dateTrust Me Sango February 28, 2012 Outputs 3 Koen March 26, 2012They Soulection Pheo March 29, 2012 Endless Fro Kings May 14, 2012 Wasser Jazzo & MelodiesinfonieMay 21, 2012 Attoseconds Sunclef May 31, 2012Sunwalk Modlee & Vlopper June 4, 2012 Da Rochina Sango June 14, 2012 Esoteric LAKIM August 6, 2012 Night Driven Tryezz August 27, 2012Moments Koloah September 6, 2012 Bootyleg Nangdo September 20, 2012 Never Too Late Staycen x Koen October 14, 2012 The Shy Lanterns Glow Insightful October 21, 2012 Pick Your Own Poison Waldo November 23, 2012 Wohlklänge EPMelodiesinfonieDecember 3, 2012 Opera Harrisson BlackOldmanDecember 13, 2012 Anagoge AbJo December 27, 2012
2013 TitleArtist Release dateBalanced J-Louis February 21, 2013Gradient Esta March 7, 2013Time In Between Soulection April 4, 2013 North Sango July 22, 2013 In Bloom Dpat August 26, 2013Elevated IAMNOBODI September 30, 2013 Soulection White Label: 001 LAKIM November 1, 2013Soulection White Label: 002 Da-P November 14, 2013Steps Jo Def November 18, 2013 Thank You Soulection December 1, 2013 Soulection White Label: 003 Jarreau VandalDecember 12, 2013 Soulection White Label: 004 starRo December 26, 2013
2014 TitleArtistRelease dateSoulection White Label: 005 Zikomo January 9, 20143 Years of Soulection Soulection January 23, 2014 This is Her LAKIM February 24, 2014Soulection White Label: 006MIKOS DA GAWDMarch 6, 2014Soulection White Label: 007LoscoMarch 27, 2014Soulection White Label: 008Tom Misch April 10, 2014Unbound Dpat April 23, 2014 Soulection White Label: 009AbJo April 24, 2014 100k Soulection May 13, 2014Constructive Interference Evil Needle & Sivey June 23, 2014 Soulection White Label: 010J-Louis August 14, 2014 Stüssy Collaboration Soulection September 5, 2014Soulection White Label: 011PyrmdplazaOctober 16, 2014Soulection White Label: 012Singularis October 30, 2014Soulection White Label: 013oriJanusNovember 26, 2014
2015 TitleArtistRelease dateSoulection White Label: 015Chris McClenney January 15, 2015Short Stories Sam Gellaitry February 17, 2015Hours Spent Loving You SPZRKY & Sango March 8, 2015Love is King Soulection March 17, 2015 May (feat. Ravyn Lenae) Monte Booker May 30, 2015Soulection White Label: 015Louie Lastic July 23, 2015Soulection White Label: 016Monte Booker October 29, 2015Soulection White Label: 017Sivey December 11, 2015
2016 TitleArtistRelease dateSoulection White Label: 018ROMderful March 14, 2016Summatime Fine Mars Today August 12, 2016Mona Lisa Monte Booker & Naji December 2, 2016
2017 TitleArtistRelease datePromise Once More Soulection January 29, 2017To Me Bowtye & Avalon Young February 11, 2017Soulection White Label: 019DKVPZ March 16, 2017Dreaming BowtyeApril 13, 2017buries Che Ecru April 24, 2017Soulection White Label: 020Foisey August 17, 2017Unite Soulection October 11, 2017Soulection White Label: 021 j. robb November 3, 2017Might Just (feat Krs. & Kingbmjn)NajiDecember 2, 2017
2018 TitleArtistRelease dateSoulection White Label:022Jared JacksonMay 17, 2018Soulection Black Label: Hablot Brown Hablot Brown July 29, 20181997 Tay IwarAugust 25, 2018Soulection Black Label: Devin Tracy Devin Tracy September 30, 2018
2019 TitleArtistRelease dateGeminiTay Iwar March 29, 2019
2020 TitleArtistRelease dateFufu & Grits Juls & Sango May 28, 2020Tesuto Mansur Brown July 9, 2020City Girl Ari PenSmith & Jonah CristianSeptember 10, 2020Da Rochina 4 Sango September 24, 2020RomanticAYLØOctober 7, 2020Soon As You Get Home Rose Gold October 14, 2020LNF Phabo November 18, 2020 GEMS IN THE CORNERSTOREElujay & j. robb December 3, 2020Clairsentience AYLØDecember 19, 2020
2021 TitleArtistRelease dateClairsentience LIVE AYLØMarch 26, 2021Slippery Phabo April 9, 2021Cruel Silence Lou Val May 7, 2021 Eternal Sunshine Lou Val May 7, 2021Tayo and The Dreamer Lou Val June 25, 2021Soulquarius Phabo July 16, 2021Exhausted My Options Jayla Darden August 26, 2021City Girl (Acoustic Performance)Ari PenSmithSeptember 10, 2021
References