Reissue number seven for Heels & Souls Recordings sees them look back to the sounds of South Africa’s townships in 1991, cherry picking four of Tashif Kente’s finest cuts from his sought after album A Boy And A Dream, giving them space to breathe on a 12" pressing.

Clearly influenced by the flavours bubbling over from the UK and US in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, from R&B through to boogie, proto house to new jack swing, Tashif’s productions are a melting pot of ideas and influences, laced with a distinctive South African flavour.

Born in Soweto, Mzwandile ‘Tashif’ Kente, cut his teeth with Harari for a brief period, a group that birthed greats like Condry Ziqubu, Sipho Mabuse and Alec Khaoli, before going solo in 1984 and releasing just one album as Tashif Kente, 1991’s ‘A Boy And A Dream’. An album that speaks of love, lust and longing, produced by Kente and Selwyn Shandel with Marc Rantseli also joining the fold, it has that signature South African synth bass, drum machine and killer keyboard combo of the Bubblegum and Kwaito scenes, topped with Kente’s buttery vocals.

Heels & Souls Recordings take four favourites from the LP and press them loud on either side of a 12”. On the A, the audacious new jack, dancefloor bubbler ‘Tell Him I Became Your Lover’ leads into the lovestruck, boogie-tinged grooves of ‘Somebody’s Got My Love’. Flip it over to find a jealousy jam of the highest order with the synthy soul number ‘Who’s That Boy’, before ‘I Like The Way You Love Me’, a lights down low, R&B flavoured lovesong rounds off the EP.

Licensed from Gallo, who transferred the original ¼ inch tapes for their archives, Heels & Souls have enlisted the expertise of Justin Drake to remaster these South African beauties for a new generation of listeners.



DJ Feedback

DANNY MCLEWIN / PSYCHEMAGIK
I have to have this!

JASON KRIV/ RAZOR-N-TAPE
Nice dig of a reissue! Will give it spins.

JACQUES RENAULT/ LET’S PLAY HOUSE
Another killer reissue from Heels & Souls.

LEX / LENG
So nice having this one! brings back memories.

GARETH SOMMERVILLE/ ATHENS OF THE NORTH
There is an innocence and naïveté about these tracks that I really
like. I had never heard of Tashif Kente before - three decades late
but he has a new fan.

M.A.D SOUNDS/ BEN LEWIS
Yes please love what the Heels and Soul camp put out.

FEEL FLY/ INTERNATIONAL FEEL
Wow! Nice:9

MATT/ THE POOL
Really like it. Will play this one out... ‘Somebody’s Got My Love’

MAX P/ TANGRAM
I'm new on Tashif Kente, so a double pleasure for me to discover
him and receive so good music, fat and well mastered.

BILLY SCURRY/ DUBIN MUSIC HEAD
Beautiful, who's that boy is a jam.

CONRAD LEE/ FREERANGE RECORDS
Oh, Yes! Fantastic reissue. I’m a big fan Tashif Kente but haven’t
been able to find a copy of ‘A Boy and A Dream’ that wouldn’t
bankrupt me. Gods work Heels and Souls. Favourite track: Tell Him I
Became Your Lover.

DOM SERVINI/ WAH WAH 45S
Somebody's Got My Love is a TUNE!

MARCUS ROSARIO/ DARKER THAN WAX
Love this release - always really enjoy getting awesome reissues
like this. Will definitely support especially songs 3 and 4.

CHILI DAVIS/ FORWARD DISCO
Whoa, this is amazing. Brings me way back, but also has me
digging through tunes to see where some of this was sampled.

MASSIMILIANO PAGLIARA
Great stuff!

WILLIE GRAFF/ THE STANDARD IBIZA
Loving this mellow New jack Swing vibe. Heels & Souls unearthed
another gem here.

THEORAMA / PAXTON FETTEL
Ah, this is great! Good 80'ies vibes!

FRANCK ROGER/ REAL TONE
Somebody got my love is the one for me, another dope release
yeahhh !!

CAL GIBSON/ SECRET SOUL SOCIETY
Easy vibes perfect for my loose fm show and next month's gig in
Cardiff....lovely!

AURA SAFARI/ HELL YEAH
We love this release, will definitely play this one out and in our
radio show!

A1. Tell Him I Became Your Lover

A2. Somebody's Got My Love

B1. Who's That Boy

B2. I Like The Way You Love Me