Mind & Matter – My Love Is Like A Fire b/w Would Be Mine – Soul Direction UK 7″

Jimmy Jam Harris was just 16 when he began writing and arranging for Minneapolis 11-piece Mind & Matter. Boasting a perfectly calibrated vocal quartet, an aggressive rhythm section, and stacks of Rhodes, Rolands, and Hammonds, the danceable act failed to win favor with frigid Midwest redneck audiences.

Recorded in 1977, a bundle of never-before-released basement demos throw Harris’ beloved Philadelphia Sound into an unfinished root cellar, pelting it with Clavinet attacks, Disco skats, and infectious hooks. Named for the street address of its underground uptown building, 1514 Oliver Avenue (Basement) is James “Jimmy Jam” Harris’ first foray into songcraft has produced a unique and somewhat organic style of dynamic Soul music.

Soul-direction has handpicked what we believe are the two stand out tracks from the 2013 Numero “1514 Oliver Avenue Basement” Album and unleashed them onto the DJ’s favourite format 7″ Vinyl. We wanted to treat this release as a double A sided release due to the absolute perfection of both tracks, because when it comes to crossover/modern soul music this is just a prefect double sider and we hope you agree.