Joel Sarakula at Tellers Upstairs
Joel Sarakula (AUS/UK) writes, produces and sings Soulful Pop, gazing through vintage glasses at his 70's tinged world... or just imagine Ray Manzarek fronted a 70s soul band. Born in Sydney and now based in London, his current album THE IMPOSTER has racked up generous plays across BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 and has been on rotation on national radio in Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. He is a regular fixture on the festival and club circuit in the UK, Europe and Australia, including appearances at Scala, Latitude, Glastonbury, The Great Escape, V-ROX Vladivostok and Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg. Sarakula is a songwriter who has travelled the world in search of his muse, experiencing everything from being the victim of Caribbean carjackings to performing in the remote fishing villages of Norway, via the dive bars of Europe and the US. It was the hodge-podge musical tapestry of England’s capital that finally drew him to a settling point.
With personal tastes that span from the more avant-garde to soul and pop greats like Sly Stone, Todd Rundgren and Elvis Costello, there are clear nods to contemporaries like Beck and Erlend Øye in terms of ambition and style.
His previous single Northern Soul racked up 150,000 views within the first few months of the online and limited edition 7" vinyl release by mod and soul specialists Heavy Soul Records (UK) - Sarakula has definitely touched more than a few Northern Souls. The remix of his latest single European Skies (due Aug 19, 2016) teeters on the edge of a decadent night in 1980s Ibiza before unashamedly losing itself in Euro Dance-Pop.
Both songs are from current album The Imposter (Elevate Records), where Sarakula lovingly indulges his late 60s and early 70s references while executing them with a colder, contemporary vision. Ever the internationalist, Sarakula recorded The Imposter in studios spread across London, Berlin and Sydney with a host of his musical comrades appearing on the record. It's a fitting album title for a man unafraid of playing his various roles as singer, artist, writer and producer. Joel Sarakula is THE IMPOSTER.
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