Kiwi soul outfit matures with second album.

New Zealand may best be known for its jaw dropping landscapes, and recent associations with all things Hobbit, yet the small Pacific island country has also proved a fertile ground for a new school of soul. In the past decade it has produced outfits such as Electric Wire Hustle and Benny Tone, favourites of Benji B, Ladi6, who featured production and remixes from Waajeed and Oddisee on her last release, and Julien Dyne, signed to BBE.

Among the country’s fervent soul underground is another such contemporary soul outfit, Sorceress. The band are about to release their second album, Dose, which updates their take on the neo-soul sound pioneered by the likes of D’Angelo and Jay Dee with a lush electronic foundation that borrows as much from fellow Kiwis Electric Wire Hustle as it does from more recent vocal electronic explorations of producers such as Om Unit.

Dose manages to make beautiful sense of the sweet spot between soul and electronic music, infusing the colder electronic elements with organic warmth. The album features the vocals of Rachel Fraser, whose deep and sultry voice helps carry the band’s new sound. The result is an album that perfectly illlustrates the seemingly never-ending potentials that lie in bridging traditional and modern music paradigms, whether in the studio or on the stage.

We caught up with the band’s leader, Isaac Aesili, over email on the eve of the release of the album to discuss the band’s evolution – they were formerly known as Funkommunity – as well as the source of their new sound and the ongoing challenges of transferring studio productions to the stage.

To go with the interview we also have the premiere stream of Dose, which you can hear in its entirety below.

Can you give me a short summary of how Sorceress came to be?

Sorceress began as Funkommunity, founded by Rachel Fraser and myself after we collaborated on some material that became our first album, called Chequered Thoughts. After finishing this album (it took us a year in the studio) we decided to put a band together in order to perform the material live. With the addition of Dan Ryland on guitar, Marika Hodgson on bass and Tom Broome on drums we collectively became the band presently known as Sorceress.

What were the reasons behind changing the name and sound for this new release?

In conceptualizing this new release we wanted to go deeper and move in a new direction beyond the post-Dilla, neo soul sonics and tempos of Chequered Thoughts. By leaving behind the name Funkommunity we were able to free ourselves from the being defined as a retro outfit and move into a more futuristic direction which is reflected in the nature of our new album, Dose.

How would you describe the new direction you took with the album? What were the inspirations/forces that drove it?

The direction we took on Dose fuses elements of soul music with electronica. We lived in Berlin and were exposed to lots of electronic influences that inspired us so it was natural that we embraced more electronic textures in the new album. We were also inspired by the vocal electronic music coming out of UK, continental Europe and the US as well as our soul music community back in NZ.

What do you think is the strongest element of the new album?

I think the vocals really shine on this album. Rachel dug deep and wrote some really amazing lyrics and melodies that lifted the whole vibe of the album.

How is the process of taking what you write in the studio to the stage? And what would you say are the benefits and drawbacks of your approach?

We are in between a traditional five-piece band (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet) and an electronic group (using Roland drum pads and an APC to control Ableton). It is sometimes difficult to negotiate between these realms and it requires lots of experimentation. In the beginning we used backing tracks a lot but over time we have learned how to free ourselves up and play more organically whilst still incorporating certain textures from the studio production. We have found a new balance in which we are able to gain more flexibility via new techniques in Ableton and using Roland drum pads to trigger samples. The benefits of this approach is that we are able to blend more fluidly between live musicianship and the Ableton elements however it is new territory so we are still seeking to find the right parameters within this method.

What would you say is key to having a traditional band format but keeping the music modern and relevant?

For us it’s about staying true to ourselves as musicians first and foremost. It’s obviously easier to have a massive sonic impact with a laptop and all the digital arsenal that it contains, however, we don’t believe that this is where the future of bands lies. I don’t think bands will ever be surpassed by machines or robots because the human element is still the most compelling in terms of depth, spiritually and emotionally. This is especially true for soul music. It has been a big learning curve to let go of the studio production in order to allow our musicianship to shine more in our performances. The key is to not use machines as a safety net, but instead to embrace all the risks of being a live performer and to have faith in your ability to connect with the audience. There is no laptop, software or controller that can capture a heart as much as a musician can.

Being from New Zealand how has your experience been trying to expand from your home turf to audiences abroad? Any particular one thing that has proven helpful to reach out?

We have been very honoured to have been able to travel and be received by audiences abroad. It’s humbling to come from a country of 4 million, and with a very small community and audience for soul music, to find out that people from other countries enjoy our music. It’s important to work with labels that communicate well, care about the artists and have a passion for the music at their core (respect to our label Wonderwheel Recordings). I think it has been helpful for us to have taken our time before finishing projects and aiming to reach an international audience rather then just aiming for our local or regional audiences.

Sorceress’ Dose is released by Wonderwheel Recordings on May 19.