By now, heads surely know that a new record by Soul Supremeis a guaranteed sure shot. Following his acclaimed tributes to A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, Mos Def, and more, the new "Dues and Don'ts" b/w "Fraud Fades" 45 features two all-original jazz-funk groovers by the Amsterdam-based keyboardist and producer.


"Adding Soul Supreme releases to the essential crates list has become mandatory and will surely be heavy spins for years to come,"Skeme Richards recently wrote on his Nostalgia King blog. It indeed looks like Soul Supreme's 45s rarely leave record bags, with the likes of DJ Koco,Jazzy Jeff,House Shoes,Skratch Bastid,Rich Medina, and DJ Green Lantern, among others, regularly playing his music in DJ sets around the globe.

This new release takes two highlights from last year's album 'Poetic Justice,' with "Dues and Don'ts" and "Fraud Fades" for the first time available on 45.Jay 'J-Zone' Mumfordgraces both songs with drums, heavily on point as always. The A-side features slow burner "Dues and Don'ts" with its syrupy funk rhythms. The hard-hitting, body-moving "Fraud Fades" on the B-side is the real anthem here—drum breaks galore. Clearly inspired by 60s Blue Note, the brass-heavy 'money-grubbing bad guy theme' concludes with a killer solo byDotan 'Tane' Bergmanon guitar, responded to with a solo by Soul Supreme himself.

With these two heavy hitters, this 45 is bound to never leave your record bag either. More

Now that's what we call a remix treatment! Soul Supreme enlists a dream line-up for the official remix of "Taking The Stand." The intro line is all there is to say that this 45 is a no-brainer to cop:"Thes Oneis on the beat,Soul Supremecomposed the suite,the Fudgemunkis about to speak."


As a long-time fan of People Under The Stairs and Damu The Fudgemunk, this is a full-circle moment for Soul Supreme. He deejayed alongside Damu in the past, and he has shown his appreciation to both P.U.T.S. and Damu with various tribute mixes. Matter of fact, this release is a full-circle moment for any hip-hop head: this 45 marks the very first time Thes One and Damu can be heard on one record together.

In typical crate-digging fashion, Thes One flips key elements from Soul Supreme's "Taking The Stand" into a neck-snapping beat. The instrumental album version of "Taking The Stand" can be found on the B-side of this 45. The original is a beautifully melodic jazz-funk head-nodder featuring drums by Tamuz Dolev and a spirited guitar solo by Radiohop's Johnny Biner.

"Taking The Stand" originally appeared on Soul Supreme's highly acclaimed instrumental albumPoetic Justice. Released last year, the album channeled his ongoing legal battle with a Norwegian label that stole his music. Fresh off his latest collaborations withRaw Poetic, Damu The Fudgemunk hopped back on the mic for this remix to voice his displeasure about shifty record labels. Damu also laid down cuts for the outro of the track, serving as a tribute to the lateDouble K.


"While you hadMadlib,DOOM, andQuas doing all kinds of esoteric stuff in this beautiful wave of underground hip-hop in the late '90s and early 2000s, these were legends but not people you actually knew.People Under the Stairs were like your friends, kind of, even though you don't know them,"Soul Supreme toldWax Poetics in 2022."They are more like everyday people who make amazing music. (...) Thes OneandDouble K were really honest about who they are. That's something, for me, that I consider one of the most important things in music."The 45 release of "Taking The Stand (Thes One Remix)" shows just that: three like-minded music heads at their most honest and passionate. More

The music of Soul Supreme moves, grooves, throbs, and hits more than ever before. But the colorful sonic palette of Poetic Justice actually sprouted from a dark place: an ongoing battle with an independent label to reclaim his master rights—even today, "Industry Rule #4080" is still in full effect. So copping this record doesn't only support his cause—it's also well worth it for the listener. Poetic Justice features Soul Supreme's biggest line-up of guest musicians to date: including drummer J-Zone, bass player Glenn Gaddum Jr., Gallowstreet's Jeroen Verberne, and Radiohop's Johnny Biner and Euan Jenkins. With Soul Supreme himself on his trusted set-up and a newly added Clavinet, his melting pot of jazz-funk, hip-hop grooves, soulful cuts, and library funk sounds richer than ever before. "I have decided to create a positive outlet for what is a very negative event in my life," he writes in the announcement of Poetic Justice. "I wrote music that reflected how I feel going through this process. No matter what the legal battle results in—I know I have made something beautiful and honest from this terrible experience. At least for myself but hopefully for others to enjoy it as well." Rest assured, Poetic Justice is a record to fully enjoy; from the first heartfelt notes on "Intro (Pullin' Back The Curtain)" to the last thumping drum hits of "I Rest My Case." More