ElecSoul — CALMA
Soulful grooves, musical discoveries, art and a little inspiration from the dancefloor.
This week’s ElecSoul is called CALMA — a selection built around soulful house, jazz, disco, Latin rhythms and deeper electronic grooves. It’s music for settling into a rhythm, finding space to breathe and letting the sounds take you somewhere.
There are a few personal connections running through this week’s show, too. I recently visited Camden Arts Centre to see Liz Larner’s exhibition, A hard line to bend, and last Friday I made the trip to the Jazz Cafe for a very special night with one of my favourite producers, Glenn Underground.
Both experiences have stayed with me, and both reflect something I love about music and art: the way they can draw you in, hold your attention and reveal something new the longer you spend with them.
Liz Larner — mesmerised by colour, pattern and material
During my recent visit to Camden Arts Centre, I had the pleasure of seeing A hard line to bend, an exhibition by American sculptor Liz Larner. I was particularly mesmerised by her enormous ceramic pieces. Their seemingly endless patterns, layered colours and intricate surfaces made me want to stop and look for much longer than I’d planned.
Born in Sacramento, California, in 1960, Larner has spent decades exploring what sculpture can be. Her work moves between ceramics, metal, plastic, stone and other materials, challenging the boundaries between sculpture, painting and objects drawn from the natural world.
The ceramic slabs were a real highlight for me. Their surfaces seem to hold entire landscapes: mineral formations, geological strata, fractured earth and cosmic patterns. The colours appear to shift and reveal themselves as you move around the pieces. Rather than simply looking at a finished object, you feel as though you’re exploring something that has been forming over an immense period of time.
What makes Larner’s approach especially interesting is her willingness to work with the unpredictable. The processes of shaping, drying, firing and glazing can produce cracks, fissures and unexpected changes. Instead of treating every imperfection as a problem to correct, she allows these transformations to become part of the work.
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The exhibition also expands into questions of ecology, mythology and our relationship with the material world, bringing together ceramic forms, sculptures inspired by asteroids and assemblages made from discarded plastics.
I left feeling genuinely captivated by the scale, complexity and beauty of the work. It was a reminder to slow down, look closely and give something the time it deserves.
Find out more: Liz Larner: A hard line to bend — Camden Arts Centre
Glenn Underground at the Jazz Cafe — a night to remember
From the moment I walked into the Jazz Cafe last Friday, I knew it was going to be a special night.
Birmingham-born, London-based DJ DREY did a fantastic job of setting the scene, warming up the room and building the anticipation. Then, at around 12:30am, Glenn Underground took to the stage.
 Birmingham-born, London-based DJ DREY did a fantastic job of setting the scene, warming up the room and building the anticipation. |
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What followed was a remarkable journey through 40 years of his musical archive, digging deep into the records, productions and remixes that have helped make him such an important figure in Chicago house.
Glenn’s sound has always meant a great deal to me. His music draws on jazz, soul, funk and disco, bringing that musical heritage into deep, sophisticated house grooves. But hearing him take us through his own history in the room was something else entirely.
There were surprises throughout the set, including unexpected edits of Michael Jackson, Prince and even Frankie Goes to Hollywood. These moments showed the breadth of his musical imagination and the joy of a DJ who knows how to keep a dancefloor guessing.
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He kept the house rocking. Everyone was dancing their minds away — myself included!
The night was billed as a special Chicago history set celebrating 40 years of Strictly Jaz Unit, with rare vinyl selections that Glenn said we would never hear him play in the club again. It felt like a privilege to be there for it.
A huge thanks to Glenn Underground, DREY and the Jazz Cafe for an unforgettable evening. I came away inspired, with that familiar feeling of wanting to get back to my own records and explore where the music might take me next.
More about Glenn: Strictly Jaz Unit Muzic on Bandcamp
This week’s tracklist
A selection that moves between classic dancefloor foundations, global rhythms, jazz-informed house and contemporary club music.
1. The Cool-Notes — Spend The Night (Dimitri from Paris Is Nightdubbin)
The British soul and boogie group The Cool-Notes emerged from London in the late 1970s and became known for their smooth vocals, infectious grooves and sophisticated dancefloor sound. Dimitri from Paris brings his own disco sensibility to this reworking, extending the original’s late-night appeal.
Discogs · Spotify · Apple Music
2. Super JV. Boora — Level (Original Mix)
Super JV’s music sits in the modern space between Balearic, disco and deep house. “Level” appears on the Naive LP, released through Dobro in 2025, a label whose catalogue celebrates independent electronic music and adventurous, groove-led sounds.
Bandcamp — Naive LP · Discogs · Spotify
3. Mr. Fingers, Robert Owens — Can You Feel It (Original Mix)
A foundational Chicago house record. Mr. Fingers is the celebrated alias of producer Larry Heard, whose musical, understated approach helped define deep house. Robert Owens, one of the great vocalists of the Chicago scene, is closely associated with the track’s early vocal version. Its hypnotic simplicity and unmistakable bassline remain as powerful as ever.
Discogs · Spotify · Apple Music
4. Angá Díaz — Gandinga Mondongo Sandunga
Cuban percussionist Miguel “Angá” Díaz was renowned for his inventive conga playing and his ability to move between traditional Afro-Cuban music, jazz and experimental sounds. This track appears on Echu Mingua, his 2005 solo album, which reflects a lifetime of musical exploration and collaboration.
Official album information · Discogs · Apple Music
5. Bah Samba — Calma (Original Mix)
Bah Samba are a British production outfit associated with soulful, Latin-influenced house. Their music brings together organic percussion, warm harmonies and a relaxed dancefloor sensibility. “Calma” is a fitting centrepiece for this week's show, balancing movement with a sense of ease.
Discogs · Spotify · Apple Music
6. Hidden Spheres — Ruhani
Manchester DJ and producer Hidden Spheres, also known as Fruit Merchant, has built a distinctive catalogue across deep house, broken beat and leftfield club music. His work for labels including Rhythm Section, Church and Scissor and Thread reflects a playful, open-minded approach to electronic production.
Artist Bandcamp · Discogs · Spotify
7. Dego — 4 Seasons In A Day (Original Mix)
Dego — Darren Benjamin — is a central figure in UK broken beat and future-facing soul. As a founding member of 4hero and through his work with 2000black, he has continually explored the connections between jazz, funk, broken beat and electronic music. This track is part of his Power project, created with Mr Mensah, with vocals by Shantéh Fuller.
Artist Bandcamp — Power · Discogs · Spotify
8. Hello — Sio (Original Mix)
A deeper electronic selection that adds another layer to the journey. I’ve not been able to confidently verify a full artist biography for this particular Hello / “Sio” credit, so I’ve avoided attributing it to a potentially unrelated artist.
Discogs · Spotify · Apple Music
9. Louie Vega, Funki Cadets — Froton (Original Mix)
Louie Vega is one half of Masters at Work and a major figure in New York's soulful house tradition. His work draws on Latin music, disco, jazz, gospel and classic house. Funki Cadets is part of his wider musical world, bringing a playful, rhythm-led approach to the dancefloor. “Froton” appears in Vega Records’ 5 Pack Unreleased V collection.
Bandcamp — Louie Vega / Vega Records · Discogs · Spotify
10. Harold Matthews Jr — This Is the Place (Glenn Underground Remix)
Chicago vocalist and songwriter Harold Matthews Jr has been active since the early 1990s, working with artists including Ron Trent, Terry Hunter and Maurice Joshua. His catalogue connects classic Chicago soul and house with contemporary production. Glenn Underground's remix brings his jazz-funk sensibility to the track.
Harold Matthews Jr on Bandcamp · Discogs · Spotify
11. Glenn Underground — Play Play Play
One of Chicago house's most distinctive producers, Glenn Underground has spent decades creating music that bridges deep house, jazz fusion, disco and soul. His arrangements often reward close listening as much as they deliver on the dancefloor — a quality that was especially clear during his extraordinary Jazz Cafe performance last Friday.
Glenn Underground on Bandcamp · Discogs · Spotify
12. Dr. Device, Glenn Underground — Acid Dubb (GU Dubb Piano & Crystals)
Another meeting of electronic experimentation and Glenn Underground's musical house aesthetic. The title hints at the combination of acid textures, dubbed-out space, piano and atmospheric detail that makes this corner of house music so compelling.
Discogs · Spotify · Apple Music
13. Honeysweet — I Believe That Someday (DJ ERV Rework)
This soulful house rework was released through Vega Records in 2021. DJ ERV's production gives Honeysweet's song a club-ready treatment while keeping its emotional centre intact — a good example of the way house music can reframe a vocal performance for a new setting.
14. musclecars — Euphoria (Original Mix)
New York DJ and production duo musclecars — Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield — have developed a sound that connects house music with soul, disco and a distinctly New York sense of musicality. “Euphoria” features on their Black Planet TP release for Neroli, issued in September 2026.
Bandcamp — Neroli Records · Discogs · Spotify
Until next time
That’s CALMA: a collection shaped by soulful rhythms, musical curiosity and the pleasure of following a sound wherever it leads. From Cuban percussion and classic Chicago house to contemporary broken beat, I hope there’s something here that makes you pause, listen again or discover a new favourite.
The full mix, playlist and artist links are available on my website and through Apple Podcasts.
Listen to ElecSoul: djrobbieduncan.com/elecsoul
Thanks for listening and being part of the journey.
Back at Stroud Shindig — Saturday 14 November
I’m delighted to be returning to Stroud Shindig at The Sub Rooms on Saturday 14 November! It’s always a pleasure to be part of this brilliant celebration of our town. I’ll be bringing my blend of jazz, soul, funk and house to the party, alongside an incredible live lineup featuring Antwerp Gipsy Ska Orkestra from Belgium and Cardiff’s Year of the Dog, plus DJs from The Music Works, street food and the wonderful Majik Marco. Come along, grab a drink and let’s make it another memorable night in Stroud!
The Sub Rooms, Stroud
Saturday 14 November 2026
Doors 7:30pm | Event starts 8pm
Tickets: £22 in advance / £27 on the door