Natalie Robinson – Bassiani Podcast 277 Tracklist
Germany-based Natalie Robinson is a champion for soulful house, weaving together the threads of her American/Ghanaian upbringing with her clubland one and bringing her identity as a young queer artist to the fore. In seven short years, she’s gone from apprentice to high-flying selector, firing up crowds at some of Berlin’s most esteemed cultural spaces and leaving a trail of sweaty dancefloors in her wake. Through her many bookings, a narrative line has emerged in her work, a dialogue with the energy on any given night but also with herself, in which she constantly strives to stay authentic and true to her roots. It’s a kind of reverence to the music that made her too: “when I weave in tribal percussion or gospel-inspired vocals, I’m paying homage to the communal spirit that shaped house from the beginning.” And so it goes on, Bassiani Podcast 277 carries that flame onward. This one’s an hour-long number with all of her usual bells and whistles, a smooth and joyful exploration of house, r’n’b breaks and other syncretic moods, groove-fuelled tunes with a spring in their step. An upbeat manifestation of resistance and full-throttle number from a maturing voice on the Berlin scene.