A soulful, groove-driven journey is arriving from Bad Colours where Brooklyn grit meets late-night introspection in ‘Promise’.
Brooklyn-based producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Bad Colours returns to Bastard Jazz with Promise, his fourth LP and arguably his most complete body of work to date. It is a record that thrives on the tension between club energy and personal reflection, the kind of album that feels equally at home in a packed basement as it does on a 3 a.m. subway ride home.
Across Promise, Ibe Soliman blurs the lines between house, proto-techno, UK garage, hip-hop, and soul, creating something that feels distinctly New York yet globally connected. His production carries that unmistakable Bastard Jazz warmth with deep grooves, textured percussion, and melodies that pull from everywhere but never lose focus.
The title track sets the tone immediately, an uplifting harp-led house cut featuring UK harpist Rachel Kitchlew. It is hypnotic and shimmering, with chopped vocal fragments that swirl around a pulse designed for sunrise moments. We Never Choose, featuring Life On Planets, is one of those crossover gems that feels effortless, soulful, and laced with that Baltimore bounce that keeps dancers locked in.
Moment of Silence is the emotional centrepiece. With Brandon Markell Holmes on vocals, it unfolds like a whispered confession, its broken-beat shuffle grounding Holmes’ soaring delivery. Then comes Freaks, a throwback nod to Brooklyn’s early 2000s dance-rap scene featuring Ninjasonik, who tear through a bass-heavy groove that perfectly captures that era’s cheeky and raw attitude.
Elsewhere, Nightcap channels late-night funk with Jarv Dee on the mic, riding a taut rhythm and slinky bassline, before Home closes the record in deeply personal fashion. Bad Colours steps forward himself, delivering spoken-word poetry over a Masters At Work inspired piano groove, tying the record’s themes of love, identity, and renewal together in a quietly moving finale.
If 2020’s PINK and 2022’s Always With U showed Bad Colours as a sharp stylist unafraid to experiment, Promise proves he is now a fully realised storyteller. Every track balances groove and message, body and mind, a testament to a producer who has lived the life and learned the lesson.
At a time when much of electronic music feels designed for algorithms, Promise stands out for its human warmth and vulnerability. This is dance music with heart and history, with every sample and vocal line feeling like it comes from real experience rather than a preset.
For Knights of the Turntable, Promise is more than another quality Bastard Jazz release. It is a statement of intent from an artist redefining what soulful club music can be in 2025, and a reminder that the best records are the ones that speak to both the feet and the soul.
Read our full interview with Bad Colours, where he talks about the creative process behind Promise, balancing emotion with groove, and how Brooklyn continues to shape his sound.
1. ‘Promise’ feels like your most emotionally open work yet, blending club energy with moments of reflection. What inspired you to explore vulnerability and transformation through dance music on this record?
I think that vulnerability just came out naturally. I was going through a rough time personally, and for a while, I wasn’t making any music. That’s really rare for me since 1. I’m rarely in really rough patches, and 2. I usually make something every day. When I finally came out of that space and started creating again, everything just poured out. I wasn’t trying to make something emotional or reflective. It just happened. The club energy and the more introspective moments came from the same release.
2. The album brings together harp, live vocals, rap, and soulful house grooves. How did you approach weaving such different sounds and collaborators into one cohesive story?
It’s not something I really think about, honestly. I was a band nerd in high school, a percussionist, so I wasn’t working with a lot of melodic instruments outside the timpani. But when I started producing later on, I realized I was hearing all these melodies and layers naturally. I think that comes from just being around music so much back then. So when it comes to blending harp, vocals, rap, and house, it’s less about forcing them to fit and more about letting them talk to each other. My stuff is pretty minimal, so I like to have the instruments communicate with one another.
3. The title track with Rachel Kitchlew’s harp really stands out. How did that collaboration happen, and what did you want that instrument to add to the track’s atmosphere?
She reached out to me on IG, saying she liked my stuff, and it sat in my requests for a while. Not on purpose, I just don’t check them that often. When I finally saw it, I checked out her work and really liked it, so after apologizing, I told her it’d be cool to collab sometime. When I started working on Promise, it felt like the right moment to reach out, and luckily, she connected with the title track. I’ve always been a fan of Dorothy Ashby and the way she made the harp feel soulful and grounded, so I’ve wanted to bring that kind of texture into my music for a while. I have to give full credit to Rachel, though. She really brought that track to life and gave it a warmth that tied everything together.
4. You’ve built strong connections with artists like Life On Planets, Brandon Markell Holmes, and Jarv Dee. What do you look for in a vocalist or collaborator when shaping a Bad Colours track?
Aside from me being a genuine fan of them, the #1 thing I look for is people who don’t sound like other people. Just those three you mentioned are such unique talents, you won’t find anyone who sounds like them.
5. Across your four albums on Bastard Jazz, your sound has evolved from raw hip-house roots into something deeper and more melodic. How would you describe that evolution, and where does ‘Promise’ fit in your journey?
This one, I really got involved on the vocal side much more than the others. The first was a pandemic baby, so I didn’t have much choice. This is a much more personal project, so if I wasn’t writing lyrics, I was giving direction on most of it.
6. You’ve played and produced across very different worlds – from Brooklyn dancefloors to sessions with Kendrick Lamar and Q-Tip. How do those experiences influence the way you approach the studio today?
(Note – I never produced for/with Q-Tip; that was only a couple of DJ gigs.) I’ve been really lucky to work with some amazing artists who have given me a lot of insight into being an artist. Being an artist is a really tough gig, putting your vulnerabilities out there for the world to see. In general, I really try to approach sessions in a very chill, welcoming, almost zen-like way. I’m not the producer jumping on the couch the whole session, but maybe I will when the song is done.
Pre order Bad Colours ‘Promise’ LP for a November 7th release here.
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