Somewhere Soul offers the first taste of his forthcoming ‘Rituals Volume 02’ compilation with three tracks moving through Brazilian boogie, Turkish city pop and Afrobeat-infused funk.
Somewhere Soul returns to Mr Bongo for the second instalment of his ‘Rituals’ compilation series, once again digging beyond the obvious to bring together emerging artists and underground sounds from across the globe.
Built around the idea of a 24-hour journey through Somewhere Soul’s own listening habits, ‘Rituals Volume 02’ promises to move through different moods as the day unfolds. This first three-track sampler lands firmly in its day-to-dance territory, with João Selva, Peki Momés and Ireke each approaching the dancefloor from very different directions.
João Selva opens proceedings with ‘Futuro’, a beautifully breezy slice of Brazilian boogie that almost disguises the weight of its message.
There’s an effortless warmth to it. Loose funk, Brazilian soul and a rolling groove give ‘Futuro’ the feeling of something made for sunshine, while underneath Selva is addressing the considerably darker subject of climate change. That contrast works brilliantly, with the music remaining light on its feet while the lyrics carry something altogether more serious.
Somewhere Soul describes it as a “breezy, sunny earworm”, and that pretty much nails it.
Things take an intriguing turn with Peki Momés and ‘Ahşap Kutu’.
The Turkish-born, Germany-based artist has been steadily gathering attention following her self-titled debut album, and this short burst of Turkish city pop and boogie makes it fairly easy to understand why.
Produced by Dustin Braun, ‘Ahşap Kutu’ is funky, playful and immediately infectious, but again there’s a personal story beneath the groove. Its title translates to “wooden box”, inspired by an old carved sewing box from Momés’ childhood that eventually travelled with her from the family home to her new life in Germany.
That connection between past and present somehow suits the music perfectly. There’s a nostalgic quality running through the track without it ever feeling retro for retro’s sake. Of the three cuts here, this might be the one that catches us most by surprise.
Closing the sampler are Ireke with ‘Got A’, shifting proceedings towards a tougher meeting point between Afrobeat and funk.
The project of Julien Gervaix and Damien Tesson is joined by Beninese Nigerian vocalist and rapper Nayel Hoxo, whose distinctive delivery gives the track much of its character. Written in Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin, its message centres around unity, diversity and intercultural connection, while musically the combination of percussion, funk and Afrobeat gives it plenty of dancefloor weight.
Three tracks, three completely different musical cultures, yet there’s a natural thread running between them.
More importantly, it feels like a compilation selected by somebody actually digging for music rather than following whatever an algorithm happens to put in front of them. Somewhere Soul has spoken about discovering many of the artists away from algorithms, and that sense of genuine discovery is perhaps the most appealing thing about this first glimpse of ‘Rituals Volume 02’.
If this is what the day-to-dance section sounds like, we’re intrigued to hear where the remaining hours take us.
‘Rituals Volume 02’ is forthcoming on Mr Bongo, with João Selva’s ‘Futuro’ launching the campaign on 16th September 2026.
Label: Mr Bongo, pre order here
Format: Compilation / Digital
Genre: Boogie / Afrobeat / Global