I was busy minding my own business last weekend, pottering around listening to a promo mix by Gadi Mizrahi for the Fabric blog, when a track caught my attention. A track so smooth, so fresh and so ridiculously funkaaay that I had to email Mr. Mizrahi and find out what on earth this was.

The track was Promise by a producer who calls himself Lump. Promise came from Lump’s Rain EP released as a 12” White Label on Amplified this year.
Lump – A Promise by One From The Vaults

Now, I don’t think Lump is new to this scene by any stretch of the imagination (in fact his back catalogue of releases appear to go back to 2002), but he is new to me. Information on Lump’s respective websites is limited, but browsing through previous reviews of his work you can grasp some of the facts. His name is Arttu Snellman and he is Finnish, though he lists his hometown as Lisbon. His MySpace bio explains he is, “The freezing man from Finland who makes strangely funky tracks to make this world a better place” and one of his tracks, Lord Only Knows, is described on SoundCloud as “Semi-detached House”.

Jokes aside, I don’t think that’s too far from the truth. It seems to be House but there’s something extra; perhaps the traces of Funk, Jazz and Soul gluing it all together. Perhaps, as is suggested by some reviews, track names and his MySpace name, ‘Lump Dub’ is actually an accurate classification. “Dub”, commonly misinterpreted, does not always require its Jamaican origins. Wikipedia (source of all facts) characterizes Dub music by “a ‘version’ or ‘double’ of an existing song, often instrumental, using B-sides of 45 RPM records… and typically with instruments and vocals dropping in and out of the mix”. For many of these tracks, that seems to fit. For instance, Promise must be a take on Lee Dorsey’s Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (Gonh Be Funky LP, 1980).

Whatever it is, dig deeper than Promise and immerse yourself in the retro feel of these beautifully made records. My suggestion would be log onto his SoundCloud page, get comfortable and start at the top with It Must Be My Baby then, just let it play…

Wave Machines – Keep The Lights On (Lump Remix)

Gadi Mizrahi – Double Standard Crew Love Mix – Fabric Promo Mix – July 2010

Tracklist
Stevie Nicks – Stand Back
Soul Clap – Isley Experiment
Lump – Rain
The Mole – Oh My Stomach
Nick Holder – Black Jazz 8
Alex Smith – Here With Me feat. Diviniti
Girls on Top – I Wanna Dance With Numbers
Lump – A Promise
Rick Wade – Vanguard Cinema
FCL – Let’s Go
San Soda – Het Zwarte Kanon