Fireside Chat - London Session

Gabriel Roth

Daptone, Brooklyn, NYC

Soul flows freely from the pores of producer/bandleader/composer Gabriel Roth - much like snot streams down the filtrum of a feverish child. Born in a log cabin in Twin Peaks, CA (absolutely true) some time in the '70s, Roth survived traumatic brushes with record industry scumbags and near financial ruin before successfully launching his heralded soul, funk, afrobeat, gospel-centric record label, Daptone, with partner/sax maniac Neal Sugarman in the early '00s. HQ-ed in scenic Bushwick, Brooklyn in a renovated two-story hovel in which Roth himself installed the plumbing with bleeding, blistered hands (at least partly true), Daptone's House of Soul studios provide analog relief from the rest of the pop sphere's relentless digital din. And it is under Roth's leadership and guidance that the label's dynamic roster of artists - e.g. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, Menahan Street Band et al - has epic-ly flourished, going from cult-followed curiosities to global soul ambassadors in just a few short years. Indeed, Gabriel Roth is the aglet to Daptone's groove-imbued fibres. The resulting lace is ace.