Clift Hotel presents: Tortured Soul

Before DJs evolved into global superstars, musicians carried the baton. The Brooklyn-based dance trio Tortured Soul isn’t trying to intently rewrite the logic of today’s EDM with the sweat of their own musicianship, but they are living proof that the very same music can be freed from the DJ booth. Influenced by the classic songcraft of Prince, Heatwave and Kool & The Gang, the members of Tortured Soul are three distinctive guys with three different backgrounds, united under a groove-centered rhythm. The band’s frontman and principal songwriter, John-Christian Urich, can be seen simultaneously drumming and singing with effortless mastery, while the rest of the collective, made up of keyboardist Ethan White and bassist Jordan Scannella, virtuosically generate the pulsating accompaniment. It’s a striking visual that’s feverously winning converts with each and every tour stop, with them being likened to The Roots of house music. Inside the group’s mystique, the acid jazz is reminiscent of Jamiroquai funk, while deeply saturated in the contemporary freshness of house purveyors like Joey Negro, Kenny Dope, Soul Clap and Jamie Jones. Even the legendary tastemaker Gilles Peterson, dubbed them “the future of house music."

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