Thee Sacred Souls
Ben l'Oncle Soul

According to some people, soul music was outdated or non-viable since it was part of a past era, as if we had lost forever this skill which led to so many great works a few decades ago. But this sublime beat has not given its last word. Among others, the band Thee Sacred Souls demonstrates it. The singer Josh Lane, the bass player Sal Samano and the drummer Alex Garcia reproduce all the tones of their influences, like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield or Leon Bridges, and the aesthetics of legendary labels such as Motown or the most recent record company Daptone who took care of them, with a sure taste for arrangements. They also know how to showcase their personal qualities, like the irresistible countertenor voice of their leader, which is the key ingredient of this typical magic. However, the trio did not forget the essential characteristics of soul and it did not want to make them a pretext for nostalgia: retro aesthetics and modern consciousness. The band uses its art to convey a political commitment which is fundamental for them: indeed, it gives this music its full meaning and a huge importance.

Line-up : 

• Josh Lane (voice)
• Sal Samano (bass)
• Alex Garcia (drums)

How many artists have been able to compose such a hit that can be remembered only thanks to its name? Fifteen years ago, Ben l’Oncle Soul became one of them with “Soul Man”, with lyrics paying explicitly tribute to the artists, the directors, the musicians, the activists and the celebrities he admired. He used a vintage and danceable instrumentation, which made him the ambassador of a kind of optimism already unusual at the time. After all these years, the title of its last album recently released, “Sad Generation”, could be surprising. Throughout his career, the singer has always been connected to the present world and tried to describe it in his way. This time, he celebrates all his beloved music with an elaborated sound composed of blues, gospel, reggae, nu-soul, R’n’B and funk, linking the past, the present and the future with his graceful and unique tone. With this special creation, accompanied by about fifteen choristers from Pascal Horecka’s Gospel Philharmonic Experience that caused a sensation at the Théâtre Antique in 2023, Ben l’Oncle Soul will expand even more the scope of his music, with a melancholy, a tranquillity and a will to resist the prevailing gloom.

Line-up : 

• Ben (voice)
• Pascal Horecka (lead)
• Tatiana Jubert (soprano)
• Judith Flessel-Toto (soprano)
• Danielle Mahailet (soprano)
• Kanto Calange (soprano)
• Alyzée Cossou (alto)
• Hazaële Hyppolyte (alto)
• Marie-Judith Athus (alto)
• Sara Seba (alto)
• Steven Leblanc (tenor)
• Daniel Calange (tenor)
• Fabrice Claire (tenor)
• Gabriel Hyppolyte (tenor)
• Emmanuel Vincent (baryton)
• Luma Losange (baryton)