Niche Productions presents the return to Australia by one of the undisputed heavyweights of soul music: Roy Ayers. Joining soul brothers like James Brown, Fela Kuti and George Clinton, Ayers is a seminal figure in the world of music, fusing funk, soul, disco and afro with politics and style, to remain supremely relevant across three decades of wonderful output. Receiving adoration for soul hits like ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’ and ‘Daylight’, or the soul-jazz of ‘We Live In Brooklyn’, he has conquered funk jams like ‘Love Will Bring Us Back Together’ as well as club hits of the disco era like ‘Running Away’ and ‘Our Time Is Coming.’ Most recently seminal UK label BBE releases uncovered gems in their Virgin Ubiquity series and his collaborations with Erykah Badu and remix collabos with 9th Wonder (Verve Remixed), Jazzanova and Masters At Work/Nuyorican Soul have kept him amongst the hardest working and culturally significant artists of his era.

Joining Roy Ayers and band for DJ support is Nostalgia 77. N77’s releases on the Tru Thoughts label come as some of the highest praised of the stable, evoking a true understanding of Jazz married with contemporary beat culture. His first album ‘Songs For My Funeral’ garnered high praise in Australian broadsheet papers and since moving away from sampling beats, he has released more than five LPs since 2003 either on his own or with his magnificent Octet. Watch a June special with Ben and band for Gilles Peterson’s famed Maida Vale Session here http://youtube.com/watch?v=cksj_F7bCmA

Rounding out the shows are Australia’s premier deep funk dons, The Bamboos featuring Kylie Auldist. The powerhouse ensemble will be supporting their brand new studio album on Tru Thoughts. If you can’t wait for that, their Live! Here!! Now!!! album is in shops now and gives you a great perspective on their explosive live show which features the supreme vocal talents of ‘the jewel of the south pacific’ Kylie Auldist, whose Radio National album of the week Just Say is gathering comparisons to the work of Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones.

Spanning generations of soul music culture, this bill is the treat that Sydney and Melbourne audience deserve. Roy Ayers’ contribution to disco-boogie, hip hop and club culture has been so great that he is directly responsible for some of soul music’s highest highs. It is rare when an artist is able to speak to, grasp and hold the attention of so wide a demographic, for so long a period of time, so join us for this truly special evening of entertainment.