Myles Sanko

His sound is balm for the soul for true music lovers.

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Biography

The history of British soul music is, at its core, also a story of the search for an artistic identity. The singer, musician, producer, designer and director Myles Sanko, who was born in Ghana, grew up in Great Britain and now lives in France, tells of the long process of this search on his third album “Just Being Me”. “Just Being Me” with the singles as well as fascinating video clips “Forget Me Not” (in the remix by Rob Hardt #1 of the British soul charts), “Sunshine”, “Promises” and the title track “Just Being Me” just as inwardly as it opens up to the outside through its stylistic range.

“For me, music is the key to communication between people. When I compose, sing or play music, I don’t plan for it to be ‘soul’ or ‘jazz’ – it just comes as it comes,” Myles Sanko explains. With his authentic, emotional and direct style Sanko knows how to link past, present and future. Soul has always been popular in the UK since the sixties, starting with the Beat Boom, through Northern Soul and Acid Jazz, to today’s massively successful crossover from Soul to Pop.

The icons of British soul are as diverse as they have a distinctive signature: Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, The Real Thing, Soul II Soul, Adele or Amy Winehouse. “To be honest, I don’t feel like I’m part of any particular scene. Of course, the classic sounds of the sixties and seventies from Detroit, Memphis or Philadelphia inspire me. But I grew up in the countryside of England. There were no ghettoes or riots in the streets. Nonetheless, if you’re an immigrant kid thrown into a conservative neighborhood, you have to come up with a strong strategy of your own to make your dreams come true.”

Myles Sanko

A key point of this strategy was to take the career into his own hands, After working with top genre bands like Speedometer, Myles Sanko recorded his solo debut “Born In Black & White” on a minimal budget in Cambridge as well as Paris and released it on his own label 213 Music in 2013. “Born In Black & White” sold so well without distribution and marketing that Myles Sanko knew: I’m on the right track. He put together his own band, toured the clubs in the UK and set about composing and recording the second album. “Forever Dreaming” has been released in Germany, Japan, France so much a number of other countries. “My fans made ‘Forever Dreaming’ possible through crowdfunding. That was fantastic. Even with my second album, I was able to play everywhere in Europe. Even Gregory Porter invited me to join him on his German tour as support,” Myles Sanko recalls the eventful years of 2014 and 2015. So in 2016 it was time again to write and record new music. “The band I toured with for ‘Forever Dreaming’ became family. We traveled as well as and so far together that it was natural to record the new songs with these guys in the studio as well.”

With “Just Being Me,” Myles Sanko has arrived. “This album is about love, hope and politics. At every point it reflects a part of me,” reads the liner notes. The opener, “Freedom,” is an instrumental prologue that segues into the title track, not far from Donny Hathaway. The album thus starts with a strong statement about finding one’s center and wanting to stay true to one’s own aspirations and goals. “Promises” is soul par excellence: don’t believe the hype, look what’s behind empty promises. And dance to it. “This Ain’t Living” reminds us that there is much more to life than one’s own little cosmos and calls for spiritual revolution, accompanied by the most attractive orchestral soul jazz imaginable this side of Matthew Halsall or Cinematic Orchestra, thanks in no small part to the string trio of Wayne Urquhart, Antonia Pagulatos and Stella Page. “The Sunshine” gets to the point – and the sunshine. “For You” tackles its message as clearly as it does directly, painting the ultimate metaphor: “The love of music!”

“Land Of Paradise” opens the second side of the vinyl album and also the second chapter of “Just Being Me”. The message of trust and hope is conveyed by the prominent brass and a pointed piano. Land Of Paradise” subtly transports the universal, urban jazz poetry of Gil Scott-Heron or the Last Poets to the streets of London or Manchester: “This time I decided on a classic jazz production, but still kept the soul and never lost sight of the groove. So I wanted to document my musical journey from the hip-hop beginnings of my youth to today’s fascination with soul and jazz, and give my fans the opportunities to accompany me,” Myles tells. “I Belong To You” hits the same note, a timeless soul ballad, imagine Bill Withers standing on stage with Maxwell and it comes pretty close. “Forget Me Not” stays in the here and now, immediately melodic and exceptionally funky. “Missing You” brings “Just Being Me” back down to earth, in keeping with the acoustic soul stylings of a Bobby Womack, while “Empty Road” manifests the emotional end of a wonderfully told story. “‘Just Being Me’ marked a new beginning for me. The album is about me as a person, but it’s also about community and sharing,” Myles Sanko emphasizes. “What can you contribute as a composer and musician anyway? You have the ultimate tool to share your ideas and feelings with others, on stage but also with your records. It’s rare gift that you can create a lot with as an artist.”

Myles Sanko will record his new studio album in spring 2019.

Newspapers about Myles:

“Thus, Sanko is all but an alternative to Kiwanuka, or even Porter.” (Rolling Stone)

“Soul and jazz mix congenially here.” (Deutschlandradio)

“On the second day the weather threatens to turn, but then Myles Sanko arrives … Grandiose!” (Hamburger Abendblatt at elbajzz Festival)