BOBBY HARDEN
Like a storyline out of the movies, the meeting of soul singer Bobby Harden and Dala Records founder/producer Billy Aukstik was a once-in-a-lifetime happening. It was the fall of 2017, only a couple months after the loss of the legendary soul singer Charles Bradley, and the new “Living On Soul” concert documentary film was premiering at Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema. Billy, the former trumpet player for Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, was in attendance to recount the story of their legendary 3-night Daptone Records residency at the Apollo Theatre and Bobby, an old friend of Sharon Jones from their wedding band days, was also in attendance to witness the incredible film and pay his respects to a lost friend.
Thankfully, there was one other crucial key to their musical puzzle also in attendance that night, and his name is Kurtis Powers. Kurtis, a local Brooklyn DJ, soul music lover and founder of BQE Records, was the moderator for the Q&A following the film that evening and had been friends with both Bobby and Billy. Knowing that Bobby was interested in recording new music, Kurtis introduced him to Billy following the Q&A and they instantly hit it off. Call it fate or just call it two guys from different generations that shared similar passions, but instantly there was a vibe between the two of them and they made plans to meet at Billy’s newly built analog recording studio, Hive Mind Recording, to work on some new music.
Fast forward almost two years and we now have the first fully-realized product of this serendipitous collaboration. Utilizing the expertise of the Dala Records house band, The Soulful Saints, and Bobby’s natural soul vocals, Billy and co. craft a song that harkens back to the days of Motown while still leaving room for a modern flourish. Flush with strings, heavy horns and a driving northern soul backbeat, Runnin’ (To Get To Your Love) sounds familiar but is certainly something new. Recorded to 16 tracks on 1” analog tape and mixed down to Stereo on the A side and Mono on the B side, this single hits hard off the needle and is sure to move feet out on the dance floor.