Soul Food Music Collective is a Los Angeles-based, internet-based music community that came to the scene in 2017. Originally based at the University of California Riverside, Soul Food strives to be a diverse platform that brings together value our universal love of art, music, and culture, and they do a great job. Soul Food prides itself on bringing underground music to a wider and genre-diverse audience. Known for throwing parties with a cause, Soul Food continually connects online and in-person realities through good friends and good vibes. Food for the mind, body and soul.
Now, this thrilling collective has unveiled a heart-pounding Volume 3 compilation that is a musical genre paradise, stacked with the best and brightest newcomers to the underground Wave and Bass scenes.
The team shares:
“Soul Food Comp 03 symbolizes a turning point in our ever-evolving history. At that time, we didn’t really consider ourselves a record company. Three years ago, we didn’t know what to expect with Comp 01. We were honestly prepared for it to be a unique thing. Fast forward to now and it’s really thanks to our community that we can co-create such beautiful soundscapes.
The current recording industry is in such a strange state. Especially if you are an underground and independent artist. With the streaming game’s imbalance when it comes to royalties, many Soul Food creatives can’t count on being a full-time musician and truly living the career of their dreams. And without substantial streaming numbers, it’s even harder to get booked for live shows.
Side A is exclusively wave-focused – loaded with artists such as Loss Combinator, dreamcode, Falldren and C-ZER – while Side B focuses more on garage and experimental bass sounds and includes WildType, DriveSlowHomie, wes pierce and many more.
The Collective adds:
“The industry continues to be saturated with new music shared every day by artists that escape mainstream attention. Highlighting such artists has always been the goal of our community-driven albums. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never released on major platforms or labels before. It doesn’t matter if we don’t make money from your music. As such, all artists who authorize Soul Food to distribute their disc retain all rights to their master. They can ask us to remove their songs from streaming platforms if they wish, for example if they get a more lucrative deal. They can also re-download said songs if they want to keep all their royalties. The only agreement Artist & Soul Food has is that they allow us to donate all of our distribution profits to the Harmony Project. By empowering disadvantaged youth through music education, we believe we are sharing a message that the future of our world depends on caring for the next generations. By empowering artists, we believe we are underscoring how critical it is to invest in the key sources that drive our industry.
Apart from the music, one of the coolest details of this release is that proceeds from the compilation will be donated to a music-related charity called Harmony Project. All in all, it’s clear that Soul Food Collective not only strives to nurture the best up-and-coming talent, but to honor everyone involved in the process, with a unique focus on the community.
“To some, I may sound crazy because companies like Spotify and Tik-Tok have reshaped the way we experience music in transcendent ways. However, when these big platforms create predatory business practices that only reward the top 1% of artists or the labels themselves, all I see is a huge disconnect in co-creating a music industry which benefits everyone. We may not have the answer ourselves when it comes to solving today’s streaming problems, but we find peace in knowing that the music we release directly improves the lives of musicians less fortunate than us. . Our hope is that we can continue to build a more inclusive and win-win environment for everyone who shares this passion for creativity, art and culture. Let’s change the game together.“
Listen below!
