In Part 1 we introduced you to Rochelle Parker, and in Part 2 to Kameel.

This time round say hello to Swedish vocalist, Jonatan Backelie AKA Ernesto

We linked up with Ernesto when we were both signed to Exceptional Records. He provided vocals for ‘All Over Again’ which appeared on our last album, ‘Black Water’, and which was remixed by Sabre, Kubiks and Tom Middleton (appearing on his massive 2009 album ‘One More Tune’),

Ernesto also provided the original vocal line for ‘Anytime Soon’, a version which was never released but that he performed live…

(no idea why that video is sideways-on, sorry…)

More on Ernesto from the Exceptional site…

Ernesto is 24 year old soulful singer and music maker Jonatan Bäckelie from Gothenburg, now based in Birmingham.

Ernesto has toured Europe and Japan with Compost Records nu jazz/broken beat pioneers Beanfield, been seen collaborating with Swell Session (Freerange Records) and in action with Plej (pronounced ‘play’) from whose debut album Electronic Music from the Swedish Left Coast (exceptional) has been has been an underground word-of-mouth smash in European electronica circles. Plej’s music featuring Ernesto’s vocals has also been heard on the prime time TV series Six Feet Under and on Jaguar car commercials in the US.

Not content with this hectic schedule, Ernesto has also been busily working away in his own studio, and has now completed a most extraordinary and unexpected album. Presented to Exceptional Records as a finished album, Jonatan had previously hinted at its contents only by saying it was something he had been working on in between his many other projects. The album has turned out to be a jaw-dropping, genre-bending world away from the Beanfield/Plej/Swell Session musical axis. “A New Blues” is a journey into a 21st century melting pot, where the main ingredient was unpredictably blues but mixed with a measure of electronica and a good pinch of songwriting finesse.

Ernesto’s background has been a tour across musical boundaries. Brought up by a travelling preacher father, church music was his first port of call. In fifth grade, rave music got into his soul – but it was the subsequent discovery of break beat and techno which was to be the defining moment and dominant influence on his music . Eighth grade brought with it a synthesiser and a computer fast enough to serve as a music machine. Then came college, a graduation to jazz and the arrival of the new household god of Chet Baker. Some time later, a new sampler arrived and a studio started to take shape. Then he was led astray by his girlfriend, Mimi, who communed with the Latin rhythms of Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto and Elis Regina. And then came the blues….

Ernesto’s ground-breaking album A New Blues is just that, a 10 track introduction to a new way of recording and performing an infectious and highly contemporary form of blues… A new blues made by a daringly eclectic, boundary-defying young music maker who prefers to record his music without a net.

In an interview with TimeOut New York, Tom describes the idea behind the album:

“The whole point of doing One More Tune was to analyze what it was that makes one piece of music more special than the others. What makes a tune a celebratory, end-of-night anthem? The crowd is screaming, the lights go on, the security guards are going, ‘C’mon, turn everything off. Go, go, go’—but then the promoter gives you a wink, and you’re given the chance to play one final piece of music to send people on their way. What do you choose? It’s a really interesting question—what makes one tune more appropriate for that situation than another? I’ve been trying to figure that out myself, in various ways, for years.”

‘One More Tune’ is available to buy now on CD and MP3, with the following tracklist

CD1 – Mixed
01. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (Intro Acapella)
02. Last Rhythm – Last Rhythm (Tom Middleton Remodel)
03. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (’91 Mix)
04. Budai & Vic – All Night Long
05. Humate – Love Stimulation (Tom Middleton Remodel)
06. Mustafa Feat. Elisangela – Bom Demais (Audiowhores Remix)
07. Agora Rhythm – Circles (Tom Middleton Edit)
08. Blu Mar Ten Feat. Ernesto – All Over Again (Tom Middleton Remix)
09. Little Big Bee – K.G.O. (Tom Middleton Remodel)
10. Akabu – Phuture Bound (Shur-i-kan Remix)
11. The Orange Lights – A Few Good Days (Tom Middleton Deep Dub)
12. Derrick May – Strings Of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel)
13. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (Encore Acapella)
14. The Horn – Villager (Tom Middleton Promised Land Remodel)
15. Joe Smooth – Promised Land (Tom Middleton Edit)

CD2 – Unmixed
01. Last Rhythm – Last Rhythm (Tom Middleton Remodel)
02. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (‘91 Mix)
03. Humate – Love Stimulation (Tom Middleton Remodel)
04. Agora Rhythm – Circles (Tom Middleton Edit)
05. Blu Mar Ten Feat. Ernesto – All Over Again (Tom Middleton Remix)
06. Little Big Bee – K.G.O. (Tom Middleton Remodel)
07. The Orange Lights – A Few Good Days (Tom Middleton Deep Dub)
08. Derrick May – Strings Of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel)
09. The Horn – Villager (Tom Middleton Promised Land Remodel)

The compilation sees Middleton selecting 13 of his favourite end of the night classics and mixing them into one long dance floor farewell. According to Middleton himself, the collection includes some tracks that are:

familiar, others more underground, yet all truly memorable, rich in harmony and emotion. It also provides a fantastic opportunity to re-define a handful of personal favourites.

Finding their way on the comp are bona-fide crowdpleasers such as Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land” and Derrick May’s “Strings Of Life,” with other inclusions coming from Agora Rhythm, Last Rhythm, Shur-i-kan and Middleton himself.

Middleton seems well aware of the potential pitfalls that could befall such a mix,

sequencing a compilation of unsubtle anthems isn’t an easy process, so be prepared for more than a few euphoric hands in the air moments! Most importantly, each track represents an unforgettable club or festival moment during the last two decades.

DJs will also be pleased to hear that the mix will be supplemented by an unmixed CD of Middleton’s remixes and edits for the project.

Tracklist
CD1 – Mixed
01. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (Intro Acapella)
02. Last Rhythm – Last Rhythm (Tom Middleton Remodel)
03. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (’91 Mix)
04. Budai & Vic – All Night Long
05. Humate – Love Stimulation (Tom Middleton Remodel)
06. Mustafa Feat. Elisangela – Bom Demais (Audiowhores Remix)
07. Agora Rhythm – Circles (Tom Middleton Edit)
08. Blu Mar Ten Feat. Ernesto – All Over Again (Tom Middleton Remix)
09. Little Big Bee – K.G.O. (Tom Middleton Remodel)
10. Akabu – Phuture Bound (Shur-i-kan Remix)
11. The Orange Lights – A Few Good Days (Tom Middleton Deep Dub)
12. Derrick May – Strings Of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel)
13. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (Encore Acapella)
14. The Horn – Villager (Tom Middleton Promised Land Remodel)
15. Joe Smooth – Promised Land (Tom Middleton Edit)

CD2 – Unmixed
01. Last Rhythm – Last Rhythm (Tom Middleton Remodel)
02. Tom Middleton – One More Tune (‘91 Mix)
03. Humate – Love Stimulation (Tom Middleton Remodel)
04. Agora Rhythm – Circles (Tom Middleton Edit)
05. Blu Mar Ten Feat. Ernesto – All Over Again (Tom Middleton Remix)
06. Little Big Bee – K.G.O. (Tom Middleton Remodel)
07. The Orange Lights – A Few Good Days (Tom Middleton Deep Dub)
08. Derrick May – Strings Of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel)
09. The Horn – Villager (Tom Middleton Promised Land Remodel)

Renaissance will release Tom Middleton’s One More Tune on April 27, 2009.

Many thanks to Resident Advisor for the heads up on this.