The 14-track LP features collaborations with Billy Porter, Joss Stone, Kimberly Davis, and Teni Tinks
From humble beginnings to collaborations with Joss Tone or Teni Tinks, Simon Marlin aka The Shapeshifters releases his highly anticipated new album ‘Let Loose’ via Glitterbox Records. The 14-track LP is illuminated with top-notch vocal collaborations how Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter as well as CHIC’s Kimberly Davis for the singles ‘Finally Ready’ and ‘Life Is A Dancefloor’, both of which charted on BBC Radio 1.
On their long-awaited new studio album, their first since 2006, The Shapeshifters promise a rhythmic allegiance to golden era records and their fascinating qualities, embracing the tension often found between tradition and the future to create a euphoric and certifiable body of work that they present to the devoted audiences he gathers. With Marlin and Glitterbox at the heart of the modern disco sound, it’s easy to see why they are more in demand than ever in the clubs. And with this album, they enter a new dimension.
Beyond the “Let Loose” process
The LP’s ‘The One That Got Away’ also features London-born multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Obi Franky who has recently joined The Shapeshifters on tour with impeccable summer performances at Glitterbox @ Hï, Café Mambo, On Tour at Castle Howard, Defected Croatia and Brixton Disco Festival.
Album creation took about two years, the covid inevitably slowing down the completion of Let Loose, which began in 2020 with Simon and his right-hand man and multi-instrumentalist Colin Smith heading to the United States with rough instrumental demos to begin the LP’s writing sessions, aided by one of Simon’s co-writers, New Yorker Audrey Martells.
“The initial idea was to go to Brooklyn, hire a loft, immerse me, be around great musicians. And we did it, but the plan to go back and record and mix in New York couldn’t happen. There were sessions in between lockdown lifting, with various COVID restrictions, it was all very confusing. The whole process lasted two years.” – The Shapeshifters
Behind Let Losse’s magic
Wrapped in a defining optimism and colorful palette, “Let Loose” plays on the friction between Marlin’s musical persona and his influences, offering a masterclass in his burgeoning depth of integrity as a producer and his admiration for those who exert their lasting influence on him. Layers of rushing strings, flares of brass, and hedonistic grooves provide refreshing dancefloor power dynamics and deliver a liberating, triumphant, and inherently uplifting record.
From ‘Second Chance’ to ‘You Aint Love’, passing by ‘YOLO’, ‘Finally Ready’ or ‘Tell Me It’s Not Over’, we are in the presence of the best disc house album of the year. There is no better home in the world than Glitterbox to house Simon’s new masterpiece. The masterful compositions can be enjoyed in clubs as well as in orchestral scenes, in theaters or in soccer stadiums. Joy, optimism, happiness, jubilation or ecstasy are just some of the feelings gathered in this catalog that has just made history.
“This recording would not have been possible without the incredible talent and musicianship of so many other people. It is a collective effort on so many fronts and I have been truly blessed to have so many amazing and creative people around me, I thank every one of you for your energy and love for what you do”
“The aim was to create a soundtrack for the latest generation of Disco and House music lovers”
“When I decided to continue The Shapeshifters legacy on my own in 2017, I knew that I could produce music with no compromises and in a way that I had always wanted to return to – taking a classic approach to songwriting and producing and moving the sound I love forward. Using techniques laid down long before me by the likes of Gamble and Huff, Quincy Jones, and my good friend Frankie Knuckles, and with the help of incredible musicians, and co-writers with fresh voices and ideas, the aim was to create a soundtrack for the latest generation of Disco and House lovers to Let Loose to on dance floors across the world.” Simon Marlin
Taking an impeccably smooth course through the disco-infused house, The Shapeshifters continue the rich relationship with Glitterbox and its record label; one that has yielded instant classics such as ‘Try My Love’ featuring Teni Tinks; undoubtedly hailed as the Glitterbox anthem that epitomizes the label’s ethos for preserving disco’s mission to uplift and empower. Get your copy via Bandcamp.
