Feature

JOIN THE 'SUGARUSH BEAT COMPANY'

Take one in-demand Australian-born, London-based producer/ multi-instrumentalist/songwriter. Add a revered, critically-lauded American soul singer plus a Copenhagen-based electro-soul songstress... And you`ll instantly realize SugaRush Beat Company are hardly your average, everyday UK-signed band.

Indeed, the trio in question - Jarrad 'Jaz' Rogers; Rahsaan Patterson; and Ida Corr - together hail from three different continents, span four different countries; while their heady`n` eclectic mix of alternative soul, quirky pop and psychedelic funk has already attracted favorable comparisons with such groundbreaking musical mavericks as Prince and Outkast.

With the threesome`s self-titled debut album due this summer, SugaRush`s self-proclaimed `technicolor world of Soulternative Pop` is currently being pioneered by their debut limited-edition single. Which combines the off-kilter, beats-driven 'Gunshots And Candyfloss' with the darkly cinematic 'The End'. As a totally-in-sync and into-the-music Jarrad, Rahsaan and Ida join “B&S” for welcome afternoon drinks at West London`s busy Kensington Hilton.

What`s the story behind debut single 'Gunshots And Candyfloss'?
Jarrad: "It was actually a guy at the label who chose it as the first single. The story is that he was sitting on a tube and in front of him someone was reading `The Metro`. On one page he was reading about the legacy of violence that the UK had left; while on the other he was reading about the Spice Girls tour! And it kinda hit our label guy how that contradiction and conflict in society today was reflected in the song `Gunshots And Candyfloss`."
Rahsaan: "Yeah, the world is crazy right now! And, with me being American, the lyrics in the song talk of how modern US society is on the one hand over-saturated with media, wealth and cars; while on the other you have the violence and poverty. So I guess it`s quite a spiritual, philosophical track for us to be coming out with!"

Is there a concept behind SugaRush Beat Company?
Jarrad: "When you look at the three of us, you`ll see the combination of our personalities is hardly a typical one! Anyone who thinks this group was pre-planned would think we`d have to be idiots! Rahsaan lives in LA; Ida lives in Denmark; I live in London and Australia... You know, we could have done this WAY EASIER! But that in itself represents the strength of the group! The fact we didn`t have a CHOICE, and that it all just happened organically! It definitely wasn`t like 'We`re gonna put this group together - one of them`s gonna be a girl, one`s gonna be a guy!'... And that naturalness is also reflected in our creativity and the way we do the things we do. It`s like the music has its own life, and leads us to a place we didn`t even know we were going."
Ida: "To us music is a place where you can become anything you WANT. We`ve basically come together as a group of artists to just combine our feelings, our musicality and our experiences. And for us the power of music is music ITSELF, and that`s definitely something that`s not limited by genres."

So how did the three of you first get together?
Rahsaan: "I first met Jarrad back in late 2005 when I was in Australia doing some performances, promoting my albums - and the promoter who`d brought me over wanted to introduce me to what he felt were the best producers in Australia. Jarrad was one of them, and the first day that we met we recorded the 'SugaRush' song. Then the second day we recorded 'Oh Lord (Take Me Back)'... And those turned out to be the first two songs that kind of birthed this whole movement right here!"
Ida: "And while, at the start, there was another girl who began demoing the songs, it ended up not working out with her. But then Jarrad heard some of my music through a friend who`d been to Europe on holiday and who knew the first girl hadn`t worked out. So Jarrad then sent me an e-mail asking if I wanted to do the songs instead. And, though at first I was like `No, I`m not gonna do anything else besides my own solo albums`, as soon as I`d listened to Jarrad`s tracks I was like 'OK, I`m in!`! .. And that was how SugaRush Beat Company as a group started! You know, it was all very organic. Which to me just goes to show that the music has to always speak for itself."

The Double-A-side, limited-edition single 'Gunshots And Candyfloss'/'The End' is released March 24 through RCA Label Group
Words PETE LEWIS