"When I think about Ra Souls music, I get the feeling I used to get around 1998 - 2000 when house was about happiness, love, feelings, emotions, community, soul, discovery and sharing. Listening to the 'Soul Searching' series on Large Records marked a pivotal moment in my life, understanding & embracing House music.This is a very special release on our label, we are profoundly grateful for his music and proud to welcome him back! Check out these 4 deep as the ocean cuts and see why this is a must have!" (Jazzy Eyewear, So Sound Recordings) Ra Soul talks to 5 Magazine In 1998, Chicagos own Large Music released the Soul Searching EP. If you have this record in your collection, youll understand why its very unexpected but very good news that its creator, DJ Ra Soul, has resurfaced again after many years of unexpected silence. The three Soul Searching EPs progressed like a wave, each still better than the previous one. They stand today as a sort of landmark of one of Deep Houses moments of temporary ascen dency and presaging its future direction. When people tell me about the sudden fever in Europe for that mid-90s Deep House sound there is no better example of it than the beats sealed on wax by Ra Soul. And then their creator disappeared. Ra Soul became another one of those ghostly legends of House Music and if the records themselves didnt exist, wed assume this was all some kind of a hoax or a strange dream. From 2005 onward, nobody seemed to know what happened to him, when suddenly a new EP called Take It Slow appeared on Miamis So Sound Recordings. Rather than tiptoe around this subject or put a spin on it, Im going to be blunt, he told me about the lost years. Drugs and alcohol took me out of the game. The last several years I struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. I lost everything and hit bottom pretty hard. A little over a year and a half ago through the suggestion of a good friend I decided to face my alcoholism and addiction. I live a clean and sober life now. The influence the Soul Searching EPs have had on a new generation of producers has left him somewhat surprised. Over the years many people have told me that they were inspired by those records. At first I didnt realize how much of an effect my music had but after hearing many different people from around the world saying that they were inspired by my songs I had to believe it was true. The new EP has that classic Ra Soul sound with some interesting new wrinkles. The titles Temptation, Lets Work and the title track suggest that take it slow is less a working title than a motto. Whatever it takes its just good to have you back. Take It Slow is out now digitally on So Sound Recordings. Terry Matthew (5 Magazine) Just a quick glance at the list of DJs (below) showing their support for this release demonstrates the impact that Ra Soul has had on house music, and will now continue to have! DJ comments on the return of Ra Soul James Zabiela: Great House music from a master. Thank you Justin Martin (Dirtybird): so happy to hear ra soul killing it once again... ive always been inspired by his stuff.. d**e ep! Mark Farina: great ep! on my podcast! Andy Riley (Inland Knights / Toka Project): nice to hear some fresh ra-soul!...good tracks, lets work the jam for me Tom Findlay (Groove Armada): been a massive ra soul fan for years and he sounds better than ever Fred Everything (Lazy Days): Welcome back Rasoul! Side Rail is the one for me thx! Joshua Heath: Let's Work- LOVE IT!! Whole release is pretty sick, I smell future Rasoul classics :-) Cheers to So Sound for bringin him back! Dairmount (Room With a View): Serious bizznizz here... Recognising here what brought me to follow the man 15 years ago too. Funky, twisted & catchy. Lovely to see him back on form! Ali (OOFT!): Good to see him back - a real don from a few years back! All trax are nice a deep with Let's Work being my fave. Ant Plate / YSE (Rhythm Plate):Yes, nice to see/hear Guy back on the scene!! Take it slow is the fave here - as it will for a lot of DJs out there - but thats not to say the other tracks are bad; far from it. This whole release is as deep and grooving as it needs to be without ever getting boring, genre-copying or 'try-hard-trendy'. Deep house thats timelessly forward looking... rare at the minute. Florian Kruse: very good tunes by a legend! Jason Hodges: bringing the realness back! Hector Moralez (Minority Music): great to see Rasoul back in action.. full support. Willie Graff: Always been a fan of Ra Soul's vibe! Happy to hear new music from him. Will try these out! Atnarko (EIGHT-TRACKS): Nice to hear some freshness from Ra Soul !! great ep! DJ W!LD (Catwash Records): happy to see mr rasoul back. support Kirby: Woooow this is serious dopeness !!! great to hear some new tracks from rasoul Matthew Bandy (Limestone Recordings): loving lets work, great to hear some new music from ra soul! Blacksoul: pure Gem! as huge Ra Soul fan I am so happy that he is back! brilliant record Julian Sanza (Silver City, 2020Soundsystem): This brings really good memories! Great to have Ra Soul back, Propa' house music! Tony Humphries (East Orange NJ): Nice deep house tracks from RaSoul! Funk D'Void / Francois DuBois: yeahhhhh very nice Shane Johnson (Fish Go Deep): Great to hear new music from Ra Soul. All cuts sounding good but Let's Work stands out for me. Larry Fives (Inland Knights / Drop Music): QUALITY! welcome back MR RA SOUL DJ Ra Soul Profile: Rasoul's early childhood was filled with learning experiences from both school and his family. He drew inspiration from many things, most importantly a love of the visual arts. During his high school days Guy was immersed in a musical household. "My dad was into music a lot and has always been friends with a lot of African musicians." He promoted lots of reggae and African bands (in the SF Bay Area) which enhanced my love for music. With a predilection for the deepest and funkiest of deep funky house, DJ Rasoul (real name Guy Nado) has done much to put the Bay Area on the map as a hip and happening place. Originally from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, he moved to the States as a young boy in 1975. Rasoul dabbled in all sorts of music as a teenager but became serious about house after hooking up with San Francisco's pioneering 3rd Floor Productions team in 1990 Through the late 90's Ra Soul released his music with some of America's most respected underground dance labels -- Large, 83 West, and Guidance. During this period, his Soul Searching series of albums released on Large proved especially popular.