Juls - Peace & Love (Album)
Photo Credit: Kehinde Asani
After rousing fans with a sequence of irresistible singles over the past 5 months, GRAMMY nominated producer Juls reveals his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Peace & Love, an 18-track project that draws from a rich tapestry of cultures and experiences.
Resting at the centrepiece of Peace & Love, and his career on a whole, is Juls’ reverence for the African drum, which he celebrates via his exploration of its various metamorphoses across the globe. Experimenting with sounds he’s accumulated during travels to his native Ghana, as well as Nigeria, Brazil, Jamaica and the UK, Juls’ effortlessly links these cultures through his imaginative use of tone and rhythm.
Thematically, Peace & Love explores the many facets of love, whether sensual, romantic or familial, whilst hoping to imbue listeners with feelings of peace via the album’s warm, enveloping sounds. Juls states that the album title was chosen as a reflection of the state of mind he finds himself in when creating his best music and wanting to radiate this feeling onto the listener. With Juls’ legacy in music being inextricably linked to his collaborative zeal, Peace & Love features a stellar cast of artists who each contribute their unique musical talents in service of Juls’ vision.
With the album arriving as Juls celebrates his tenth year in music, there is clear intentionality found throughout the tracklist, with opener ‘Leap Of Faith’ ft Wretch 32 being a reference to his debut project of the same name released in 2017. Further to this, the track makes use of the Nyabinghi drum, an instrument that carries strong significance in both Ghanaian and Jamaican culture (with Juls and Wretch 32 being of Ghanaian and Jamaican heritage, respectively). Elsewhere, we see Juls exhibit his talent for amalgamating his many influences into something startlingly fresh, most notably when pairing Jamaican artist Konshens (the voice behind dancehall classics ‘Bruk Off Yuh Back’ and ‘Pull Up To Mi Bumper’) with UK drill frontrunner Unknown T on the simmering ‘Pretty Girls In Amsterdam’. Juls’ musical DNA is further exemplified in tracks such as ‘Special’ ft. Miraa May and Sam Recks which carries the spirit of the UK’s funky house era, combined with a modern Afro-sentiment. Singles put out prior to the album's release ‘Hold You Down’ ft. Odeal, ‘Best Interest’ ft. JayO, ‘Perspective’ ft. Masego and ‘Timing’ ft. Black Sherif and Projexx all served as examples of Juls’ unwavering strength in delivering sing-along-ready anthems with universal appeal. Championing artists of the future, the album also includes features from emerging talents tendai, Taves and Samara Cyn. On the album focus track ‘Saint Tropez’ ft. Victony, Juls successfully meshes the world-engulfing amapiano sound with his own musical sensibilities, an indicator of his ability to incorporate, but not be dictated by changing trends.
Emerging as a pivotal figure in global music over the past ten years, Juls effortlessly blends afrobeats, reggae, soul, hip-hop, and dancehall, connecting the diaspora through his unique sound. It is hard to overstate Juls’ significance in the exportation of the afrobeats sound worldwide, having worked extensively with the largest names in the space, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, Wande Coal, Oxladeand perhaps most famously Mr Eazi. Throughout his career, Juls has also championed many homegrown talents from the UK, from alternative leaning rap acts including Kojey Radical, Sam Wise, Knucks and Che Lingo, to R&B stars on the rise Jaz Karis and Miraa May, showing a keen talent as a tastemaker for cutting edge artists.
On October 23rd, Juls mesmerised fans at his sold-out debut headline show at London’s Outernet. Accompanied by a live band and dancers for the first time ever, the show was a monumental achievement and perfect celebration of an artist with such a vibrant musical catalogue. The night’s setlist was a captivating voyage across the highlights of Juls’ career, with numerous special guests making an appearance in support of a modern icon. Closing the show, Tay Iwar performed their seminal collaboration with Wizkid titled ‘True Love’, a track that Juls notes changed his life, perfectly capping off the show as we look towards the next ten years of his career.
With the release of Peace & Love, Juls marks a decade of musical innovation and global influence. With its rich collaborations and fusion of diverse sounds, the album serves as a testament to his creative journey and lasting impact on the world of music.