photo credit: @kaleidokitty
Soul Food Music Collective is a Los Angeles and Internet-based music community that first arrived on the scene in 2017. Originally established at the University of California Riverside, Soul Food strives to be a diverse platform that showcases our universal love of art, music, and culture, and they do an excellent job. Soul Food prides itself on delivering underground music to a wider, genre-diverse audience. Known for throwing parties with a cause, Soul Food is continuously connecting realities online and in-person by good friends and good vibes. Nourishment for the mind, body, and soul.
Now, this exciting collective has unveiled a thrilling Volume 3 compilation that’s a genre-bending musical paradise, stacked with the best and brightest up-and-comers in the underground Wave and Bass scenes. 
The team shares:
“Soul Food Comp 03 symbolizes a turning point in our ever-evolving story. As of this moment in time, we don’t really consider ourselves a record label. Three years ago, we had no idea what to expect with Comp 01.. We were honestly prepared for it to be a one-time only thing. Fast forward to now and it’s truly all thanks to our community that we can co-create such beautiful soundscapes.
The current recording industry is in such a weird state. Especially if you’re an underground, independent artist. With how unbalanced the streaming game is regarding royalties, so many of Soul Food’s creatives are unable to rely on being a musician full-time and truly live out their dream careers. And without substantial streaming numbers, it’s even harder to be booked for Live Shows.”
The A-Side is exclusively wave focused – loaded with artists such as Loss Combinator, dreamcode, Falldren and C-ZER – while the B-side focuses more on Garage and Experimental Bass sounds and features WildType, DriveSlowHomie, wes pierce and many more.
The Collective adds:
“The industry continues to be oversaturated with new music being shared every day by artists that escape the mainstream’s attention. Highlighting such artists has always been the goal for our community-lead albums. We don’t care if you’ve never released on major platforms or labels before. We don’t care if we don’t make any money off of your music. As such, all artists that allow Soul Food to distribute their record retain all rights to their master. They can request us to remove their songs off streaming platforms should they desire- such as if they secure a more lucrative deal. They can also re-upload said songs if they wish to retain all their royalties. The only agreement made between Artist & Soul Food is that they allow us to donate all proceeds from our Distribution to the Harmony Project. By empowering underprivileged youth through music education, we believe we’re sharing a message that the future of our world is dependent on taking care of the next generations. By giving power back to artists, we believe we’re highlighting how essential it is to invest in the main sources that drive our industry.”
Outside of the music, one of the coolest details about this release is that proceeds from the compilation will be donated to a music-related charity called Harmony Project. Overall, it’s clear to see that Soul Food Collective is working to not only promote the best up and coming talent, but also honor all the people involved in the process, with a pure focus on the community.
“To some, I may sound crazy because companies like Spotify & Tik-Tok have re-shaped the way we experience music in a transcendent way. However, when these major platforms create predatory business practices that only reward the top 1% of artists or the labels themselves, all I see is a huge disconnect in co-creating a music industry that benefits everyone. We may not have the solution ourselves when it comes to solving the current streaming problems, but we find peace in knowing the music we release directly improves the lives of musicians less fortunate than us. Our hope is that we can continue to build a more inclusive, win-win environment for all that share this passion of creativity, art, and culture. Let’s change the game together.“
Listen below!
