Harvell Guiton - Pure Black Soul
Format: Mini-LP
Previously unreleased 6-track session from singer-songwriter and bassist Harvell Guiton, recorded in 1982 at Nash Studios, Oakland, California. Produced and arranged by Guiton, the recording features an accomplished musician lineup comprising studio owner and percussionist Kenneth Nash, drummer and composer Jon Seligman, keys player Timothy Winn, and gospel singers/musicians Ola Andrews and Alfreda Lyons.
Born into a prominent West Coast gospel family, Guiton began performing early, playing drums and bass in church and touring the US and Europe with the Andrews Gospel Sisters, the Bobby Lyons Singers, Dannibelle Hall, and Jessie Dixon. Mentored by the legendary Andraé Crouch, Guiton later toured internationally with his own group, Unity, and performed in the theatre production Acts 1 & 2: The Comforter Has Come from San Francisco to London.
In 2018, a chance encounter between Harvell and DJ/archivist James Pogson expanded on the promise of Guiton's rare 1983 self-released debut single, ‘My Dream’, revealing the existence of original multitrack session tapes for an unissued studio project, Pure Black Soul.
In the early 80s, quality control standards at Kenneth Nash’s Studio mirrored the elite lineup of players assembled by Guiton. A prolific musician and engineer, Nash was well-acquainted with state-of-the-art studios, performing on numerous jazz and soul albums by artists like Pharoah Sanders, Joe Henderson, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Hammond and Patrice Rushen. When Sean P. worked on the 1982 sessions for this release, he noted the clarity of the multitracks: “It’s a really clean and well-balanced sounding recording that was easy to mix.” High-end analogue tracking, paired with Sean P.’s reverence for the original timeline, allowed Guiton’s vision to finally be realised.
Though the studio room would later host mid-90s Bay Area hip-hop history, with duo Lateef and Lyrics Born recording vocals over DJ Shadow beats for their debut Solesides single, Guiton's project remained stored away for nearly forty years. As he reflected: “It’s a dream come true finally getting this music out there”. Following a career as a firefighter, Guiton returned to recording in recent years, including his 2025 EP, Divine.
Whilst Pure Black Soul is an important historical document and testament to a musical legacy, for DJs and collectors, the project is an unearthed gem from music’s golden age. Featuring dance-floor-friendly and play-out picks - the fast-paced ‘Never Sleeps Or Slumbers Disco Mix’, an LP mix of 'My Dream’ paired back-to-back with a dusty-fingers, head-nod style 'Trio Version’, the encouraging 'Make The Best Of Your Time', and a Stevie Wonder-esque ballad, ‘Going Away’ - it’s a praise record that ticks all the boxes for soul, boogie and funk fans, with a tracklist that sounds right for both the disco and home listening alike.
