Ski Oakenfull

Released on October 4th, 1994, ‘Ain't Gonna Justify’ was my first solo single, marking a major turning point in my journey as an artist. My previous band, The K-Creative, signed to Gilles Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud records, had split up a couple of years before, and my manager at the time was encouraging me to start writing and producing my own music. Heavily influenced by artists like Larry Heard, The Police, and Grace Jones, this was one of the first songs I wrote, demoed at home on my Fostex 4-track, using an Atari ST, Roland S760 sampler, and Korg 01/WFD synthesizer. I originally sang on the early version, so I was blown away when US soulful vocalist Chezeré came over to my house and sang the song back to me. It was a surreal experience, my first realisation that I could be a songwriter, and it gave me the confidence to push forward as a solo artist.

Produced by: Yukihiro Kanesaka
Vocals: Robert Gallagher
Keyboards: Ski Oakenfull
Bass & Guitar: Ernie McKone

This track first appeared on the compilation album, "Sun Sun: Ceci N'Est Pas Une Compilation", released by Columbia France in 1997, and is now finally being reissued as a single 27 years later. A mix of breakbeat, latin, and jazz, influenced by artists like Santana and Flora Purim, the track led the way for Ski gaining an album deal with Columbia France, and cementing his solo career and a solo artist, remixer, and producer.