Smoove & Turrell

The studio and touring band also includes founder member Mike Porter (Keyboards), Lloyd Wright (Guitar), Neil Harland (Bass) and Oscar Cassidy (Drums).

The story of Smoove & Turrell began in the post millennium North East of England with a group of working class lads and a shared passion for soul.

Around Mike’s house one day they overheard a neighbour singing sublime melodies in his garage with friends which turned out to be none other than a young John Turrell practising in a band called ‘The Stevies’.

After the trio performed several gigs together with various other guest musicians it was agreed they would create some new material and so they started to write and arrange a clutch of tracks that Smoove would record and produce.

The first Smoove & Turrell release was a limited edition 7" single called "I Can't Give You Up",[2] issued in 2007 on German record label Club Tikka as a double A-side shared with "Curry Rice (Instrumental)" by Torpedo Boyz.

Smoove & Turrell tracks were used on US TV shows, feature films and an ABC network primetime advertising campaign, as well as in video games such as 'The Crew'.

KCRW in LA put 'Hard Work' in their coveted Today’s Top Tune slot further exposing the band to west coast tastemakers and the boys becoming unlikely darlings of the US sync business.

An album which infused their northern soul and funk style with early electronica influences, rock, pop, disco and jazz whilst still maintaining the signature Smoove & Turrell sound.

Never ones to rest for long, the Geordie soul crew returned in 2018 with a stunning fifth album 'Mount Pleasant', after the success of Crown Posada , which gave the band multiple BBC Radio 2 playlists and 6 music spins.

An album which, true to the band's style, draws on subject matters which are aimed to make us stop and think, with songs such as the politically charged ‘Hate Seeking Missile’ , balanced fittingly with uplifting stompers, such as ‘There For Me’.

The lead single 'You're Gone', a duet featuring John Turrell and Jalapeño Records stablemate, Izo Fitzroy, was again picked up by Gilles Peterson and played extensively by Craig Charles on BBC Radio 2.

Smoove (Jonathan Scott Watson) originally started out as a professional DJ in 1990, when he worked in bars and clubs, mainly in the Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland areas.

In 1991 he began to make his own music - based on a blend of hip-hop, soul and funk - and released a single under the band name Ashbrooke All Stars entitled "Dubbin' Up The Pieces",[3] on East West Records (a Warner Brothers imprint).

[4] In the years leading up to the formation of Smoove & Turrell his DJ career flourished, he presented a radio show - called Ultravibe - on Sunderland's Wear FM, fronted a Newcastle upon Tyne funk and hip hop band named Rubberneck and remixed music for other artists.

Smoove's debut single "He Won't Get Far" was released on the Atomic Hi-Fi label as 12" picture disc, designed to resemble dusty, scratched vinyl.

Since the formation of Smoove & Turrell, he has collaborated with a number of artists on their own recordings, among these are The James Taylor Quartet, Kraak & Smaak, Ashley Beedle's, Mavis Project,[7] and Fab Samperi.