LargeUp Premiere: Omar Gives His Soulful "Simplify" A "Rootickal Re Twist"
Jah know we love some Omar here at Okayplayer. The singer gets propers not only for first-ness (he was among the very first artists to pioneer the sophisticated, rare groove-inflected r&b sound that came to be called 'neo-soul') but also for sterling quality and unrelenting consistency. You can now add 'versatility' to that list of superlatives, as O (government name Omar Lye-Fook) explores his West Indian roots in a more expansive way on a "retwisted" version of his 2013 album-of-the-year The Man. That cutlass-chopped and screwed project has now gifted us with this video for the heavy-manners "Rootickal Re Twist" of the track "Simplify." Shot on the streets of Brixton with Carnival vibes on full display, the video premiered this morning on, appropriately enough, LargeUp. Get more below and scroll down to watch the video:
The Godfather of British Neo-Soul Omar Lye-Fook’s dulcet tones are a familiar sound for most anyone who grew up on R&B Since bursting onto the scene more than 25 years ago with “There’s Nothing Like This,” he has provided the world with a string of timeless music, all the way up to his latest album, 2013’s The Man.His latest release, a silky smooth, summery reggae “retwist” of Omar’s 2013 tune, “Simplify,” is a family affair. The singer’s brother, the award-winning Scratch Professor, produced the track, for their collaborative remix album, The Man (Retwisted by Scratch Professor). What’s more, it is worth mentioning that reggae has played a role in this soul brother’s life; Omar’s father was a studio musician and drummer who worked with the likes of Bob Marley and Horace Andy.
The video for “Simplify” was shot at the South London street festival Brixton Splash, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary, attracting over 20,000 people on August 2. The visuals bring us a slice of Splash’s Caribbean cultural explosion, but also snippets of the singer’s personal life. He can be seen putting down some easy skankin’ as he warbles away, hot-stepping past the infamous Somerleyton Estate, taking photos with fans, commanding the mic with London’s Veteran Studio One Sound clique (some of his musical comrades) and playing with his gorgeous twin daughters and their friends on the grass – adorable!