Celebrating 30 years since the release of her cosmic debut Galactica Rush, Jhelisa has released a newly reissued vinyl of the cult-classic album that was hailed as “a potent brew of jazz, funk and soul, with style and substance” by i-D Magazine when it first debuted in 1994. The LP houses a reimagined version of the complete record, freshly remastered and cut at half speed at Abbey Road studios by the album’s original mastering producer Miles Showell. Limited to only 1000 pressings, the vinyl is available here via Dorado Records, while the album can be streamed now here.
On November 22nd, a second vinyl pressing is set to follow fast on the heels of today’s release: a new 12” featuring the Sunship remixes of “Friendly Pressure,” Jhelisa’s hit song from the album that was remixed by Ceri Evans in 1998 and reborn earlier this year. The release will include Sunship’s ‘Into The Sunshine Mix’, which went viral on TikTok this spring and serendipitously introduced the track to a new generation of listeners just in time for the 30th anniversary. The remix has been used as the sound for over 500k TikTok videos, garnering 1.5 billion collective views on the app, with over 60 million streams across DSPs in 2024 alone. Limited to 500 pressings, the remix 12” features a brand new 2024 Sunship Remix and will be available later this month.
The Galactica Rush vinyl serendipitously arrives alongside the release of Jhelisa’s new single “Purpose Love” today, her first new music since 2022. A lushly-composed, 10-minute opus, “Purpose Love” floats between jazz, soul and psychedelia, while serving as “a counter energy to the chaos of crazy violence, ignorance, confusion permeating and threatening our very existence,” says Jhelisa. “A repetitive motivating manifesto, an energy that is a proclamation sent out into the atmosphere with a mission,” she adds. “I hope this song is used to create a Love Revolution. Madness is welcome, but it won’t survive.” Listen & join Jhelisa for an exclusive Bandcamp listening party for the song here at 10AM PT / 1PM ET today.
A bridge from the present to the past, “Purpose Love” is an apt companion to Galactica Rush – an album that quickly became an acclaimed underground sensation and was cemented as a highly influential work within the London music scene upon its release. Jhelisa wrote and co-produced the entire record herself, including title track ‘Galactica Rush’ – a jazz opus featuring the saxophone of Greg Osby, and harmonica-heavy R&B track ‘Death Of A Soul Diva’ – which was covered by friend and collaborator Chaka Khan.
The Mississippi-born songstress, who GQ dubbed ‘Cosmic princess of soul’, comes from a family of music legends – including Vicki Anderson and Bobby Byrd from the James Brown band, who were her aunt and uncle. Before beginning her journey as a solo artist in the mid-1990s, she got her start singing in church which eventually led to her becoming the go-to vocalist for Bjork, Massive Attack and The Shamen. But she didn’t feel at home until she began working on Galactica Rush, where she had creative control and was encouraged to push the boundaries.
