South London hip-hop duo Summers Sons and producer and pianist C.Tappin release their second collaborative album, Lightworks, via DeepMatter Records.
South London has long been a place where music is made from what people carry with them, and the new album from Summers Sons and C.Tappin is a product of that tradition. Lightworks is the work of an underground duo and a producer whose partnership stretches back to childhood. It was crafted over a transformative eight-year period, built on foundations of family, friendship, community and perseverance. The album draws equally from the city’s 2000s grime and hip-hop scenes, and from the flourishing new wave of UK jazz, a reflection of the musical landscape London has offered over the past two decades.
Summers Sons are made up of brothers Turt on vocals and Slim on production. Their bond with C.Tappin reaches all the way back to their early years, a shared history of musical and emotional language that allows vulnerable storytelling to sit at the heart of everything they do. The word “Lightworks” has existed within their canon since their earliest days, serving as a motto and an ethos that underpins all they create. As they explain, “The work ain’t always light, but the light is always working.” The record embodies that message. The opening track, “Balance”, captures the tension between artistic ambition and everyday life, documenting the challenge of pursuing a creative vision while managing work, finances, and family responsibilities. “Rotate” and “Seasons” follow, reflecting on the turbulent journey behind the album and finding comfort in the knowledge that life moves in cycles and that change is the only constant. Drawing on the emotive flow of Loyle Carner and the gospel-leaning, earthy tones of Children of Zeus’ Tyler Daley, the pairing of these tracks forms a loving centrepiece, a homage to a shared vision that continues on “Bonds Like These”.
The seeds of the album were planted in 2018, while the trio were making their previous collaboration, Uhuru, released through Melting Pot Music. They saw D’Angelo and the Vanguard perform live, and the show changed what they believed was possible in blending beats with live instrumentation. The experience inspired a move away from the sample-based process of their earlier releases and pushed them towards something far more expansive. After several years living in Bristol, Turt and C.Tappin returned to London just as Slim was becoming immersed in The Silhouettes Project. Rooted in East London’s iconic Total Refreshment Centre, the groundbreaking hip-hop collective and community group includes scene breakouts such as ENNY, Nix Northwest and Eerf Evil. Surrounded by a community built on collaboration, the group found the musicians who could bring their vision to life. C.Tappin contributed piano compositions, Slim played drums and bass, and Turt steered the lyrical and conceptual direction. The arrangements benefited from the skills of trumpeter Poppy Daniels and violinist Clementine Brown.
Across nearly a decade of releasing music, Summers Sons have shared stages with Loyle Carner and Children of Zeus, and collaborated with Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Nix Northwest, Eerf Evil and KeepVibesNear. Lightworks is, at its heart, a record about holding on to hope while life keeps shifting. It is honest about the hard seasons and generous with the light that comes after them, and it is a story worth listening to from start to finish. The album is released via Deep Matter Records.
For further information on the artists, please visit the following links:
- https://www.instagram.com/summers_sons
- https://summerssons2.bandcamp.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/ceetappin/
- https://deepmatter.lnk.to/summers-sons-ctappin-lightworks
Images provided courtesy of Deep Matter Records
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