Kim English’s timeless voice powers Jimmy Scott Free’s Turn Back Time
Kim English’s voice has always sounded like a compass for house music, pointing toward feeling as much as rhythm. On Turn Back Time, Jimmy Scott Free sets that compass at the center of his own revival, crafting a soulful, euphoric single that marks his first release in a decade and a new era for the Southend native now splitting life between the Midlands and Barcelona.
Jimmy’s roots run through the UK underground. He started promoting parties at 15, then built a live act with his brother around a hand-made reggae-style sound system, sharing stages with Peter Hook and The Light, Groove Armada, and Skunk Anansie before taking Best Dance Track at the Exposure Music Awards in 2010. What followed was the fade-out: disillusionment, a move to Spain, and years away from the machine. “When my brother left the band, I lost my heart for music,” he reflects. “But when a friend visited last year and convinced me to plug in the studio again, I haven’t stopped writing since.”
Turn Back Time is both a look inward and a step forward. It’s the first in a chain of upcoming releases headed toward an album and the possibility of a new live show underpinned by proper label support. The record carries a polish built for airplay without losing the pulse of the rooms he once filled. It also holds the weight of a life lived: he’s weathered a gas explosion in Amsterdam at 21 and a wrongful arrest at a London gig later cleared in court. Through it all, his compass stays steady. “This is a new chapter, but the fire’s still the same. I’m doing this on my own terms, but with a lot more focus this time around.”
A minimal, straight-to-camera video is in development and Jimmy plans to document more of the process with studio footage as the rollout gathers pace.