Santessa - Just When I Needed You (1999)

From 1999 Bobby Shaw from New York City turned me on to this band. Sexy Sade style vocals and beats , very similar to Blue 6 or Ananda Project tracks. The whole LP was genius. Very rare, I dont even own a copy of the vinyl LP. This is very deep. Very Ibiza or Benidorm or Rio or anywhere  theres a beach.
Santessa's debut album DELIRIUM, produced by Stuart Matthewman, (Sade, Maxwell, Sweetback) released through Sony UK in 2000, was critically acclaimed across the board. It has gone on to become a highly sought after collectors item worldwide.




Born on the Isle of Man,; Her mother is half English, half Ghanaian, and her father hails from Ireland.
She began joining bands, forming a few of her own, trying on different music styles; funk, rock, folk, whatever people around her wanted to play, but finding none that fitted comfortably. Supporting herself with a job in a casino, she took singing classes, studied drama and dance, listened to rare groove and R&B in the clubs, to the bass-heavy dub of Jah Shaka at sound system clashes, to reggae songs by Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse and David Bowie.
Influenced by the sound of Bristol and Bjork she began writing her own material. Meeting Stuart Matthewman of Sade led to the 2000 release of “Delirium” on Sony. In in a style reminiscent of Portishead and Sweetback, Santessa combined trip-hop, downtempo, and 70’s soul to create a sound both new and familiar. This song was off that fantastic album.


audio link to original mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnNh-EzUd0

Joe Clausell dub mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvRVA4qpu3g&feature=related