“Jimi nails it with this uplifting dnb monster. Great production, musically hits the spot & smashes it on the dance floor. Love it” - Krafty Kuts

Musical alchemist Jimi Needles and soul sensation Hannah Williams are set to release their funky, latin-infused, drum and bass cover of “Shackles” by Mary Mary on the 4th March via Swing and Bass.

Jimi and Hannah's genre-melding spin on the 90’s R&B classic fuses modern, chunky dnb beats, latin rhythms, live instrumentation and a game-changing, soulful vocal from Hannah that takes the original to an entirely different place.

Jimi’s aim as an artist is to present music that people know and love in a new and interesting way, blowing their minds, and making them dance. His “Shackles” cover certainly brings these vibes. Turntablist and producer Jimi Needles is best known for his intricate, genre-spanning, party mixtapes, deck-defying festival sets and on-point productions.

His musical origins are rooted in hip hop, soul, and funk, but when performing live, Jimi brings to the turntables a fusion of pin-point scratching over breaks & bass music. He leaves virtually no genre untouched to create the ultimate party soundtrack. The same can be said for his productions, with an array of varied bootlegs and original productions on labels such as Beating Heart, Jungle Strikes and now Swing and Bass. Jimi also performs shows with his live backing band, The Cosmic Orchestra, who played most of the instruments in the final cut of the new single.

This will be Jimi’s second release on Swing & Bass, riding on the buzz of “Missing Sombrero”, an original, high-energy, latin-funk, drum and bass banger in a similar vein, bringing an uplifting horn section and distinctive vinyl scratch lead.

Swing and Bass as a label and event brand prides itself in combining soulful vintage vibes with clean modern production and filthy basslines, reworking classics for the modern dance floor. It’s the perfect home for Jimi’s brand of funky party music. Soul sensation Hannah Williams is a vocal powerhouse who has garnered critical acclaim with her band Hannah Williams and the Affirmations, and as a solo artist.

The band were catapulted into a string of successes after the title track from their debut album was sampled by JAY-Z on his chart-topping single “4.44”. This gave them global recognition, bolstering their soul scene fanbase with additional support from the RnB and Hip-Hop community, including Tyler the Creator and Will.I.Am.
“You are in the club now” - Will.I.Am

This momentum has continued with worldwide touring, tracks from their second album used multiple times on TV, by Virgin Hotels, Apple TV and more. Plus, a third album is on its way.
Success in Hannah’s solo career has also followed suit; she recently made the finals in the TV show: The Voice UK, where she was mentored by Sir Tom Jones.

Reuniting on this track (Jimi used to play drums for Hannah nearly 10 years ago!), Jimi and Hannah felt that the lyrics of the original were the perfect way to capture the current global psyche and create a cathartic catalyst that gets people dancing.

“We thought the vocal resonated with the current state of the pandemic world” -
Jimi Needles