Luman Child

Luman Child aka Neuchâtel-born Swiss artist Pascal Strauss makes his debut on the Tru Thoughts imprint with ‘Love Is The Message’. Featuring two modern soul numbers that mesh Luman Child’s love for deep bass with the influence of 70s jazz, funk and hip-hop, “Love Is The Message” is a time capsule of Pascal’s state of mind when writing this release and also a love letter to his family: 

“It’s for my family, as well as the period of life humanity is living through,” Pascal adds. “The project was built around gratitude, love and stepping back from our world. The title ‘Love Is The Message’ symbolises a message of hope. Simply because our world needs it and anyone at any level can share love in so many different ways.” 

Lead track “Grateful” is an ecstatic gospel-house tune dedicated as a tribute to Pascal’s parents. “Grateful”  has been described by jungle and broken beat pioneer Marc Mac (4hero / Reinforced Records) as a “real uplifting summer soul/boogie groover nice string arrangement, signature funky bass from Luman Child and a big gospel-style chorus vocal to brighten up the dance floor.”. Featuring the pristine vocals of the Philly-Soul singer/songwriter Robert Gee, “Grateful” is a peak time weapon that sees Gee’s energy-filled vocal delivery speaking directly from the heart.

While “Loving You” is dedicated to Pascal’s wife, and is a slower neo-soul track that features London-based Nigerian singer Joseph Junior who evokes heavy emotions and sincere love through his vocal tones and lyrics. “Loving You” ‘s beat and percussion is heavily influenced by a hip-hop footnote and slow jam classic “Footsteps in the Dark” by The Isley Brothers. 

Luman Child demonstrates his versatile skills as a producer, with his trademark tight-funk basslines, orchestral-string stabs, and tender rhodes keys. The EP also features bonus versions including an orchestral mix of “Grateful” and an instrumental version of “Loving You”. Both Robert Gee and Joseph Junior are long time collaborators, featuring on Luman Child’s debut solo album ‘Time To Grow’ (2017, Sedsoul Records).

Influenced musically by the sounds of the 70s of “Love Is The Message” by legends such as Niles Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Patrice Rushen and Herbie Hancock, Luman Child creates everything with a message, symbol or story. The artwork for ‘Love Is The Message’ is created from a landscape photo taken by Pascall while at a wedding in Namibia. “The idea behind the artwork is that the background is the view that you think see; then imagine coming back on that view 1 year after experiencing different events in your life. Maybe the perception of the background has changed, simply because your outlook on life has evolved. Or maybe that what you think see may be perceived differently by someone else… These triangles represent these differences. Everything is subject to evolve, but we must never forget what was before.” Pascal explains. 

The alias Luman Child was born from an etymological amalgamation, first his fathers nickname for him ‘Lu’ and ‘Man/Child’ – the symbolic period of time in which Pascal started doing concerts and studio sessions ahead of his peers: “Everyone called me the child, which was true… this allowed me to process quickly and live some pretty incredible experiences” he explains. 

Luman Child is an artist that continues to push boundaries with his growing repertoire, showcasing his unique style and building on the success of his musical inspiration. Releasing on renowned labels like Solid Ground Recordings, Sed Soul Records, Visions Recordings and Makin’ Moves, Luman Child has collaborated with a host of international and acclaimed artists such as Gwen McCrae, MAQman, Marc Mac’s ‘Fourth Kind’ project, Alex Attias and more.

 With previous support from Gilles Peterson, Mixmag, Traxsource (Charts), to name a few – “Love Is The Message” is a statement that sees Luman Child continue his evolution. “Basically I like to play and share the music because it is a vector of emotions. It goes beyond verbal language. My primary goal is for my music to travel and provide a sensation to others” Pascal concludes.