Lance Ferguson returns to Tru Thoughts with ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’
Lance Ferguson – New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based producer, guitarist and musical polymath – returns to Tru Thoughts with his latest single, ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’, a vibrant reimagining of Idris Muhammad’s seminal 1977 jazz-funk cut.
Listen to ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’ HERE
“2025 marks two decades since I first signed with Tru Thoughts Records. I was DJing at The Brighton Jazz Rooms in 2000 and got to meet the wonderful Rob Luis, and being a big TT fan, I handed him a CDR with some new recordings from The Bamboos and my Lanu solo project. Rob was into the music, and later he got back to me and we ended up signing both acts to the label. It really felt like an upward trajectory at the time to become a part of this forward-looking, musically progressive imprint and it definitely gave us some international visibility at a time when the internet was only really just starting to become an effective tool for musicians to get their music out there. Over the ensuing years I produced 12 albums on the label (The Bamboos, Lanu, Kylie Auldist, Menagerie) and released 21 singles.”
Known for that work with The Bamboos, Menagerie and Lanu, Lance now breathes new life into classic grooves through his Rare Groove Spectrum series, which has been celebrated by Gilles Peterson, Jazz FM and Craig Charles.
On this new single, Lance strips back and reconstructs Muhammad’s euphoric groove from the ground up, he explains, “There have been a few cover versions of Idris Muhammad’s Jazz-Funk perennial over the years, but it’s such an incredible song that I couldn’t resist adding it to the RGS list. We have given it a propulsive “Four-on-the-floor” feel with extra percussion elements, and Saxophonist Phil Noy pulls out a really killer Alto solo.” Previously covered by artists Jamie xx and Incognito, Lance’s version brings a fresh energy while honouring the original.
Lance has carved a reputation as one of Australia’s most versatile and visionary musical minds, producing 45 full-length albums and more than 100 singles and remixes for an array of respected labels, including Atlantic, Universal, Warner, BMG, Sony, Ubiquity (USA), Inertia (Australia), Freestyle (UK), his own imprint Pacific Theatre and for Tru Thoughts. His work has earned him Seven ARIA Award nominations and Five APRA Music Award nominations, cementing his influence. Across his Rare Groove Spectrum series, released via Freestyle, he delves into a deep crate of Soul, Jazz, Latin and Funk obscurities, re-recording them with a live band to breathe new life into under-appreciated classics.
‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’ is a testament to Lance’s skill as both curator and arranger, paying homage to an era while crafting something entirely his own.
