"Medicine can harm the body, but it can also heal people. How to resolve worries? Only the soul can."
Living in the modern age but feeling like one is in the 1970s, the soothing sounds greet you as soon as you open your mouth. This is the first pure soul music album in the history of the Mandarin pop music scene, inheriting the spirit of masters like Curtis Mayfield and Barry White. It has been widely covered by esteemed media such as SoulTracks and The Urban Music Scene, with the romantic hit “Honey If You’re Extra” accumulating over 200,000 streams in Europe.
Dressed in a suit with leather flared pants, playing both wah-wah guitar and flute, Yufu was born and raised in Taiwan but feels as if he is living in a parallel time in 1970s America and Britain. While music critics claim that the boundaries between genres are crumbling, he, like a seeker, focuses on pursuing an ideal music culture.
As a child, Yufu grew up surrounded by a considerable number of B-side Western records, with the rich and warm sounds of soul music echoing throughout the house. Artists like Marvin Gaye and The Spinners became important influences during his formative years. During his student days, he began learning instruments and composing music, gradually making a name for himself as the mastermind behind independent bands like Crocodile Psychedelic and Yufu & the Velvet Impressionism, performing at prominent independent music festivals such as the Great Festival of Music and the Simple Life Festival.
This album Heal Me Good, set for release in early 2025, is a culmination of Yufu's thirty years immersed in soul music. He has embraced the classic soul style of 1974 to 1975, handling the songwriting, vocals, mixing, production, and playing multiple instruments himself, all exuding a rich, soulful rhythm. The narrative centers on the dual nature of drugs as saviors and destroyers, infused with romantic and life metaphors, blending heat and lyricism, and mimicking the concept of old records.
The first single, “Honey If You’re Extra,” was released late last year, and its lively romantic atmosphere has successfully made waves in Europe, accumulating over 200,000 streams. Another track, “When?”, opens with a familiar retro drum machine sound and has received recommendations from the authoritative American soul music media, SoulTracks. Besides incorporating elements of funk and disco, the album cleverly hides many thematic and creative whims reminiscent of 1970s music production, allowing listeners to both enjoy the captivating melodies and unwittingly fall in love with the soul music culture that deeply resonates with Yufu.
