STREETON – The Waters feat. Lucy Sparks & MIFE

Sonar Kollektiv welcomes STREETON with the release of “The Waters,” a soulful and rhythmically rich first glimpse into the producer’s upcoming debut album Iridescence.

Paul STREETON is a British DJ and producer originally hailing from the sleepy villages of Hertfordshire, who in recent years traded rural calm for the vibrant energy of London’s ever-evolving music scene. Deeply inspired by broken beat culture, jazz harmony, Afro-Latin rhythms, soulful house, and sound system music, STREETON has steadily emerged as a distinctive new voice within the UK bruk and future-jazz landscape.

Releasing music via respected labels such as Dance Regular, Darker Than Wax, To The Rock, and Boogie Café, while also appearing at institutions like We Out Here Festival, Rinse FM, and Voices Radio, STREETON has built a reputation for uplifting yet sonorous productions — balancing intricate musicality with genuine dancefloor energy.

His debut Sonar Kollektiv release, “The Waters,” featuring Lucy Sparks and Berlin-based saxophonist and producer MIFE, perfectly captures that duality. Warm, glowing keys open the track before fractured but deeply groove-led drums begin to unfold beneath Lucy Sparks’ soulful vocal performance. Swirling saxophone textures and fluid percussion gradually build momentum, creating a piece that feels simultaneously delicate, uplifting, and rhythmically propulsive.

The single serves as the first glimpse into STREETON’s forthcoming debut album Iridescence, due March 2027 on Sonar Kollektiv — a long-form project exploring identity, belonging, collaboration, and creative growth within the vibrant communities of London’s contemporary music scene.

As STREETON explains:

“I’ve always been interested in the idea of storytelling, whether that’s in productions or DJ sets, and after releasing a string of EPs and singles, I was really keen to create a longer-format project where I could really have the space to explore a theme or a concept.

Iridescence is a project born out of the vibrancy and collaboration of London’s music scene, and for me the album as a whole is about finding identity and place in a noisy and saturated world.”

Growing up surrounded by jazz, funk, soul, jungle, and house music, STREETON developed an instinctive connection to rhythm and musicality long before moving to London opened the door to deeper sonic exploration and creative community.

That collaborative spirit sits at the heart of “The Waters.” Speaking on working with Lucy Sparks — Bristol-based vocalist and member of jazz and neo-soul ensemble Laimu — STREETON says:

“We connected through common friends and a shared love of broken beat. I was already a fan of their music and her super soulful, raw vocal style. After sending her a few demos she sent back the first take for The Waters and I was truly blown away.”

Alongside Lucy’s vocal contribution, the presence of MIFE adds another layer of warmth and improvisational energy to the record. The Berlin-based saxophonist, producer, and composer — born Efim Braylovskiy — is known for merging experimental jazz approaches with electronic production, drawing from years of international performance experience and a background spanning both live improvisation and laptop-based composition.

“The Waters” ultimately feels like a perfect introduction to STREETON’s world: soulful, rhythmically adventurous, deeply musical, and rooted in the community-driven spirit of broken beat culture while remaining open to jazz, dub, house, and contemporary electronic influences alike.

With Iridescence set to unfold over the coming months, STREETON arrives at Sonar Kollektiv with a sound that feels both deeply informed by tradition and unmistakably forward-looking.

Listen or stream STREETON – The Waters feat. Lucy Sparks & MIFE here: https://sonarkollektiv.lnk.to/thewaters