Tag Archives: Good People Records

On Record – MF Robots: III (Part One) (Good People Records)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

MF Robots is proving to be an unstoppable train of feelgood music. The project was begun by Brand New Heavies founder Jan Kincaid together with former band vocalist Dawn Joseph, with the idea of achieving musical liberation without any ties to genre.

Despite that, soul, funk and jazz inevitably feature high in the mix, with the two linking on a series of carefree club-based songs.

What’s the music like?

Summer was invented for bands like MF Robots! Their music takes you into the sunshine with immediate effect, as soon as the opening strains of That’s The Way kick in. This breezy first song is backed up by the call to arms that is Children Of The World, a classic soul number.

Cares are well and truly thrown to the side as the album unfolds, with a style rooted somewhere in the late 1970s of Earth, Wind & Fire but with Brazilian, jazz and soul thrown in to the melting pot in liberal measure. Through The Pain is the pick of these freer numbers, a persuasive sway to its rhythms and heat-soaked keyboards.

The Pressure offers a sultry complement to the quicker tracks, while Glide, a love story, and Hello Sunshine offer up radio-friendly choruses. Lay It Back, meanwhile, harks back to the best, communal numbers of the Brand New Heavies.

Does it all work?

The best indication of the effectiveness of this album is that once it finishes you’ll want to hear it all over again. It may be short, but III delivers!

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. Dawn Joseph has a great voice, and the band deliver summery funk in abundance. If you have an acre of sunshine to fill, use MF Robots as your soundtrack!

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,853 – Friday 10 April 2026

New music – MF Robots: Children of the World (Good People Records)

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edited from the press release with extra words by Ben Hogwood

MF Robots build upon the success of first single Hello Sunshine on their own imprint Good People Records (a joint venture with Republic Of Music) with Children of the World, the Afro-soul-funk fuelled second single taken from the forthcoming album III (three), out Feb 2026.

It is a ray of late summer sunshine for sure, with a singalong chorus that proves difficult to shift after a few listens, and a breezy, funky vibe with Afro grooves added.

Jan Kincaid, co-founder of MF Robots, comments : Children of the World is a freewheeling fun ride, through a hazy summer block party, dancing, hanging out, a neighbourhood homage to simpler times, to innocence but also with a “Go get it, the world is YOURS” message to ourselves to not lose that youthful ,driving energy for life ,the sense that anything is possible ,that we have when we are younger and less burnt by a tricky world….”We wanted this to have a kind of feeling like a freewheeling bike ride at sunset, not really going anywhere In particular but with the sun on your skin ,losing yourself to a perfect moment”… Sunshine is indeed something you could think of a lot with this second single and the album to follow. MF Robots hope you enjoy this release as much as they did making it!

This release follow their 2021 Break the Wall record (reviewed on Arcana here) which was released to rave reviews. Collaborating for the first time while recording and performing with one of the UK’s most successful Acid Jazz bands, The Brand New Heavies in 2013, founder / drummer Jan Kincaid and vocalist Dawn Joseph discovered immediate musical chemistry and began writing songs together right away. They soon left the band to concentrate on their own work, starting MF Robots (Music For Robots) and releasing an eponymous debut in 2018. The album was so well received that the duo soon morphed into a band as they found themselves in-demand at venues and festivals all over Europe including being personally invite on tour across Europe by Lenny Kravitz.

The forthcoming long player III represents a new sonic and song benchmark for Jan and Dawn, reflecting the MF Robots project coalescing and maturing while fine-tuning their material, both on the road and in the studio.

You can explore purchase options for Children of the World by clicking here

Published post no.2,672 – Monday 29 September 2025