Who is Tortured Soul?

I still play the first Tortured Soul record I bought; “How’s Your Life?” on Central Park Recordings, which I got from Flat, Black & Circular in 2002.

A few years later, I saw them play the main stage at DEMF/Movement on a rainy Sunday evening. Despite the terrible weather, they put on an amazing show. I definitely wasn’t alone in thinking that either, because hundreds of festival-goers in rain coats piled to the front of the stage and danced through the 45-minute set.

I’ve since seen Tortured Soul perform a couple more times and as a DJ, I keep up with their releases including their latest single which just came out early this year. While the recordings are good, their live performance is on a different level. These guys create a soul-pop-house dance music set you’d normally associate with a DJ blending records, but they do it live.

To international success, too. Tortured Soul has been incredibly busy on the road since 2002, playing pretty much every major city in nearly every continent on the planet. Chicago is typically as close to Michigan’s capital city as they come, which is why I’m so excited to have them as part of this year’s festival.

I’m especially excited that we’re able to make the closing night party a free show! I feel that as a cultural event in a city like Lansing, it’s part of our responsibility to bring people something different and make it accessible.

Still not convinced? Check out this video from the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.

See you at CCFF!

-Jake Pechtel, CCFF Entertainment Director