Family (feat. Ellen Beth Abdi)

Wah Wah 45s are very excited to welcome Jamie Finlay back to the fold - one of our most beloved artists with his first new music for the label in fifteen years. 


Jamie is an award-winning composer, songwriter and audio practitioner based in Manchester. His early releases on Wah Wah 45s, as well as on Development and Still Music, explored an eclectic range of music fusing soul, jazz, broken beat, funk, spoken-word, deep house and hip hop. His releases garnered rave reviews and saw him perform sell out shows at London's Jazz Café, support slots for the likes of Roy Ayers, and guest vocals on stage with jazz musician Matthew Halsall. His work has been remixed by Mr. Scruff, Moodymanc and Part-Time Heroes, and has found DJ support from Gilles Peterson, Osunlade, The Juan Maclean, Zed Bias and Luke Una. 


For the last ten years Jamie has worked extensively in music and sound for film, art and interactive projects. His work in this field has gained recognition and accolades from institutions such as Sundance Film Festival, BFI London and ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

This year, Jamie returns to Wah Wah 45s with his debut LP, Sun Dogs. Written and produced between 2021 and 2023, it's a deeply personal album that explores themes of love, loss, and finding strength in turbulent times. 


With its ethereal vocals and minimalist, psychedelic production style, Family is the striking first single to be taken from the album. Written by Jamie and featuring a sublime, haunting vocal performance from hotly tipped Mancunian singer, songwriter, producer and vocalist for A Certain Ratio, Ellen Beth Abdi, Family explores what the essence of a family unit is. 


"Families come in many forms, but at the core it's about that closeness, solidarity and unconditional love. This can come from anywhere with any group of people. It's not just about blood, it's about how we look after each other." Jamie Finlay 


The forthcoming album, Sun Dogs is a unique blend of electric soul, spiritual jazz and psychedelia with the emphasis firmly on songwriting. Deeply layered and textural with complex harmonies, sonorous arrangements, memorable melodies and brass lines that go from delicate to thunderous. It was recorded in Jamie's Manchester studio and features some of the most exciting talent to emerge from the city's music scene in recent years. As well as Ellen Beth Abdi, the album also features multi instrumentalist Caitlin LM and singer Kemani Anderson from Secret Night Gang.


Jamie looks forward to taking the project live in 2024 with his incredible band featuring many of the artists and musicians that appear on the album.