A jazz funk quartet from London, England, D-Influence made an immediate impact with their debut white label release in 1990. "I'm The One"/"The Classic" combined a hip-hop beat, programmed by the band's guitarist, Ned B (aka Ed Baden Powell), with the distinctive vocals of the then 18-year-old jazz singer Sarah Ann Webb. Steve Marston (multi-instrumentalist) and Kwame Kwaten (keyboards) are the other long-standing members. Previously the band had worked with artists such as Neneh Cherry, and came together through a mutual interest in club music and nightlife. As might have been predicted by descriptions of their music, they initially signed to the Acid Jazz Records stable, preceding a debut album for East West Records, but the record saw them suffer numerous comparisons to Soul II Soul and De La Soul. However, its sales of only 30,000 attested more to a lack of adequate promotion and radio play than talent, and it did earn the band the admiration of artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger, each of whom they would support later in their career. They also collaborated with Bj”rk (on her Later With Jools Holland television appearance) and Seal (his second album). Their own second album in 1995, Prayer 4 Unity, included contributions from dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and Kenny Wellington, formerly horn player with Light Of The World. The album was well received, Muzik magazine citing it as a "lovely mixture of British black music with the odd boogie tune thrown in to make sure you know where they're coming from." London incorporated a wider range of influences from rap to gospel, held together by Webb's distinctive vocals.

Listen to D-Influence at Finetune.

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