Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers, fronted by the legend Arp Frique, has unveiled their latest masterpiece, “The Gospel of Jesamy,” out now via the esteemed COLORFUL WORLD (Rush Hour Music). This album is a kaleidoscopic blend of P-funk, gospel, and disco, described by Arp Frique, the trailblazing funk visionary, as a natural fusion of soul-driven genres. They all stem from the same musical roots, expressing the soul in unique ways while capturing raw, visceral energy. This release marks another milestone in Arp Frique’s journey to redefine what modern funk and disco are.
This time, Arp Frique is joined by standout vocalists Brandon Delagraentiss and Rocq-E Harrell. Their combined talents, alongside longtime collaborators Marissa Nyamekye and Marilonah Copra, form a vibrant collective that fuels what Arp Frique describes as a funk circus, ready to take center stage at major festivals like Eurosonic and North Sea Jazz in 2025.
In an exclusive interview, Arp Frique delves into the creative process behind “The Gospel of Jesamy,” reflecting on his approach to blending genres and his love for raw, unpolished production. He explains how spirituality shapes his work, using gospel as a vehicle for universal messages and collective expression. With a career that has seen him tour the world, collaborate with musical legends, and even branch out into fashion design, Arp Frique remains an artist who constantly reinvents himself. Join us, and let’s see what this visionary artist has in store for us today.
Your new album, The Gospel of Jesamy, combines elements of P-funk, gospel, and disco. How did you approach blending these genres, and what inspired this unique sound?
To me, they are all one and the same. They all derive from the same tree of music; to be honest, actually, all music does. Be it alternative rock, house, techno, jazz, or country, it all starts with the blues and spiritual music. All variations on a theme. When I was a teenager, I went from MJ and Madonna straight into Nirvana and RHCP. So my scope on music has always been very broad. Gospel and disco are such a natural combination, two different ways to express the soul in music. P-funk for me is a flavor, a color, an attitude, something more visceral instead of cerebral. It’s basically everything in my mind and body merged into one.
You’ve worked with legendary artists like Ronald Snijders and have gained fans like Gilles Peterson and Louie Vega, to name a few. How do these collaborations and endorsements influence your creative process?
Well, I would say Ronald’s music definitely had an impact. I was a little fanboy when I first met him, totally in love with his 70s recordings. When I really got to know him, I discovered our approach to making music is very similar. We both operate as a one-man band in the home studio (in my case, I refer to this as the Times Warp Studio), and this solo approach really makes the difference. There is something magical when a non-professional bass player like me plays bass, keys, or anything. Something I also hear on Stevie Wonder’s albums, for instance: I don’t think many people see him as a drummer, but he definitely did record his own drums, and it adds to the quirkiness. Stevie on drums is so not perfect, so not what professional drummers would play, it’s the best, he is my favorite drummer. I also discovered this in my own music. I remember when I first sent a demo 8 years ago to Rush Hour, and they totally loved it. I wanted to re-record all parts because I felt it was too sloppy, not pro enough. Thankfully, they made me understand that this would have been a very bad idea and would have squeezed all the life out of it. My demos are the final versions. I don’t do demos. What I start with is how it ends up on the record.
Your live performances with The Perpetual Singers bring incredible energy. What’s the secret to creating such a vibrant and engaging stage presence?
The true secret is the purpose of the thing. Life has been and still is not easy. A lot of pain, a lot of suffering. Also, the outside world, the world we live in, wow, what a mess on the global political level. Again, so much pain and suffering. To keep my spirit up, and I think this goes for most people, I need a purpose, a dream, a goal, an escape into a magical but real alternative reality. The stage is a safe, magical, abundant realm for me. This provides me with so much energy, I can feel it tingle, literally. All I do is transfer that to the band and the audience.
Rocq-E Harrell and Brandon Delagraentiss play key roles in your upcoming album. Can you tell us about working with them and how their unique styles shaped this project?
They are two Americans living in Holland. I first stumbled upon Brandon through Instagram, and I was especially touched by his solo singing. He has a certain emotional touch and frequency in his voice; it cannot be faked. It comes with the experience of life, and he has it. He is the son of a Texan preacher, so we instantly connected when it came to the big vocal approach I needed for this album. He is the director of a gospel choir in Amsterdam, and in his choir, there was this amazing singer I had never heard of before, Rocq-E. This lady worked with many of the greatest in music, such as Stevie, Aretha, Diana Ross, and Barry White. I mean, that is insane! She brings all these experiences to the studio; you can feel the history of soul music when she is in the room, and it echoes through her voice.
Your travels and tours, from Asia to KEXP and Red Bull Music sessions, have been an important part of your career. How do different cultures and places influence your music?
My travels have not been the biggest contributor to my music. The diversity actually stems from my home country, as weird as that may seem. In the two main cities in Holland (Rotterdam and Amsterdam), where I have spent most of my days so far, we are blessed with a very vibrant mixture of cultures, thanks to migration over the decades. I started out decades ago, working with mostly Cape Verdean musicians. My previous band consisted of musicians from Ghana, Surinam, Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Indonesia. I grew up in Rotterdam, where music was blasting out of people’s homes and cars all around me. I absorbed so much stuff from Eritrea, Brazil, Guadeloupe, and the list goes on and on. It’s all in there. I can relate to most music and look at it from my funk-based approach to music. I can hear the funk in zouk music, in funana, in kaseko.
You’ve recently ventured into the fashion world by designing your own hats, featured in Dutch magazine Mirror Mirror. How does your creative expression in fashion connect to your music?
I always felt that fashion for men, and I mean the stuff you can buy in most stores, is beyond sucky and boring. Color-dead, lifeless, dry, generic, conformist. I think in colors and shapes when I make music, and I applied this to design as well, starting with my videos for instance. My home is also a very obvious example of this approach, playing with colors and shapes. I also love designing sets for videos, same idea. I had to do it myself, I decided. So I came up with the concept of making hats for my live shows and videos, incorporating architectural influences mixed with my ideas on colorful expressions of style and state of mind. It now appears to have drawn quite some attention from stylists, fashion mags, and photographers. I am really enjoying this creative mode of expression through fashion, I might dive into this much deeper in the near future.
Your upcoming tour includes major festivals like Eurosonic, North Sea Jazz, and Oya. What can fans expect from Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers on stage in 2025?
They can expect a rock ‘n’ soul circus, infused with spiritual and energizing mini-adventures. At one of our first shows, the audience created a mosh pit, so I now claim this is the first-ever gospel mosh pit in history. I love this collision of worlds that seemingly are so distant until we throw it all together in the mix. I like my shows to be intense, dramatic, almost like a musical, a story that evolves and makes you cry while you are in ecstasy. I am here to entertain you, and we feed off your energy. It’s an exchange of frequencies. For the live thing, I am very much influenced by Prince and many others of the greats. I hope Prince is digging what we do when he sees it from his little purple cloud in the sky.
Faith and spirituality seem to play a role in your music, particularly in The Gospel of Jesamy. How do these themes influence your songwriting and artistic vision?
I was not raised with any religious or spiritual tradition; this all came much, much later. I discovered there is more to this place we live in, something we cannot see. Something you need to experience first to believe it. I am not religious, but I do believe in a creating force. I look at it from many angles: scientifically (the code of life), nature (the Fibonacci sequence in flowers, for example), philosophical (essence of life, school of life), and coupled with personal experiences. I try to convert many of my experiences, the good and the bad, into a message that is universal. Gospel is a beautiful vehicle for this, especially since the group vocals produce a polyphonic instrument that is imperfect and spiritual in itself. Every voice stems from a human being, a human with ups and downs in life. It all determines what comes out of their mouths, and the sum of this can be a chord, a harmony. The most powerful instrument I could find.
Looking back on your career so far, from working with legends to building a global fanbase, what have been your most rewarding moments, and what are your goals for the future?
I sometimes have to remind myself how special it is that I am able to do all this. So many musicians want to, but never will be able to do this so big, all over the world. The mere fact that I am able to do this, both in the studio and live for some incredible audiences, is my biggest reward so far. My goals have already been fulfilled: I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. It is a purpose in life, and when you find it and make it happen, you feel aligned and in touch with your destiny. So, my goal is where I am right now. I make the flower grow and grow, like it is my second child next to my number one, my daughter Jesamy. Would love to grow old together, Jesamy, the music and me.
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