He built his own sound system before he could legally buy a pint, packed basements until the lights sweat, and then walked away when the industry noise drowned out the music. Now Jimmy Scott Free breaks a decade of silence with Turn Back Time, a collaboration with the legendary Kim English that folds grit into uplift the way proper house always has.
This story runs deep in UK club DNA. Jimmy came up young—promoting nights at 15, forming a live dance act with his brother, dragging a self-built reggae-style rig from gig to gig. That DIY energy put them alongside Peter Hook and The Light, Groove Armada, and Skunk Anansie, and earned Best Dance Track at the Exposure Music Awards in 2010. Then life punched back: disillusion, a move to Spain, and a long, heavy quiet. A friend’s visit last year changed the channel. “When my brother left the band, I lost my heart for music,” Jimmy says. “But when a friend visited last year and convinced me to plug in the studio again, I haven’t stopped writing since.”
Turn Back Time is the first flare from a renewed run of releases that will lead to a full album and possibly a new live show with real backing. The late Kim English’s vocal is a blessing and a reminder—her tone still cuts through the noise, giving Jimmy’s sleek production a spine of soul. The track carries the feel of packed rooms without sacrificing the gloss that gets radio love.
There’s a simple video on deck and likely some behind-the-scenes glimpses from the studio as this next phase takes shape.