Worship Recordings was established in the summer of 1998 in Philadelphia by Rob Paine. The concept was simple at first: they just wanted to put out their own music their own way. After the first few releases it became clear that they had dropped in on a genre of house music that has slowly but surely come to fruition, now being labeled by the massive as “dub house”.
They knew they were not the first to use the influence of Jamaican reggae music as a foundation for their house productions, but they definitely wanted to continue to push it to new heights in both the house community and the progressive reggae scene.
Now, Worship Recordings founder Rob Paine reconnects with label stalwarts Lady Alma and Joey Crawford for the brooding, soulful cut ‘Love Right Now’, featuring a remix by Philly hero Pete Moss.
EG caught up with Rob, Lady Alma, Joey, and Pete to learn more about the release of ‘Love Right Now’, the Philly house music scene, and more.
EG: Welcome to EG all! To start off, can you each share your thoughts on the collaboration that resulted in ‘Love Right Now’?
Rob Paine: Anytime I can work on a project with dear friends that share the same passion for music as I do is a win-win for me. This project couldn’t have come together in a more natural way from the beginning.
Lady Alma: I feel like this was a match made in heaven. When Rob played the earlier mix, I knew I wanted to approach the song differently. It didn’t require the usual Lady Alma writing routine. We also had a conversation about the concept and love kept coming up. Adding the other components like, legendary Pete Moss and Joey Crawford, was the cherry on top. I knew Rob’s musical ear would not let me down. The track would definitely be special and that’s my thoughts on the results of the song.
Joey Crawford: This collaboration was an honor and pleasure to be a part of. The respect and love in the studio gave us the perfect environment to work on this project. Couldn’t have gone any smoother.
Pete Moss: Worship has been such a staple for Philly house music and I have been lucky enough to be a part of the label since its early days. It’s nice to be able to continue that musical journey and hopefully, there will be even more to come!
EG: Can you give us some insight into the creative process behind the track? How did you work with Joey and Lady Alma to bring this project to life?
Rob Paine: Joey presented me with some lovely grooves he was working on. This one caught my ear, so I suggested we develop it into a song. Joey will be the first to admit that his kryptonite is arranging and taking it to the finish line. So we imported the loop grooves into my studio and finished arranging and adding other elements to create the base for this track. But it was still missing that spark to take it to the next level. That spark came in the form of my sister Lady Alma, who is my favorite female vocalist to work with in the whole world. Our friendship and musical relationship go back 25 years. With barely speaking any words to each other she knew exactly how to approach this arrangement. It is not your normal verse-hook-bridge arrangement. More of a vamp. But I have learned from experience that nothing stumps Alma when it comes to voicing a song. She fucking nailed it! I still get goosebumps hearing her build those harmonies into the bridge.
EG: Joey, you stepped away from DJing for a while to focus on production. How did this collaboration with Rob and Lady Alma come about, and what inspired you to share your work with the world again?
Joey Crawford: I’ve been making music for a while now, but I’ve only made it for myself. I never shopped my tracks to any labels or anything. A few years back, I started sharing some of my music with some friends who are also producers just to see if they were digging any of it. I just like sharing the vibes of a good studio session. Well, I was getting great feedback from various friends in the industry who I truly respect as producers so I continued to work on improving my production skills. A few years back, I shared some concepts with Rob and he asked if I wanted to collab on a project. I was immediately down. If it wasn’t for Rob, this project wouldn’t have happened. He gave me the opportunity to share some of what I enjoy doing with the world. I truly appreciate it.
EG: Lady Alma, what role did you play in the creation of ‘Love Right Now’ and how did your spoken word poetry come to be a part of the track?
Lady Alma: I had the honor of writing and vocally arranging the background vocals and also singing on this wonderful creation. It’s funny cause I took a stab at the poetry part, lol. I’d like to think greats like Ursula Rucker, Black Ice, and Rich Medina inspired me to dive in. The actual passage comes from a scripture in the bible, 1Corinthian 13 4-7. My mom always quoted that scripture to me and it never left. It was so befitting for these times right now. After recording the hook, Rob and myself felt it needed something else. That’s where the passage from the bible came into play. I did not want to sing it, so I spoke from my heart. Rob and I both loved it and here we are.
“The actual passage comes from a scripture in the bible, 1Corinthian 13 4-7. My mom always quoted that scripture to me and it never left. It was so befitting for these times right now.” – Lady Alma
EG: Pete, you’re a legendary figure in the Philly house music scene. How did you become involved in this project, and what was your approach to remixing ‘Love Right Now’?
Pete Moss: Well apart from the music business Rob is a dear friend of mine so it’s pretty simple really. I love the label and he thought the project would be a good fit for me, plus Alma always turns it out so that’s an honor all by itself.
EG: Rob, Joey, and Lady Alma, what was it like working with each other and with Pete Moss on this project?
Rob Paine: I kind of touched on this earlier, but one thing I would like to add is the idea of how my ‘Cousin Pete’ doing the remix came to fruition. *Note… we really are not cousins but we have been telling everyone that for the past 25+ years because all my family is from Boston, where Pete is originally from, which gave us a familiarity that our friendship was built on. Besides Pete being a Worship Recordings artist since the beginning, I heard a lot of overtones of Pete’s unmistakable sound in the original already. So it was only natural for him to touch the remix.
Lady Alma: Well for me, I always love working with Rob. He’s my brother and I generally love him. It was different. Not like how we normally work but all our sessions are always different. Depending on the genre, the time of day, and what moods we are in, you know the typical artist process lol. However working with Rob, no matter the time or day, the moment is always MAGICAL! We have a special kind of magic that happens when we get together. As for having the pleasures of working with Pete, like Rob, I’ve known him forever, it was an honor, as well as Joey. Great vibes from all of them.
Joey Crawford: It was nothing but fun from beginning to end. I’ve known Rob and Pete for over 20 years. If there’s anybody I’d like to work with, it would be them. I went from being a fan to being a fan and a friend and finally collaborating with family. It was icing on the cake to add Lady Alma to the project. Watching Alma and Rob work together in the studio was a pleasure in itself. You could see the respect and love they share from years of working together. Having Pete bless us with a remix was more than I could ask for… he’s not too shabby… haha.
EG: How has the Philly house music scene influenced your music and style, and what role has it played in your careers as artists and producers?
Rob Paine: As with most cities, Philly truly has a certain sound that radiates from the streets. Maybe it has some cosmic meaning because of its longitude and latitude. Maybe it has to do with the greats before us like Gamble & Huff’s TSOP. Maybe it’s our blue-collar fighting attitude being what some people call the armpit of NYC. I really do not know. But I do know that I LOVE Philly and all the amazing artists it has produced. Personally, I have made it a lifelong mission to always represent Philly. Whether always trying to book Philly artists at our Shakedown + Goodie events. Or putting out these Philadelphia Compilations featuring all Philly artists. We Philly full 100 24/7!
Lady Alma: That’s a great question. As an artist, I am influenced by multiple factors. Our city is known for preserving music in general, it’s a staple for most. Whether it’s appreciating it or creating it. And like soul music, the house music community here is close. We support our own, through parties, and social gatherings featuring some of Philly’s finest DJs and shows. I also know that Mr.Kenny Gamble and Mr.Leon Huff were responsible for some of the greatest disco music in the late 70s early 80s and sometime after, house music in Philadelphia was born. It became my love and intriguement. Especially in my early 20s. It also reminded me of gospel music, which I grew up on. I felt like it chose me and I’m glad it did. The role it played on me as an artist today is to always give my best and me being a house artist, which is rare in Philly, gave me a reason to represent it right. You know Philly is a soul music town?
Pete Moss: I am so grateful to have represented our city over the years, you know you gotta be good to claim Philly, haha. Me and Rob’s generation were blessed to have Wink and King and some other inspirational artists that helped pave the way.
Joey Crawford: Coming up in the Philly house seen, you’re exposed to such a variety of great music and solid producers. It’s only natural to strive to make music of the sound and quality as those around you.
EG: Lady Alma, can you share with us the message behind ‘Love Right Now’ and what you hope listeners will take away from the track?
Lady Alma: The message is simple. As we see what the state of the world is now, love is the only answer. But the love I speak of is the real love. The need to show love to one another despite color, religious beliefs, what sex we are, etc. It’s detrimental to our very existence. It’s powerful and sees no color, no boundaries. What I want the listeners to get out of the song is what I’ve stated and hopefully give love to one another to make it a better place to live.
EG: What’s next for you all as artists, and what can fans expect from your future projects together?
Rob Paine: Joey and I have plans to explore some more of his 16 bar grooves this year. Hopefully soon! Lady Alma and I always have something going on together. And the same with Pete. As I said earlier both Alma & Pete are no strangers to the label. We have worked side by side or together on numerous projects over the past 25 years. I expect more of the same for the next 25 years.
Lady Alma: What’s next for me is more good music, content, and shows. Hopefully more collabs.
Pete Moss: I’m trying to always have new music on the way. I’m constantly evolving so who knows what will come my way. The older I get the more open I am to new experiences in house music
Joey Crawford: Rob and I are going to continue this journey of collaborating. Hopefully, release a couple more projects this year. I’m stoked.
“Love conquers all. Spread more love and peace will come. Love yourself first. The rest will come naturally.”
– Rob Paine
EG: In this day and age, social media has become an important tool for promoting and sharing music. How do you all use social media to connect with your fans and spread the word about your work?
Rob Paine: To me it’s annoying AF, lol. But I do my best to keep up with the youth of today and keep my presence engaged on all the grams, books & twits. I am horrified to go down the tik road but it looks like it’s inevitable.
Lady Alma: Strategically without killing my fans. Also, I love to interact with my folks online. I try to engage with my peeps consistently and courteously. Engagement is key letting your fans know you see them seeing you means a lot to them. Plus I try to take advantage of all the social media platforms available. Can’t go wrong when your presence is felt.
Pete Moss: I fucking hate it but it’s needed to get the word out for DJ dates and new releases. I have my fun but detach from the nonsense of it all. It feels very inauthentic at times and I bet it makes it daunting for new artists to feel appreciated which is a shame.
Joey Crawford: Social media does give me connections to artists and their music so I can’t hate on that. I just don’t enjoy the attention-seeking narcissistic side of it. I wish there was another way cause I barely use it. Rob and Alma actually made me get an Instagram a few years ago while in the studio making this track. I’m the worst with it. I think I made like 5 posts so far.
EG: Music has always been a powerful tool for social and political activism. How do you see your music as a form of activism, and what message do you hope to convey through your work?
Rob Paine: Love conquers all. Spread more love and peace will come. Love yourself first. The rest will come naturally.
Lady Alma: Because my music spreads more universally, I would like to think on a broader scope of how people are affected by it. I speak of love, healing, life lessons, ups and downs, and everyday things. My goal is to have the listener feel like I’m coming from their perspective. Also being sensitive to all things and respecting people’s choices no matter what. That is the message I hope to convey in my music.
Pete Moss: I’m all about the reach of music. It rises above politics, race, gender, and whatever other nonsense divides us as people.
EG: For aspiring artists and producers, what advice do you have for success in the music industry and what qualities do you believe are essential for making a lasting impact?
Rob Paine: Do not let money be your motive and spend the time honing in on your craft. You will not create your own sound with someone else engineering.
Lady Alma: Have general knowledge about your gift. Know about the industry’s ins and outs and how to move. Always stay true to what you believe in and practice practice practice.
Pete Moss: Find your creative opus and believe in it. You’ll grow and change but stick to what happens during your creative process. And most importantly don’t listen to anyone.
Joey Crawford: Make music you love. Not what you think people want to hear. You’ll be much happier.
Lady Alma, Joey Crawford & Rob Paine’s ‘Love Right Now’ is out now via Worship Recordings. Purchase your copy here.
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