Pressure Point - Mellow Moods 40th Anniversary 12"

In the early to mid-1980s, while the mainstream music scene was steadily becoming dominated by electro pop, there was also a burgeoning appetite for home-grown funk, jazz and Latin music, driven by young Pirate radio DJ luminaries such as Gilles Peterson, Radio London’s Tony Blackburn and Capital Radio’s Gary Crowley.

Leading the charge was a young band from West London called Pressure Point, whose debut single Mellow Moods caused a real stir on its release in 1985. The Stan Getz-inspired bossa nova was released initially on Viceroy Records, and immediately punched well above its weight, thanks to the considerable talents of producer Steve James, vocalist Lydia Gayle and some of London’s leading session musicians: saxophonists Jamie Talbot and Ian Trimmer, trumpeter Steve Sidwell and his brother, trombonist Neil, and keyboard player Simon Etchells.

It quickly became Capital Radio’s ‘People’s Choice’, winning praise on air from the likes of Kid Creole himself – August Darnell – and went on to be re-released by Bellaphon in Germany and by Gilles Peterson’s HardBack Records. It is widely viewed as a rare groove classic, with copies changing hands for hefty sums in the following decades.

London-based Pressure Point’s core members were Matthew Best, Anthony ‘Hugo’ Longden and Sean Maher, who went on to work with Soul Legend Miss PP Arnold to complete 'Dreaming', a now legendary and as yet unreleased 1989 album.

This deliciously smooth, atmospheric single is now available again to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The individually numbered 12" single will include the original b-side, will be pressed on Transparent Red Vinyl at Seabass Vinyl in Scotland. The initial 50 copies purchased will be signed by the band.

The records will be pressed in very limited quantities after a short pre-order campaign, so don't wait too long you might miss the boat!

Release date Feb 2026