It sat on a shelf for years but north London duo Par-le have finally released their debut album The Light Years.

Miles James from Haringey and Alex Bonfanti from Camden are recent signings to Michael Kiwanuka and Christian Gregory's Crouch End-based label Movement Records.

Both are session musicians and producers and met when they were booked on a gig together in their late teens.

They started writing the album, inspired by the funk, soul and boogie era of the late 70’s and early 80’s, in 2008 and recording and mixing it in their Golders Green studio.

But work commitments such as playing bass for Tom Jones’ record in 2008 and going on tour with Jesse Ware in 2013 and moving out of their studio in 2014 meant the project got put on hold again and again.

It was finally released on Monday and Alex says: “It’s a great feeling. The album has been finished for about three years and literally shelved. Some of the songs are maybe even seven years old. But being session musicians and having to earn a living meant we were out on the road a fair bit which made it hard for us to be in the same place at the same time and then before you know it half the years has gone by.”

The duo play all the instruments and sing backing vocals and collaborated with friends and lead vocalists Ade Omotayo and Nadine Charles to complete the six-track album.

Alex says: “A lot of albums nowadays have 24 tracks on it and I can’t see how they are all great music that you want to listen to. We only wanted to fill it with tracks that were perfect.”

He says it is a boogie record with soul and funk but with an early 80s production sound and their aim is to really speak to people through their music- which is why they named themselves Par-le which means to speak.

Details: par-le.com, Twitter: @par_le