A HAPPY face, a thumpin' bass for a lovin' race There was a real exhilaration in Soul II Soul's crossover from the capital's underground party and warehouse scene to the pop charts. Just for a brief moment in the early 1990s, it felt like a new day was dawning.

Like the love 'n' peace of the late '60s, even the DIY spirit of punk, the rise of the house nation united previously tribal youth, put them all under one roof and let them have a hell of a party.

"Yeh, there really was so much optimism back in the day, but somehow as it crossed over it got diluted and watered down and we missed something," says Soul II Soul founder Jazzie B on the eve of the band's return to Bournemouth to play the Opera House tomorrow.

"Barriers were being broken down, but then some people - and I think it was down to journalists - felt it all had to be compartmentalised again.

"Just as we were getting lighter and brighter, that grungey thing came in that was getting darker and bleaker."

Indeed. The last time Soul II Soul played Bournemouth they staged a gig-cum-party-cum-fashion show at the BIC as an audience of pop kids, parents, clubbers, punks, skins and rastas moved as one.

Mixed media events were nothing new, but Soul II Soul's efforts on such a grand scale were simply audacious.

"Yeh, you know, we certainly left a marker that maybe others could pick up. A lot of those clothes we made ourselves and the whole thing about different musical concoctions coming together, there was definitely a vision.

"But after that tour I spent a lot of time abroad just embracing the wonders of the world because it's all there to be seen.

"Maybe we took our eye off the ball a bit, maybe it ran out of steam a bit, but I know it feels like there's a lot more freedom in what we do now which is trying to keep it heartfelt, soulful and simple."

It may be a few years since tunes like Keep on Moving and Back to Life made Soul II Soul a fixture in the charts, but Jazzie has kept the flame burning with DJing, club shows, remixing and new material - much of it through the soul2soul.co.uk website.

"The way we make music and get it out there has changed so much, but you've got to keep up or get left behind."

This tour will also see Jazzie working with singer Caron Wheeler for the first time in 14 years - and he's loving it.

"We're all in good shape. We've all had families now and grown up and the time and place is right.

"I'm more into melody and a strong vocal hook, else you get too far away from where the magic happens."

What's more Jazzie's chuffed to be back in Bournemouth. It turns out he's a bit of a fan.

"Yeh, we love it down there, the town's got a really nice vibe. I hang out in Funki Sushi with a couple of guys from time to time, it's good.

"But I also like that there're a couple of spots where the young people are getting into their own things and not just following what they're told - there's a lot of colour in Bournemouth."