We’ve been loving your debut album, Polarity, on our vinyl player at the shop. It sounds genre bending to our ears. What are the major influences and sources of inspiration for your music?
For me, inspiration can come in many forms whether it be poems, artwork, philosophy, a great album or a live performance I’ve heard. In the case of Polarity the influences were quite varied. I remember listening to lots of Alan Watts in lockdown and his philosophical concepts gave birth to the album and the name ‘Polarity’; the fact that your conscious mind, unconscious mind and body can be moving in different spheres. The drummer Tony Allen also died in 2020 so I went down a wormhole of his incredible Afrobeat catalogue. The album features lots of layered marimba that is heavily influenced by minimalist composers such as Steve Reich and the band Grandbrothers who I saw live at the Festival Hall. As a percussionist there’s such a huge range of rhythm based music to be inspired by, often from the African, Caribbean or South American diasporas. More recently I wrote and performed my first Percussion Concerto entitled ‘Toros’ and that was directly inspired by works of art and poetry by Pablo Picasso and Pablo Neruda.
You studied at Royal Academy of Music in London and the Manhattan School of Music in New York. What’s your favourite thing about each city?
London and New York are very similar in a number of ways. They’re both fast paced cities with a million things going on all the time. I definitely loved the fact that in New York you can walk down the street and insert yourself into your own movie - so many iconic films are set there so that was incredible to actually be living within that vibrant cultural hub. The jazz scene in New York is next level and the American attitude of positivity and work ethic was infectious as a student. I used to love going to Smalls, Fat Cat, Village Vanguard and Blue Note and occasionally get on the drums at the jam sessions when I was feeling brave enough! In London, I love the rich history, the rock music scene with its rich past, the really diverse neighbourhoods and the vibrant classical music scene. There aren’t many cities that can boast more than 5 world class orchestras working week in and week out! London at this point feels like home.
What can we look forward to from you next?
I am recording a project called ‘Rhythm of the Seasons’ with Frederick Waxman in January at British Grove Studios. It’s a reimagining of the ‘Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi as a percussion concerto. It’s a rather eccentric take on the original material and we performed it last year at the Stone Nest on Shaftesbury Avenue and World Heart Beat in Nine Elms. I also have an ambient album coming out early next year entitled ‘Elysium’ which is a surround sound 60 minute sound journey inspired by memories, myths, the afterlife and our connection to nature. I had a lot of fun recording ‘field recordings’ in Sussex, Devon, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. I also have performances with the Royal Ballet in April and a new album from my band S.O.L Collective set to release in March with a live show at Bush Hall on March 25th.
