Today, ahead of their brand new album Freedom Fables (out via Strut Records on 12th March 2021), Nubiyan Twist unleash one of the big dancefloor tracks from the record, ‘If I Know’ featuring guest vocals from Ghanaian dynamo K.O.G. (Onipa / K.O.G. & The Zongo Brigade).
The track features hard-hitting Afrobeat horn lines, jazz elements and dubbed out production alongside K.O.G.’s traditional vocals and rap. "'If I Know' is all about needing to respect everybody and to let them do their thing," he explains. "Whatever your feelings, you should not bring people down, you should always encourage them."
The track contributes to the soul searching, personal journeys and parables for modern life featured on Freedom Fables, the follow-up to Nubiyan Twist’s acclaimed Jungle Run album from 2019 and the most accomplished yet by the Leeds / London collective, effortlessly melding soul, jazz and global styles with top level musicianship and lyrics.
"Freedom Fables' reflects on the power of narratives. Each vocalist on this record explores their own memoirs, a freedom of expression underpinning our belief that music is the ultimate narrative for unity," explains Tom Excell. “The record references a lot of music that we all loved during our formative years; you can hear touches of broken beat, blunted hip hop, highlife, Latin, jazz and UK soul running through the tracks."
The reflective, wistful first single ’24-7’ featuring the newly crownded MOBO winner Ego Ella May and the boisterous follow-up ‘Tittle Tattle’ featuring Cherise (Jazz FM Vocalist of The Year) have both been championed by Mary Anne Hobbs and added to the BBC 6Music playlist. Cherise also features on the loping ‘Flow’ dealing with the ebb and flow of anxiety and the epic Brazilian jazz groover, ‘Keeper’.
Vocalist Nick Richards teams up with UK jazz hero Soweto Kinch on the third single, the determined 'Buckle Up' as they aim to “find the door to peace” among life’s challenges.
Richards continues the “dust yourself off and find hope” theme on the rousing ‘Wipe Away Tears’; Ghanaian legend Pat Thomas voices a gorgeous Accra meets London highlife jam, ‘Ma Wonka’ and massive new vocal talent Ria Moran (a contemporary from the band's time at Leeds College Of Music) steps up on the sensual ‘Morning Light’ tackling delicate complexities of the heart .
Shaping up to be a modern classic, Freedom Fables is set to catapult Nubiyan Twist even further into the limelight and cement their position as one of the UK’s leading soulful collectives of the current generation.
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Nubiyan Twist will be launching Freedom Fables on Tuesday 16th March at Islington Assembly Hall in London with a one-off socially distanced and live streamed show. The night features the full big band with special guests including Cherise, Ria Moran and more to be announced.