Description
Poet, novelist, musician and academic, Anthony Joseph teams up with legendary UK producer Dave Okumu for, 'Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back'. Dave Okuma, known perhaps best as frontman for The Invisible, though digging deeper into his production credits, huge names emerge such as; Grace Jones, Amy Winehouse, Jesse Ware, Rosie Lowe and Eska. On this album, the magic and alchemy of Dave's production style showcase subtle sonics and deep layering resulting in a contemporary sound to carry Anthony's afrofuturistic metrical meanings.
Anthony and Dave first came across each other when working with Shabaka Hutchings during Covid broadcasts, and then after Anthony performed some poems on Dave's 2023 album 'I Came From Love', the seeds of collaboration were sown. With a little more psychedelia, a little more experimentation, Dave's eclectic vision focuses on the actual sounds on these pieces. Anthony stated that"The best producers guide you, not push you" now add to that the fact that both these humans were born on the same day, a concoction of laid back attitudes in people with strong purpose, some real magic can happen, naturally.
Early writing sessions for this record took place in 2022, around Mount Blanc in France. Anthony was away touring with long-time collaborator, Jason Yarde. Ideas were a little thin and they found themselves somewhat repeating previous work resulting in Anthony rethinking things a little, and so entered Dave Okumu.
LP opener 'Satellite' is a fine example of how this new partnership pans out. New musicians have been enlisted; Dan See (drums), Aviram Barath (synths), Nick Ramm on Fender Rhodes and Byron Wallen (trumpet). Add to that the mighty vocal power house of Eska and we have a whole new dimension of soul and depth, to carry Anthony's statements.
On the album's second single,'Tony' - there's a nod to all drummers and creators of African rhythms, from the point of view of Afrobeat legend Tony Allen. Highlighting this is drummer's drummer Richard Spaven as Dave's choice of skin beater. He successfully reminds us that Tony was someone who understood the real power of rhythm and how it is used to unite people. As well as the new musicians on this LP , Dave Okumu played all the guitars and used the studio as his tool.
'Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back' is not a follow up to Anthony's previous album, but more a development of his 2006 novel, 'The African Origins of UFOs' a book where experimental elements of afrofuturism, metafiction, science fiction, surrealism, mythology are rewritten in Anthony's innovative language. Look out for Volume 2 also coming in 2025.
