Kamasi Washington today announces the release of new album, ‘Fearless Movement’, set for release May 3rd via Young.
Washington calls ‘Fearless Movement’ his dance album. “It’s not literal,” Washington says. “Dance is movement and expression, and in a way it’s the same thing as music—expressing your spirit through your body. That’s what this album is pushing.”
Where previous albums, ‘Heaven And Earth’ and ‘The Epic’ traversed cosmic synergy and existential concepts, ‘Fearless Movement’ focuses on the earthly, a creative pivot inspired by the birth of Washington’s child a few years ago. “Being a father means the horizon of your life all of a sudden shows up,” says Washington. “My mortality became more apparent to me, but also my immortality – realising that my daughter is going to live on and see things that I’m never going to see. I had to become comfortable with this, and that affected the music that I was making.”
The album features Washington’s daughter, who wrote the melody to ‘Asha The First’ during some of her first experimentation on the piano, as well as a host of collaborators new and old. André 3000 appears on flute, George Clinton lends his voice, as do BJ The Chicago Kid, Inglewood rapper D-Smoke and Taj and Ras Austin of Coast Contra, the twin sons of West Coast legend Ras Kass. Washington further enlisted lifelong friends and collaborators Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Patrice Quinn, Brandon Coleman, DJ Battlecat and more.
A new song, ‘Prologue’ debuts today alongside a video directed by longtime collaborator AG Rojas and choreographed by Samantha Blake Goodman.
Tune in now.
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Photo Credit: B+
