Sons Of Kemet – Black To The Future (2xLP)

It is the band's most dynamic project to date, featuring prominent vocalists such as Angel Bat Dawid, poets Moor Mother and Joshua Idehen, and grime artist D Double E.

Shabaka Hutchings is always in tune with - if not in front of - the cultural themes swirling around our world: past, present, and future. He digs up forgotten mythologies, decodes sounds of the past, and sets a thesis for the future. This continues with Black To The Future, a politically poignant and musically rich album made to sit on the shelf next to Archie Shepp's Attica Blues or John Coltrane's Alabama.

Musically, Black To The Future is a more expansive affair than previous Sons of Kemet albums. The core group - Theon Cross (tuba), Edward Wakili-Hick (percussion), Tom Skinner (percussion) - is augmented by guests such as British saxophonist Steve Williamson, Chicago bandleader and vocalist Angel Bat Dawid, American poet Moor Mother, legendary British grime MC D Double E, British artist / rapper / spoken word musician Kojey Radical and others. Shabaka Hutchings also adds complex layers of woodwinds throughout the record, which he recorded during Lockdown.