Recorded at Metropolis studios over two days with Grammy-winning engineer Paul Norris as part of the Fred Perry music award, the opportunity was awarded to Nadeem after a unanimous decision by judges Gilles Peterson, Nubya Garcia, Nilufer Yanya and Bradley Zero. ‘Second Exit’ is an energised re-interpretation of his recently released ‘Exit’ which features Coby Sey, Metta Shiba and Jack Banjo Courtney on trumpet and flugelhorn.
Nadeem explains the meaning behind the work:
“Exit is an answer to the question of belonging. My parents are from Sierra Leone, we are Krio people, an amalgamation of different peoples of various ethnic backgrounds native to Africa, transformed and displaced by the transatlantic slave trade. These people along with other Africans are notable for the fact that their displacement led them back to the African continent, not away from it. Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone is/was an attempt to establish a province of freedom. As with many children born in a country but not of a country, we face this constant push and pull of belonging…Exit poses the question what is the move and where am I/are we moving to, physically and spiritually.”
Nadeem Din-Gabisi’s music radiates a determined and un-rescinded energy. Its message, immersed within a cocktail of grime, hip-hop, highlife and jazz – akin to punk in its fervent cries, charged lyrics and refusal to subscribe to any particular lane – deftly takes the listener through his personal journey, examining moments of trauma and happiness in childhood. It uses those moments as a diving board to explore mental health issues and coping mechanisms of many young black men, born in inner and outer London. It questions and attempts to answer why some of these men swim, why some sink and why some others don’t enter the POOL.
Croydon based Nadeem Din-Gabisi’s previous musical explorations have involved touring with jazz-collective Steam Down and featuring on Sampa The Great’s 2018 track ‘Energy’.
Nadeem draws on the influence of a potent collaboration between himself and fellow musicians Coby Sey and MettaShiba, with the waters they navigate expertly helmed by producer Beni Giles (Lianne La Havas, Oscar Jerome). The musicians’ credits span an astute list; beat maker and composer Coby Sey has toured with Tirzah and collaborated with Mount Kimbie, whilst multi-instrumentalist MettaShiba is a 2020 Brownswood Bubbler with her project An Alien Called Harmony.
Nadeem Din-Gabisi performs at London’s Omeara on June 16th – Click here for Tickets
