Nubiyan Twist Freedom Fables

Nubiyan Twist return with their brand new album "Freedom Fables" on Strut on February 5th, the follow-up to the acclaimed ‘Jungle Run’ from Spring 2019. ‘Freedom Fables’ is the most accomplished yet by the Leeds / London collective, effortlessly fusing different soul, jazz and global styles with great musicianship and lyrics. Guest artists include Cherise, Ego Ella May, Soweto Kinch, Pat Thomas and KOG

Woven around soul searching, cautionary tales and parables for modern life, the new album is the most accomplished yet by the Leeds / London collective, effortlessly fusing different soul, jazz and global styles with great 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 album is also packed full with illustrious guest appearances: regular collaborator Cherise features on the brilliant ‘Tittle Tattle’, calling out gossip through acerbic nursery rhyming, the loping ‘Flow’ dealing with the ebb and flow of anxiety and the epic Brazilian jazz workout, ‘Keeper’; UK jazz saxman Soweto Kinch brings a burning alto solo and rhymes to the determined ‘Buckle Up’ alongside the band’s own vocalist Nick Richards as the track aims to “find the door to peace” among life’s challenges. “Soweto is a trailblazer of the UK scene both as an alto player and as a rapper with a unique flow and important lyricism,” reflects Tom Excell. “It was really important for us to invite him to contribute to the album.” Richards continues the “dust yourself off and find hope” theme on the rousing ‘Wipe Away Tears’; Ghanaian great Pat Thomas voices a gorgeous Accra meets London highlife jam; 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 and long time friend of the band, KOG, brings his trademark full strength Afro dancefloor energy. Shaping up to be a modern classic and a priority for Strut in 2021, ‘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. The album was produced by Tom Excell at Henwood Studios in Oxfordshire and mixed by Oli Barton Wood and Tom Excell at The Premises. Artwork comes courtesy of Emma Rodriguez aka Mooncrab. The band will be touring across the UK in February 2021.

K E Y---P O I N T S :
• Finest album yet from acclaimed Leeds / London collective
• Featured guest artists include Cherise, Ego Ella May, Soweto Kinch, Pat Thomas and KOG
• Priority release for Strut and major international PR campaign including press, online, radio and TV plugging
• Full UK tour scheduled for February 2021

F O R---F A N S---O F :
UK jazz, Soweto Kinch, Ego Ella May, Gilles Peterson, 4 Hero, Fela Kuti, Tru Thoughts, Quantic, Erykah Badu, Ty, Pat Thomas, Ebo Taylor, Acid Jazz, Omar, Soul II Soul, Flora Purim, Roy Ayers