Chiminyo shares new video & debut album

Album release: Out now
Label: Gearbox Records
More info: Chiminyo’s Facebook page

Praise for ‘I AM PANDA’:

“4 stars… Genre-fluid adventures triggered from his kit.” – MOJO

“Expressive… unique, transcendental.” – Jazziz

“Euphoric” – Boiler Room TV

“Brilliant album” – Gilles Peterson

“Chiminyo is one of the real hidden forces in UK jazz.” – CLASH Magazine

“A Flying Lotus-inspired producer, Chiminyo’s live drums trigger his sampling technology in an imaginative epic mash-up of electronica, world music, cosmic jazz, rap, spacey neo-soul, and ambient pop song.” – Jazzwise

“So expertly put together; just layer, upon layer, upon layer” – Anne Frankenstein, Jazz FM

“Setting new standards for one-man-band electronic music with live drums. A wealth of UK electronic sounds…” – Music is My Sanctuary

“Multiple timbres ranging from shoegaze to jazz and surprise instruments such as the suling and kavel.” – A Closer Listen

Chiminyo’s debut ‘I AM PANDA,’ his debut out now on Gearbox Records has earned him rave reviews, airplay from BBC6 and BBC1Xtra, and over 70,000 spins for singles ‘See Me’, which also features K.O.G. and ‘Breathin’’, with Clara Serra López. 

The drummer/composer’s inventive music, consisting of sounds triggered live from his drum kit, has been described as a brain-burrowing fusion of shimmering electronic chords and driving synth bass undertones, all underpinned by a hailstorm of constantly-varying rhythmic patterns. With eight tracks, Chiminyo creates a euphoric, multi-genre listen that traverses future pop, jazz, electronic, and time itself. Prior to this debut, he has collaborated with the likes of Nubya Garcia, Zara McFarlane, Shabaka Hutchings, and Theon Cross.

Recorded at the iconic Konk Studios in North London by Riccardo Damian and mastered with Gearbox’s all-analogue technique, the music is a daring exploration of the contrasting yet complimentary digital and analogue soundscapes that characterise Chiminyo.

Chiminyo’s tech-heavy drum kit set-up, combines the raw, immediate live sound of percussion and the futuristic timbres of his electronic productions to create his own, daring soundscapes. Via laboriously self-coded software, each cymbal crash and drum hit triggers a synth or sample, allowing Chiminyo complete control and freeing him of all loops, click-tracks and backing tracks.

However, it is important to note that Chiminyo’s music is far more than just a technical feat. Whilst still highly innovative in its composition, “I AM PANDA” is purely the result of a deep and tireless exploration of the music that Chiminyo truly resonates with to create a soulful, spiritual, and evocative record that feeds off the conflicting duality between technology and nature.

Speaking about the album, Chiminyo says, “There is a trap with a project like this, one where the technology is so integral,  that it becomes the primary focus. A kind of “look at me with all my fancy techniques” type thing. No-one likes to hear music where this is the focus so going in to this album I tried to pull the focus and really think about narrative and create worlds with each track. Drawing on influences like producers Flying Lotus, Mndsgn and Floating Points and how their sounds instantly put you in their realms. On musicians like Bill Evans and Baden Powell who can make you feel so much with a single chord and (although I’d never site it usually) even reaching to Debussy and Ravel for their ability to tell stories with their music. 

I feel I achieved this with this album, although I’ve learnt so much, I know I’ll do it better next time. I would say I potentially disguised the technology too much and anyone listening will never know the level of coding that went into it, but I guess, no-one needs to hear that, and anyone who finds out can have that little extra experience with it all”

Composed and arranged by Chiminyo and recorded at Konk Studios by Ricardo Damian (Jorja Smith, Sampha, Binker & Moses, Ezra Collective), the new album also features a host of talented guests including Kweku Sackey aka K.O.G, singer Dunja Botic, and spoken word artist Brother Portrait of Steam Down fame. 

The new album follows on from Chiminyo’s 2019 debut EP “I Am Chiminyo”, which served as a visceral introduction to his unique sound, and earned plaudits from the likes of Gilles Peterson, BBC 1Xtra, CLASH, Red Bull, Jazzwise, Jazz FM and more. As well as his own solo project, Chiminyo also performs and records with some of the leading figures of London’s music scene, including spiritual jazz-leaning outfit Maisha and psychedelic energy bomb Cykada. He has also previously collaborated and recorded with Gary Bartz, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Theon Cross, and Zara McFarlane.