The London-based interdisciplinary artist has signed with Moshi Moshi Records.
19 · 02 · 2025
Award-winning poet, visual artist, and filmmaker Nadeem Din-Gabisi follows up his earlier work, ‘I Land’, with a new single titled ‘Chariots’.
After joining Moshi Moshi Records, Nadeem reflects the incisive and candid essence of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. In ‘Chariots’, the Steamdown Collective member contemplates his British identity, his position in an unwelcoming land, and his duty to honor his ancestors, all set against a backdrop of horns, flutes, and an energetic beat inspired by diasporic sound clashes.
Regarding the song’s blend of humor and critique, he elaborates, “There’s a Krio chorus that talks to a child, urging them to get up, stand up, and observe the adults singing. In a sense, I am the adult addressing my inner child, encouraging myself to rise and understand what these adults are expressing. The verses convey what the adults are saying about the circumstances that have led them to the West. Much of this album addresses the Atlantic loss, the repercussions of transatlantic chattel slavery, the loss of life, and the loss of freedom. The verses express a longing to escape a West that has profoundly harmed my lineage, either to return to a tangible new land or possibly create one that does not devastate my bloodline and embodies ways of living that align with the survival of humanity.”
Born in London to parents from Sierra Leone, Nadeem’s work engages with themes of identity, displacement, trauma, and struggle. His debut album, ‘POOL’, combined urban grit with freeform jazz and light highlife melodies. Din-Gabisi enlisted friends and fellow musicians Coby Sey and MettaShiba to bring depth and richness to his poignant cradle songs.
‘Chariots’ is complemented by a video influenced by Chariots of Fire (1981), Marathon Man (1976), the life and works of Dambudzo Marechera, and the Roots Manuva video for ‘Witness (1 Hope)’ from 2001. Nadeem comments, “The character I embody, Jack Surname George, is running—in place, sometimes toward, other times away from something. This something represents him, his thoughts, his homeland, his angels, his demons, his friends. Jack is running to one of the bastions of British academic success at Cambridge University, finding himself in conflict with his own identity.”
Listen below.
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Acclaimed poet, visual artist, and filmmaker Nadeem Din-Gabisi follows his earlier release 'I Land' with a new single titled 'Chariots'. He is now signed to Moshi Moshi.