{"title":"Joshua Idehen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"learn-to-swim-a-mixtape-l6nmaa","title":"Learn To Swim","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoshua Idehen is a British-born Nigerian based in Sweden. A spoken word artist and musician, he has contributed poems to Mercury-nominated albums \u003ci\u003eChannel The Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e by TheComet Is Coming, \u003ci\u003eYour Queen Is A Reptile\u003c\/i\u003e and the Mobo winning \u003ci\u003eBlack Is The Future\u003c\/i\u003e both by Sons of Kemet. He recently, worked with LA electronic maestro Daedelus on the critically acclaimed LP, \u003ci\u003eHoly Water Over Sons\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50450203345227,"sku":"2164821","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/product_id._0b32dfee_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727110137"},{"product_id":"mum-does-the-washing","title":"Mum Does the Washing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoshua Idehen\u003c\/strong\u003e is a spoken word artist, poet, musician, and mainstay of the jazz and electronic scene. His poems feature on \u003cem\u003eThe Comet Is Coming\u003c\/em\u003e's album \u003cem\u003eChannel The Spirit\u003c\/em\u003e (Mercury Prize nominated) and \u003cem\u003eSons of Kemet\u003c\/em\u003e's albums \u003cem\u003eYour Queen Is A Reptile\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBlack Is The Future\u003c\/em\u003e (MOBO Award winning).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe also formed a spiritual jazz crew, Calabashed, with \u003cstrong\u003eAlabaster DePlume\u003c\/strong\u003e, and collaborated with L.A. electronic maestro \u003cstrong\u003eDaedelus\u003c\/strong\u003e on the critically acclaimed mini-album, \u003cem\u003eHoly Water Over Sons\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing his 2023 mixtape, \u003cem\u003eLearn To Swim\u003c\/em\u003e (\"a poetic masterpiece\" - Afropunk), \u003cstrong\u003eJoshua Idehen\u003c\/strong\u003e continues his project with a fresh four-track EP, \u003cem\u003eMum Does The Washing\u003c\/em\u003e. Crafted alongside producer and instrumentalist \u003cstrong\u003eSaturday, Monday\u003c\/strong\u003e, this record fuses poetry with modern club sounds in a natural, free-flowing way that walks the line between a profound and dance-inducing listen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSide A\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eMum Does the Washing\u003c\/em\u003e\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eCould Be Forever\u003c\/em\u003e\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eTactics For Survival\u003c\/em\u003e\" feat. \u003cstrong\u003eHanakiv\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eOnce In a Lifetime\u003c\/em\u003e\" feat. \u003cstrong\u003eThe Social Singing Choir\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSide B\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eTactics For Survival\u003c\/em\u003e\" feat. \u003cstrong\u003eHanakiv\u003c\/strong\u003e Karen Nyame KG Remix\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eCould Be Forever\u003c\/em\u003e\" Prof. Stranger Remix\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eMum Does the Washing\u003c\/em\u003e\" Art Alfie Karaoke Remix\u003cbr\u003e\n\"\u003cem\u003eCould Be Forever\u003c\/em\u003e\" DJ Beverage Remix\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Big Wednesday","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51546659586379,"sku":"R5778-7646","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/MDTWEP_1_kopia_48e82f18-a5f6-48a2-a1ce-78e121bc8625.jpg?v=1752249277"},{"product_id":"i-know-you-re-hurting-everyone-is-hurting-everyone-is-trying-you-have-got-to-try","title":"I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone is Hurting, Everyone is Trying, You Have Got to Try","description":"\u003cp\u003eLately, it feels like the world is one endless bad news cycle. Joshua Idehen isn’t here to pretend otherwise – but on the spoken word artist’s new album\u003ci\u003e, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try\u003c\/i\u003e, he provides a phenomenal sonic, poetic space. Made with his creative partner, musician Ludvig Parment, the album is an urgent but transcendent collection that holds you through it all, filled with grief, euphoria and hope.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try \u003c\/i\u003ecomes after the virality of Idehen’s track \u003ci\u003eMum Does The Washing\u003c\/i\u003e, a wry and whipsmart poem examining how the world works (which started life as a Twitter thread), set to Parment’s spacious beats. The song has seen the pair propelled beyond Idehen’s wildest dreams this past year, with support from the likes of Jamz Supernova and Huw Stephens leading to sold-out shows and packed out festival performances including rammed crowds at Glastonbury and Green Man, an appearance on Later with Jools, and a support slot on Baxter Dury’s European tour this winter. For Idehen, this is all so special because it marked a new era of his career after around two decades of writing poetry. “In a nutshell, the song has changed my life,” he says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the album, that means uplifting choirs, cozy samples and exuberant, sometimes house-tinged beats. “I am personally drawn to music that transports you to a place, or scene or mindset,” says Parment. This is topped with ruminative musings on morality and human connection; about the longer loves in life – like friendships, family – that sustain us. These come from Idehen and Parment, along with a host of friends and collaborators, including writers Leone Ross and Charlotte Manning, and vocalist Amanda Bergman, to help expand on the topics of the record without sounding preachy. Similarly, there are musical guests including saxophonist Pete Fraser and Shabaka Hutchings on flute, each helping to imbue the album with a rich warmth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the opening track You Wanna Dance Or What?, there are poignant stories about the possibilities of human connection – here, a memory of a stranger approaching Joshua when he was feeling low at a club in Leicester Square – set against Parment’s freeing beats. There are memories of sunrises on Hampstead Heath (It Always Was), celebrations of the liturgic power of the club (This Is The Place), affirmations that kept Idehen afloat in a particularly dark time (Brother), all dotted with his observations and notes from past conversations with people from all walks of life. On Choose Yourself, Idehen is not so interested in the hokey bath bomb self-care that has dominated discourse the past few years, but in reinforcing self-belief and self-worth – all while never getting too mawkish (see: lines like “Choose a balanced diet\/Eat the rich!”). Everything Everywhere All At Once is a stunning exploration of the sliding doors moments of our lives, contemplating all the universes that exist within his daughter, followed by a choral reprise, singing a melody composed by Idehen. “I’m not confident with singing or songwriting, so when the choir sang something I had made and brought it back to me, I had proper tears.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter years of honing his craft,\u003cem\u003e I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try\u003c\/em\u003e finds Joshua Idehen’s pen reaching the next level. This is work that is truly arresting – but simultaneously, thanks to Parment’s soundscapes, it often makes you want to wave your arms in the air and dance. In these bleak times that try to push us all further apart, it’s a beautiful, powerful manifesto for hope and collectivism. As Joshua puts it: “There's a likelihood that we might be planting seeds that we won't get to see harvested…but the planting is good. The planting is just as important as the watering and the tending and the harvesting. We all have to play a part so that we can have some redemption.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBonus CD: Exclusive first CD pressing of \u003ci\u003eLearn To Swim, A Mixtape.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Heavenly Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP - Half and Half Yellow and Black \/ Rough Trade Exclusive","offer_id":53524674150731,"sku":"R3662-3124","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD - Rough Trade Exclusive","offer_id":53524674183499,"sku":"R3662-3125","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Transparent Yellow","offer_id":53524674216267,"sku":"R3662-3126","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":53524674249035,"sku":"R3662-3127","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Iknowyou_rehurting_everyoneishurting_everyoneistrying_youhavegottotry.jpg?v=1759493535"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/joshua-idehen.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}