MUMBAI: South London avant-garde producer Telemachus collaborates with Neo-soul singer Jerome Thomas on new single ‘Greed’, taken from his forthcoming album, ‘Boring & Weird Historical Music’. The skittering jazz drums, dystopian synths and silky vocals produce an unusually soulful brew - while the lyrics and visuals transport the listener on a journey through the natural world and the destruction that we bring to it.

Picking up roughly where we left off in 2014 with his ‘Telemachus In Morocco’ album, this conceptual project combines a myriad of influences spanning Trip-Hop, Ambient, West African High Life, Dancehall, Jungle, Folk and Film Soundtracks. The album follows the narrative of a peculiar parable written by Telemachus  (loosely based on Vietnamese folk tales) - and read by Indian actor Subhash Chander. With a stubborn reluctance to stick to one genre or sound, the album sounds like it could have been made by a whole village rather than just one solitary human.

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‘Boring & Weird Historical Music’ is predominantly instrumental but does have a handful of collaborations with vocalists Killa P, Jerome Thomas, RHI, Penelope Oddity and Chris Belson. ‘I Am Delicious And Cute. So I Will Go Buy Again’ is a meditative journey upriver, whilst ‘Wickedest Ting’ completely flips the switch with a dancehall barrage from Killa P. Another highlight is the apocalyptic jazz of ‘Greed’ which features the remarkable neo-soul vocals of Jerome Thomas.

Growing up in South London at the turn of the millennium, a youthful Telemachus soaked up the frequencies of late-night Choice FM and underground pirate radio, falling deeply in love with Hip-Hop, Jungle, Dancehall, 2 Step and Grime. As a result, he fell into the UK Rap scene and went on to spend years producing under the pseudonym Chemo. Renowned as a hard worker with a keen ear for the unusual, Chemo could count cult icons such as; Jehst, Roots Manuva and High Focus Records as family.

His relationship with High Focus goes back many years and he has mixed and mastered almost all High Focus records to date as well as producing for Jam Baxter, Dirty Dike, Rag’n’Bone Man, Onoe Caponoe & TrueMendous amongst others. Outside of the label, Chemo has played a crucial part in pioneering the new generation of UK Rap and Hip-Hop and has been recognised consistently as one of the most prolific producers of his time.

During times of such uncertainty, music and its healing properties have become even more vital. ‘Boring & Weird Historical Music’ is a calming, curative and monumental 15 track journey through the mind of the enigma that is Telemachus. As he himself puts it: ‘the album certainly rewards a thorough and engrossed listen, but equally the general atmosphere is pleasant enough to play for your auntie when she comes for tea.’