Shabaka Announces New Album "Of The Earth"

Shabaka Hutchings, widely recognized as one of the UK’s most influential musicians and a defining voice in contemporary British culture, has announced his new solo album, Of the Earth, set for release on March 6th via his newly formed imprint Shabaka Records. Alongside the announcement, he’s shared a double single: “A Future Untold” / “Marwa the Mountain.”

Later this spring, Shabaka will play shows across the East Coast leading up to an appearance at Big Ears.

A New Chapter in Shabaka’s Evolution

Written, performed, produced, and mixed entirely by Shabaka, Of the Earth marks a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. Where his previous album Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace turn toward flutes, stillness, and collective exploration, this new record is an album of integration and embodiment merging the dance-driven energy of his groups Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming with the textured, breath-led language of his solo work.

Shabaka explains the album’s inspiration:

"D’angelo’s Brown Sugar was the first CD I bought and it sparked a lasting curiosity about the emotional possibilities allowed by the self produced and performed album. This record is my celebration of freedom in creative self expression."

Much of the album was created while traveling, using portable instruments and production tools. Rhythmic loops and beats form the foundation for expansive choral melodies, primarily on alto flute, alongside saxophone. The album traces a story of diasporic movement through sound, shaped by motion, memory, and physical presence.

For the first time in his recorded work, Shabaka also raps, inspired by André 3000’s fearless experimentation and rooted in his early practice of playing instruments over hip-hop beats. His voice isn’t a genre shift, it’s another extension of breath, rhythm, and phrasing within the album’s ecosystem.

US Tour Dates (Spring 2026)

• March 25 – Solar Myth, Philadelphia

• March 26 – Knockdown Center, New York

• March 28 – Big Ears, Knoxville (headline show + collaboration with Thurston Moore)

PREORDER/SAVE OF THE EARTH HERE

SHABAKA ONLINE

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