Multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist Shabaka (aka Shabaka Hutchings) unveils his third solo album, Of The Earth, the first project to be released on his own label, Shabaka Records.

Of The Earth was entirely written, produced, performed and mixed by Shabaka himself. Deeply personal, the album affirms his position as an instrumentalist and producer of a new generation. It also reveals the breadth of his musical universe, connecting the danceable energy developed with his bands Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming to the more complex soundscape of his recent solo works (Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, Afrikan Culture).

The beats and loops, created on portable devices as he travelled, form the basis on which the choral melodies of the flute unfold. The electronic rhythm sequences trace a story of diasporic progression, while the lyrics provide the lyrical framework. On this album, Shabaka raps for the first time: ‘I had never rapped before, but I was inspired by the courage of André 3000, who boldly and sincerely explores new dimensions. So I decided to find my voice on this album.’ “

His self-imposed saxophone break ended in mid-2025 with a performance at a memorial concert dedicated to South African drumming maestro Louis Moholo. This album is his first recording after a year and a half without playing the saxophone, but it is also the result of a realisation: the time he spent playing the flute revealed to him what the future of his relationship with this instrument could be.

Shabaka also reflects on the initial inspiration for the project: “D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar was the first CD I ever bought. It sparked a lasting curiosity in me about the emotional possibilities offered by self-produced and self-performed albums. This album is my celebration of creative freedom of expression. Before the pandemic, I only played the clarinet and saxophone, and I knew nothing about music production, or even the flute. So it’s been a real learning curve, and this album is the musical reflection of that.”