Telemachus: Wisdom of the Ancients

A nice little release from Telemachus here, featuring some brand new music inspired by Neil Oliver’s book, Wisdom of the Ancients: Life Lessons from Our Distant Past. Released last year, the book delivers lessons from our ancestors, which Telemachus says has provided him with “the perfect balm to the 24 hour news cycles of death and disease”, when combined with his ongoing reconnection with the natural world. The EP is part of a series of audio responses to literature, which collectively fall under the title, Volumes. You can hear the EP below and head to Bandcamp to check the rest of the series. For more on Telemachus’ connection with nature, check out my recent Q&A with his alter ego, Forest DLG.

What’s In A Name? (A Q&A with Forest DLG)

Name changes within the music industry are pretty common, with artists offering up a variety of reasons for their decisions. Prince’s infamous transition into ‘The Symbol’ was prompted by his legal dispute with Warner Brothers, while Mello Music’s Chris Orrick, changed his name from Red Pill to distance himself from growing connotations with the ridiculous men’s rights movement.

More recently, Chemo, veteran UK hip hop producer and travelling man, announced he is changing his name to Forest DLG. I knew he was a fan of the outdoors so the choice did not surprise me. In fact, it made perfect sense. So, I decided to pay a virtual call on the man himself and ask about his decision, and more importantly, as we both share a love of nature and the woods, find out some vital information about his woodland preferences.

Telemachus: I Am Delicious And Cute. So I Will Go Buy Again

Animated joys in the third and final video from Telemachus’s most recent opus. The superbly titled, I Am Delicious And Cute. So I Will Go Buy Again, is taken from Boring & Weird Historical Music, which still stands tall as one of the more refreshing releases of the year. The animation for the video was done by Ugly Duck Studios. The album is out now on High Focus.

Telemachus ft. Killa P: Wickedest Ting (Sumgii Remix)

Huge remix here from Sumgii, as he takes on the already formidable Telemachus track, Wickedest Ting, which is lifted from the producer’s most recent album. The track also features a typically powerful appearance from Killa P. The original track can be found on Boring & Weird Historical Music, which is out now on High Focus. The remix is also available to stream/download from the usual spots.

Telemachus ft. Killa P: Wickedest Ting

Telemachus released his new album on Friday and to coincide with the drop, he also put out the next video from the project. This time round he has brought in Killa P, who brings his inimitable presence to the raw drum sounds on the production, before we reach the final leg which erupts into a very welcome flourish of drum & bass. The video was made by Cretan Brake. Boring & Weird Historical Music is out now on High Focus.

Telemachus ft. Jerome Thomas: Greed

Another stunner from the forthcoming Telemachus album, as he treats us to the second single, Greed. The production is like a jazzy dreamscape, sparse but refined, and with the added beauty of Jerome Thomas’s vocals gliding effortlessly through it. The video was made by This & That Media. Boring & Weird Historical Music is out on 22 May.

Telemachus: Boring and Weird Historical Music (Album Sampler)

A nice little mix here from Telemachus, as he reveals more audible details from his much anticipated album. The compellingly titled, Boring and Weird Historical Music, is due for release next month and with the lead single already in existence, we can now sample some more of its delights. The visual accompaniment was created by Blake Dunlop. Pre-orders for the album are available now via High Focus.

Telemachus ft. Penelope Oddity: Beaten Gold

A very welcome return to the blog by Telemachus, who recently announced the imminent release of a new album. Having already become a staple part of the UK scene through his production efforts as Chemo, his alter ego, Telemachus, has spent yearr travelling round the world and absorbing different musical cultures, which he then channels into sublime instrumental projects such as 2014’s, In Morocco. This latest album draws heavily on influences from the likes of Vietnamese folk tales, West African high life, dancehall, jungle and folk, all punctuated with vocal support from a handful of artists. The lead single sees its release today and features some dreamlike production from Telemachus, bolstered by some haunting vocals from Penelope Oddity. The album, Boring & Weird Historical Music, is due for release shortly on High Focus.

Telemachus “Tennis Season”

Some beautifully strange goings on from the mind of Telemachus aka Chemo, one of the UK’s most respected hip hop producers. His new album “In the Evening” was released last week, to crtical acclaim from the likes of Q Magazine and Mojo, as well as the first video for the track “Tennis Season”.

SonnyJim ft. AG “The Greatest Sin”

So back in 2007, when AG from the almighty DITC crew was on tour in the UK, he hooked up with SonnyJim, bopped down to Chemo’s Brixton lab and made this slice of dope.