We are full of joy to welcome musician, spoken-word artist, and dear guest Joshua Idehen to MailTape this morning ! Based in Stockholm, he gifts us today with a Sunday selection crafted with care — just the right mix to start the day with some dancing ;)
Our guest’s discography is a real delight to discover, where Idehen’s stories both bring you to laugh and catch your breath. Reflecting on his creative process, Joshua Idehen describes the hidden rhythms living in words. Speaking his verses aloud, these words move under the tongue, revealing new contours of how they dance. Idehen’s writing capturing the bouts of “now” and of joy, bringing us back to our bodies, to our friends, and to our neighbors. His albums thread connectivity, pulling us to wake from the doomscrolling and the news cycle dread, asking us to dance instead.
Joshua Idehen joins us at the start of his tour and ahead of his upcoming album, I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try. It’s our pleasure to welcome him to MailTape just after the release of his latest sortie, It Always Was.
Guest’s selection
Julio Bashmore, Sam Dew - Holding On
Joshua Idehen: ” A song that beckons you to the dance floor, and if there isn’t one nearby… You make one where you stand. A near perfect record in my opinion. “
Stromae - papaoutai
Joshua Idehen: ” DID YOU KNOW Stromae is a weird anagram of Maestro? Anyway, this is an absolute storm of a track with probably the one of the best music videos I have ever seen. I’ve described Stromae as Kanye West but French and all of the bad bits tossed out and I stand by that description “
Fred Again, Baxter Dury - These Are My Friends
Joshua Idehen: ” I believe this is one of the most perfect spoken word dance tracks and had been my biggest inspirations. Lean yet impactful and that groove is just whoaaa. Love it! “
Curator’s selection
Joshua Idehen - Could Be Forever
Sarah: ” Absolutely beautiful :) This track arrives from Joshua Idehen’s EP Mum Does the Washing. The poem’s descriptions are painted with such care, Idehen reaches into these little moments and makes them fly :) I always tear up a bit when I hear that line, I’m holding hands with all my daughters // New school uniform looking gorgeous. “
Eola - No Getting
Sarah: ” Eola is the project of Edwin Mathis White (Tonstartssbandht). This entire album, Dang, is a mesh of intricate loops and shrouded echoes, a misty a capella gospel :) Highly recommend if you’re looking to daydream, the kind of loops you can get disappear in. “
Joshua Idehen - It Always Was
Sarah: ” Another track from Joshua Idehen, the latest sortie ! Producer Ludvig Parment’s sampling is shining in this, these percussives seem to shimmer with their own momentum. Again, Idehen’s poetry follows those slippery feelings of the now and of joy, and in these verses, we’re right beside him :) “
Nightmares on Wax, Yasiin Bey - Bang Bien
Sarah: ” At our last track already :0 I hadn’t heard Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) sing before this collaboration with Nightmares on Wax. Love how these melodies climb and wander, so creative :) ”
That’s all for this morning, thank you so very much for starting your Sunday with us :) Our thanks to Joshua Idehen for his vibrant selection and to Thibault Daumain for this episode’s stunning artwork.
