Daudi Matsiko shares new single ‘Derby’s Dose’
Daudi Matsiko | Credit: Alice Kanako
“A real, thrillingly direct connection”
- Adam Buxton
“Amazing, really interesting folk music”
- Ghostpoet
"Really stunning track... one of those artists that everybody is talking about and loving and wanting to share"
– Jamz Supernova, BBC Radio 6 Music
“Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! I’m so glad that you've got new records coming out, Daudi”
- Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 6 Music
“Very much my sweet spot”
- Lauren Laverne, BBC Radio 6 Music
“This is lovely isn't it”
- John Kennedy, Radio X
Today, Nottingham based, British-Ugandan singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko shares a new single titled ‘Derby’s Dose’. The single follows the recent announcement of his new album ‘The King Of Misery’ – due out 19th January via Really Good, and comes on the heels of his recent appearance on the Adam Buxton Podcast and a short tour with GoGo Penguin.
The new single follows closely on the heels of Daudi’s recent tracks ‘I Am Grateful For My Friends’, ‘oMo (Man)’, and ‘Fool Me As Many Times As You Like’ which have received high praise from the likes of Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM and BBC 6 Music as well as Lauren Laverne, and have been featured in several Spotify editorial playlists including The Most Beautiful Songs in the World, The Other list, The Listening Post, and Fresh Finds. Having released just two independent EPs – ‘A Brief Introduction to Failure’ and ‘The Lingering Effects of Disconnection’ – to date, Daudi has toured with GoGo Penguin, Keaton Henson, and Portico Quartet, whilst also being a participant of the Red Bull Music Academy in Montreal 2016. He also received a standing ovation at this year’s The Great Escape Festival and plays as a member of Do Nothing’s live band, who he has recently been on tour with.
Through his unique brand of modern albeit reverent folk, Daudi continues to offer his listeners a space for understanding and introspection. Deft, melancholic picking reminiscent of Nick Drake is tempered by contemporary percussion and instrumentation. Matsiko’s vocals derive their strength from their seeming fragility. With every song, his confessional lyrics cut to the marrow.
The new single ‘Derby’s Dose’ serves as a cathartic expression of Daudi’s own emotions upon learning about a dark chapter of Britain's history and the harrowing story of Derby, an enslaved man subjected to unspeakable torture.
Speaking on the single, Daudi says “Derby’s Dose is a song that means a lot to me. It’s a personal response to a tragic and horrific moment in our collective history. Derby was an enslaved man, tortured and murdered by Thomas Thistlewood. A Lincolnshire man. Derby’s story broke my heart. What is more, is that Derby had skin, a body and desires like my own. Like all of us, a desire for shelter, food and safety. Yet he was greeted with torture, dehumanisation and ultimately annihilation. The legacy of that human loss lives on today, unresolved.
This song was created lovingly with that in mind. My sister Judith Matsiko joined me on vocals for this song. It was really special to have her voice on the recording with me and added to the personal nature of the process. Making a difficult and heavy song, less lonely and more beautiful.”
Listen / share the new single here
These stark candid themes are evident across the album and Daudi’s work. Tracks such as ‘oMo (Man)’ capture the internal struggle of self-doubt, addressing the challenges of navigating a world that's often at odds with our own emotions. Whereas the recent single ‘Fool Me As Many Times As You Like’, centre around self-deception and self-suppression. Hiding who you really are, even from yourself, maybe out of fear or shame, in order to survive. Elsewhere ‘I Am Grateful For My Friends’ unambiguously delved into the role of friendship and community while grappling with mental health struggles, specifically depression and bipolar affective disorder, and Daudi’s previous single ‘Hymn’ is a song of hope and hopelessness, despair, and comfort.
Musically the album is a raw yet beautiful listen, with evocative and fragile guitar work those ebbs and flows around Daudi’s gentle vocals, permeated by saxophone, harmonium, cello, pocket pianos, bass synthesisers, and more. The album also features guest appearances from the likes of friend Keaton Henson who appears on and co-wrote, ‘King Of Misery’, alongside Canadian artist, Danielle Frick, who features on backing vocals. Elsewhere, Divorce’s Felix Mackenzie-Barrow appears on ‘Hymn’, ‘Annihilation’, and ‘I Need You To Stop Calling My Phone’, which also features Nick Blacka of GoGo Penguin on double bass. Various members of Daudi’s family also appear on backing vocals, adding both vulnerability and strength to the moving subject matter of the tracks.
Speaking on the album, Daudi continues, “‘The King Of Misery’ is essentially me wrestling with and finding hope along my journey with bipolar affective disorder. It is a bit of an existential diary entry. Exploring personal themes of racial trauma was something that I felt compelled to do whilst making the record too. The album is a snapshot of who and where I was while I was making it. Moving from guilt to gratitude. I hope I have made something genuinely life affirming.”
‘The King Of Misery’ is out 19th January via Really Good – Pre-order here
Tracklisting:
1. Guilt
2. oMo (Man)
3. Falling
4. Fool Me As Many Times As You Like
5. Derby’s Dose
6. I Need You To Stop Calling My Phone
7. Annihilation
8. King Of Misery
9. Hymn
10. I Am Grateful For My Friends
