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Photo credit: Kay Ibrahim

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Today, East London musician, producer, composer and rapper Alfa Mist shares another single titled “Apho” from his highly anticipated forthcoming album Variables out April 21st on ANTI-. Alfa Mist also announces 2 headline shows in Melbourne and Adelaide alongside the already announced appearance at Vivid Festival in Sydney. Full tour details below.

“Apho”’ features South African folk singer Bongeziwe Mabandla who pens the yearning love song to Alfa’s spellbinding guitar led arrangement. Intricately layered with the deep, grounding sounds of the cello and Mabandla’s crystalline falsetto that skips over drummer Jas Kayser’s frenetic beat, “Apho” offers a swirl of emotions, taking you on a melancholic yet thrilling journey.

The video by Australian filmmaker, SPOD is based on the album artwork painted by the band’s bass player, Kaya Thomas-Dyke. In constant motion – shapes, figures and rich tones of blue and purple morph into each other throughout to captivating affect.

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“I’ve been focused on who I am in my music, but now I’m exploring where I am,” Alfa Mist says of the new single. “I’m asking: how did I get here?”

This is the journeying question that underpins Alfa’s fifth album, Variables. Traversing luscious, big band swing, head-nodding boom-bap rhythms and yearning vocal melodies, the record is expansive, soulful and moving, in both body and spirit. On Variables, his second release for ANTI-, Alfa achieves his most fully-realised, expressive musical work to date, coupling his keen ear for looping, memorably emotive piano melodies with intuitive grooves and a free-flowing jazz improvisation.

The perplexing depth of Alfa’s music pays homage to his unceasing work-ethic and ability to feel. His origins of sampling started in the shadows of Black Star, Madlib & J Dilla. Nowadays he’s traversing luscious, big band swing and head nodding boom-bap rhythms. His career has been fruitful, instantly selling out his debut US shows and collaborating with artists such as Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei. Alongside these, Alfa Mist, headlined London’s, Barbican in 2021. And for 2023, he is set to play in the EU, US and will grace AUS with headline performances.

Following Alfa Mist’s acclaimed first record in 2015, Nocturne, a string of successes have followed. He returns with the highly anticipated release of his sixth album, Variables, set to come out on the 21st of April. Alfa explains the album as “more uptempo and influenced by the freedom of returning to gigs”. Four singles have already been released, BC, 4th of Feb (Stay Awake), Aged Eyes and Apho.

The intense energy of Alfa’s six-piece band allows space for the crowd to hang on to the end of every note. Reflective and deeply poetic lyrics amongst sultry lights and smooth chord progressions. All of which can be expected when Alfa Mist returns to Australia to play at the Sydney Opera House, with local legends, Ella Haber & Swooping. Followed by headline shows in Adelaide and Melbourne.

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TOUR DATES

Weds May 31st 2023 – Vivid LIVE, Sydney Opera House 
Fri June 2nd 2023, Adelaide – Burnside Ballroom
Sat June 3rd 2023, Melbourne – Croxton Bandroom

PRE-SALE:  March 30 2023 – 9am local

GA ON SALE: March 31 2023 – 9am local 

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Variables
tracklisting

Foreword
Borderline
Aged Eyes (feat. Kaya Thomas-Dyke)
Cycles
The Gist
Genda (Go Away)
Apho (feat. Bongeziwe Mabandla)
Variables
4th Feb (Stay Awake)
BC

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Follow ALFA MIST
Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

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AMNPLIFY – DB