LO-LIFE!, by Immy Owusu

LO-LIFE!

by Immy Owusu

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Immy Owusu's debut LP 'LO-LIFE!' on black wax printed by Program Records, Preston.

Includes unlimited streaming of LO-LIFE! via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Appellation of Elevation 03:27	buy track
2.	Flashback 04:08	buy track
3.	Holy Shoulders 04:57	buy track
4.	The World Is Here For You 05:30	buy track
5.	What A Love 04:29	buy track
6.	Sunsum Dware 05:09	buy track
7.	Nyame Kasa 06:07	buy track
8.	Right With No Wrong 06:02	buy track
9.	Palm Wine Elixir 03:10	buy track

about

Immy Owusu’s debut LP LO-LIFE! draws on the work of West African giants such as Ebo Taylor and William Onyeabor as well as psychedelic troubadors like Rodriguez. Immy’s sound, which he describes as “lo-fi highlife” is a synthesis of his Ghanaian roots and his own experiences growing up in coastal Australia.

Immanuel Kwabena Dreessens-Owusu grew up in two worlds: the sea bleached lifestyle of the Australian Surf Coast with its rock n roll soundtrack, and the musical heritage of his Ghanaian / Dutch family. Immy’s father Kojo Noah Owusu is one of Australia’s best regarded West African musicians and his grandfather Koo Nimo is a legend of Ghanaian Highlife and Palm Wine music active since the 1960s. From them Immy learned Asanti music and its instruments, added a fuzz pedal and began to experiment.

LO-LIFE! was live-tracked with an all-star band, featuring members of Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo and The Senegambian Jazz Band. Immy’s voice, singing in both English and Twi, is commanding throughout the record while the band weaves its magic around him. Immy’s delicate fingerpicked electric guitar dances around, anchored by Lachlan Stuckey’s hypnotic riffs on the second guitar, Henry Jenkins’ pulsing bass and Julius Sackey’s deft drums. Jethro Curtin’s quirky monosynth leads take center stage when Immy isn’t leading and Kojo blesses the sessions with Kpanlogo drum rhythms, Akan drum appellations and a rambunctious talking drum overdubs that interject and comment throughout. The final touch is provided by the powerful backing vocals of Kuukua Acquah, Pia Nesvara, Izzy Adjei and Julius Sackey.

From the opening fanfare of Appellation Of Elevation, the album grows through the kaleidoscopic Afro Disco of Flashback and the hypnotic Holy Shoulders, reaching a crescendo with the choir led The World Is Here For You and the simmering highlife groove of What A Love. The second half of the record favours longer songs where the band can stretch out, with the rolling 6/8 groove of Sunsum Dware, 'Take Five meets Afro-Rock' Nyame Kasa and the afrobeat inspired Right With No Wrong rounding out the album before the delicate epilogue provided by Palm Wine Elixir pays tribute to Immy’s family’s roots.

Immy’s previous releases on Hopestreet Mantra and Brown Supremacy, received rave reviews and substantial airplay around the world including on BBC6, Worldwide FM, NTS, KEXP, Bandcamp Weekly and more and was included in mixes and playlists by Dangermouse among others. This album takes Immy’s creative process out of the computer and into a live format and showcases a new side to his sound. LO-LIFE! is available everywhere on July 14th through Hopestreet recordings on LP and online.

credits

released July 14, 2023

Immanuel Dreessens-Owusu - Guitar, vocals, percussion
Kojo Noah Owusu - Percussion, vocals
Lachlan Stuckey - Guitar
Julius Sackey - Drums, vocals
Henry Jenkins - Bass
Jethro Curtin - Organ, synthesizers
Kuukua Acquah - Vocals
Pia Nesvara - Vocals
Izzy Adjei - Vocals

All songs composed by Immanuel Dreessens-Owusu
Produced By Bob Knob
Recorded and mixed by Bob Knob at The Aviary and Hope Street Studios
Mastered by Alex De Turk
Photography by Joshua De Hoog
Design by Kano

This album was recorded on Wurundjeri country and conceived of and written on Wadawurrung country. We pay respects to The Kulin Nation and all the First Nations of this continent and their elders past and present. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

Dedicated to the memory of Nicholas Dreessens
“Immanuel, whenever anyone ever asks you where you come from, the first thing you tell them is your grandfather’s a dutchman.”

This project was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria’s Music Works program.

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about

Immy Owusu Torquay, Australia

discography

LO-LIFE!

Jul 2023
Flashback

Mar 2023
Brown Supremacy

Mar 2022
Mantra

Feb 2022
DANGER!!!

Mar 2019

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