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Ahimsa EP

Ahimsa EP
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“Melding of Gambian Jaliyaa, electro spiritual & deft production from rural Norfolk (UK), on Capitol K’s Faith & Industry label.”

This release is the fruit of a musical friendship between Sefo Kanuteh and John Johanna, which came about in 2018 when Kanuteh’s manager heard one of Johanna’s songs on the radio and put the two men in touch. Before long they had convened to Johanna’s home studio in rural Norfolk where a musical affinity was quickly established and they began the work that resulted in Kanuteh’s debut solo album Afou (produced by Johanna and released in 2021) and now the three track Ahimsa EP, which showcases the creativity of both musicians combined to great effect.

Sefo Kanuteh is a Gambian jali whose deep roots in Mande culture inform a musical virtuosity that has run in his family for generations. His music's essential message revolves around the idea and practice of community, how we can connect with each other and collaborate. Now, more than ever, he feels it is important to learn how to come together, support each other and to slow down, rather than retreating and letting fear define our actions.

Such sentiments have been foremost in John Johanna’s mind too, and much of the lyrical content on the EP reflects this guiding philosophy. Over Johanna’s production, which deftly weaves both acoustic and electronic elements, both men contributed words, melodies and instrumental parts to create music that aims to allay the anxieties and encourage the hopes of a world in turmoil.

The title track, Ahimsa, takes its name from the Sanskrit word for non-violence. The song’s lyrics reflect both mens’ faith (Kanuteh is a Muslim and Johanna an Eastern Orthodox Christian) that ultimately it is in the realm of spirituality and the Divine that answers are to be found that will lead us one day to emancipation, not only from political and economic oppression but also from the problems we carry within and between us. As Kanuteh sings on the track (in Mandinka) :

“The rich have a voice and they are the law / The poor are under the law …”

But he asserts encouragingly that :

“God is the one with real power and wealth / Don’t be afraid …”

Nyomuta (Let’s Be Together) continues in both English and Mandinka with themes of human solidarity over and against the machinations of power, as well as the responsibilities of care and attention that we owe one another. Kanuteh gives a spoken English translation of the words he sings at the end of the song.

Mercante is named for the medieval Italian merchant Messer Francesco Datini, who achieved an immense fortune in the 1300s by moving goods, money and credit around Europe. Despite his great wealth, Datini’s journals reveal that he was afflicted by an incurable anxiety and indeed the song’s refrain of “the more I seek, the less I find” is taken from these writings. Such early ‘long-distance merchants’ operated transnationally and thus prepared the ground for later colonialism and the global monopolism we see today. But perhaps Datini’s sense of dread and emptiness gives an early glimpse into the restless void that lies at the heart of the ceaseless acquisition of such wealth and power. The song’s coda rides the drumming of The Comet is Coming’s Betamax and concludes with a solo from Austrian saxophonist Guido Spannocchi.

Found tracks

John Johanna & Sefo Kanuteh - Ahimsa
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John Johanna & Sefo Kanuteh - Nyomuta
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John Johanna & Sefo Kanuteh - Mercante
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