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Sep 02, 2021 By Mark Redfern Photography by Morgan Sinclair

Dave Okumu, singer/guitarist with London three-piece The Invisible, is releasing his debut solo album, Knopperz, on September 24 via Transgressive. Now he has shared another song from it, “Son of Emmerson.” Listen below.

Okumu also has another album coming out, The Solution Is Restless, which is a collaboration with Joan As Police Woman (aka Joan Wasser) and the late Afrobeat legend Tony Allen. The Solution Is Restless is due out November 5. Its first single “Take Me to Your Leader,” was shared back in July and can be heard below as well.

Previously Okumu shared Knopperz’s first single, “RTN,” which was one of our Songs of the Week. In August he shared its second single, “New Dawn,” which is also below.

Knopperz is an instrumental album that combines hip-hop, jazz, and experimental electronic music and is a partial homage to J Dilla’s Donuts.

The Invisible’s self-titled debut album was nominated for The Mercury Prize in 2009 and Okumu produced and sang on Jessie Ware’s acclaimed debut album. Since then he’s also worked with Arlo Parks, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien, St Vincent, Tony Allen, Grace Jones, David Lynch, and Adele. Knopperz uses elements of pianist Duval Timothy’s 2017 album, Sen Am (Timothy and Okumu are friends).

The last album by The Invisible (which also features Tom Herbert and Leo Taylor) was 2016’s Patience.

Also read our 2012 interview with The Invisible and our 2009 interview with them (which was The Invisible’s first American interview).

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