Steam Down Release Anthemic New Single, ‘Empower’
‘‘EMPOWER’ is all about manifesting confidence, and fortifying yourself in the knowledge that you have the power to overcome,’ says Steam Down’s founder, Ahnansé.
Today, Steam Down released a supercharged new single, “EMPOWER,” which is available now on Decca. It’s the first taste of the hugely influential London collective’s debut EP, Five Fruit, which will be released on September 24 and arrives alongside news of the weekly night’s long-awaited, IRL return. Steam Down will open its doors for the first time since lockdown with two intimate sets at Matchstick Piehouse, Deptford, tonight (May 19th). Watch out for more live news and further music and visuals from Five Fruit soon.
After years of building a truly engaged community―and taking London’s melting-pot to the world’s stage―“EMPOWER” marks an exciting new musical chapter for Steam Down. Featuring the fast-paced verses of Tinyman and Afronaut Zu (alongside Theon Cross, who has played with Kano and Sons of Kemet), here is a sound that bridges grime with jazz, and turns it all into something unmistakably Steam Down.
In Steam Down founder Ahnansé’s words, “‘EMPOWER’ “is all about manifesting confidence, and fortifying yourself in the knowledge that you have the power to overcome, persist and achieve in the face of any adversity you may be dealing with.” It is, too, a conceptual entry-point to Steam Down’s Five Fruit EP, which chronicles “changing from the inside out: one emotional state at a time. We are currently living in an unprecedented time, dealing with a global pandemic, political injustice, and social unrest. Through times like these we have to change and adapt, and ‘EMPOWER’ is here to aid that inner transformation.”
This is Steam Down’s first new music since participating in the Blue Note Re:imagined project back in 2020. The compilation included Steam Down’s interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s “Etcetera.”The multi-award-winning group’s contribution also featured the vocals of Afronaut Zu, and it’s a characteristically cool combination drawn from their eclectic make-up, which features afro-swing, grime, jazz, and future soul.
