9 March 2020 marked the release of Idrees Oloyede’s debut album, Shaphak, an album of piano pieces conceived over a period of several months.

With its titular definition being the Hebraic for ‘pouring out’, the heart of this London pianist reverberates through its thirteen-track playlist.

Some were conceived in the spontaneous spirit of adventure, while others capture Idrees playing as an appurtenance to the spoken word. Yet others manifested in the slumber-forsaken dead of night as the groan of his burdened heart.

But whether in joyful melodies or through doleful motifs, each of these pieces channels his heart.

The remedial power that this particular means of voicing Idrees’ sentiments has generated for years is no longer private.

Tracks from this album trickled, one on the 13th day of the last four months in 2019. Ensconcing a hope of impacting society and encouraging the vibrations of others’ hearts to find just as expressive a voice, the full album is now available.

“This is #OurJOurney and will lead to #Rest. #JustLetMeCryOut for, as we are honest with ourselves, we will step out into #TheExchange. Here, there is always #HelpInBrokenHearts throughout the #Cycles of #TheCrushing, enabling us to realise that there is  #NoneLikeUYou. #Grace counsels #ILoveYouButDon’tHIdeAnymore and frees us to #WanderOrWonder. At the end, #AllIHaveIPourOut (Shaphak)”

Idrees Oloyede.

Shaphak is available on all major online platforms. Art concept and painting by Stephen Sealy.