Yarni, AKA Benjamin Harris, the Sheffield-based, self-taught multi-instrumentalist has announced his most ambitious projects to date. ‘Anemoia’ is a ten-track album that explores the Greek concept of nostalgia for a time never known, set to be released on 3 October.
The album sees the artist collaborating with ten musicians and vocalists across ten tracks, weaving together disco, soul, jazz-funk, hip-hop, and trip-hop into a modern tapestry.
Born and based in Sheffield, Yarni has developed an authentic artistic identity over time, constantly developing his work and pushing boundaries. He has produced four diverse albums and this next project is, for our money, his most exciting yet.
2021 saw the release of Boro – a beguilingly cinematic record comprised of field recordings made from an earlier trip to Japan. During the production of the album, Yarni further evolved his creative process, reaching out to a trio of fellow Sheffield musicians to add their own improvised takes to the recordings.
Among this new collaboration, Yarni created an all-inclusive micro-community. He created an environment in which artists could be free to experiment without fear. “I wanted to create a space where everyone could explore without boundaries,” explains Yarni. “When artists feel completely supported, they push themselves further. The result is something none of us could have achieved alone.
Opening with the orchestral jazz-funk of “Neon Gods,” this latest album journeys through “Temperature’s Rising” (featuring Nathaniel Short and Yarni’s first string quartet arrangement), the epic “S.W.A.L.K” with Scarlett Fae (bridging Fleetwood Mac, Cleo Sol & LCD Soundsystem), hip-hop fusion “Natural Light” (Franz Von and Jeff Darko), ethereal trip-hop “The Romantic Ghost” (Plumm), and concludes with Afrobeat-influenced “Nino.”
The exciting new project has received praise from BBC Radio 6 Music, with Craig Charles championing both “Temperature’s Rising” & “S.W.A.L.K” and Huey Morgan selecting “Silent City” as his ‘beat of the week.
The forward-thinking album reimagines funk, jazz, soul, and disco through a contemporary lens, rather than being a retro tribute. “This isn’t about recreating the past, but channelling its spirit into something new,” he says.
Get your hands on a copy of the new album here.
