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Odario kicked off 2020 with his solo debut single Low Light (In This Space) which was immediately picked up by influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW as Today's Top Tune. Now, he steps into the solo spotlight once again with Good Morning Hunter - a highly original and eclectic 7-track EP that blends hip-hop, beat poetry, live instrumentation, and even a drum n' bass dub.
Produced by Todor Kobakov (composer for TV shows and films such as Cardinal, Born To Blue, and strings arranger for K-OS, Stars, Metric, and Sara Bareilles), Good Morning Hunter features collaborations with a wide range of musical talents, including emcee Len Bowen, poet Angelita SB, Grammy Award-winning guitarist Adrian X (Drake, The Weeknd), and silky soulful vocals of Dawn Pemberton, Kamilah Apong (Tush), and Chad Price (CTV's The Launch)
"We started recording our first song (Midnight: Ghost feat Chad Price) for the Good Morning Hunter EP in March 2020 during the dark early days of the pandemic," Odario recalls. "The city of Toronto resembled a ghost town, eerily quiet and almost unrecognizable. Plenty of people were frustrated and alone in their emotions most of the time. This EP is dedicated to all of us who made the best out of the physical and emotional lockdown we lived through."
The opening track Peace sets the tone for the rest of the EP with its jazz-ting live instrumentation feels, featuring Odario's frequent collaborators, emcee Len Bowen and Vancouver soul singer Dawn Pemberton. "Together we wanted to promote upliftment in marginalized communities through our music... with an understanding that, yes, together we can make it work."
Segueing smoothly into the next track, Reprise allows producer Todor Kobakov to shine on his piano, accompanied by magnificent spoken word from Angelita SB. "Her delivery is as vivid, striking and complex as the times itself," says Odario. Angelita SB also contributed her eminent poetic talents to the track Disastro.
The title track, Good Morning Hunter, is an ode to the 70s Blaxploitation films and ghettofunk soundscapes. Guitarist Adrian X lends a classic and timely solo that bleeds the blues. The Good Morning: OK Dub is an original flip by Odario's brother and DJ, Ofield K. "We grew up listening to muddy UK jungle cassettes dubbed by our cousins from Brixton in South London," recalls Odario. "Ofield provides these grimy beats that are meant to take you on a bumpy journey. Respect to the architects."
Venturing into the infectious world of classic dance music with saucy steelpan sounds, house rhythms and heavy bass, Good Morning Hunter closes with Hot Hot Heat. Featuring Kamilah Apong, one-half of fast rising Toronto indie-disco outfit Tush, the song is about making sense of a bizarre world and reaching for music as the best medicine, that remedy in the most challenging of times.
Track List:
01. Peace
02. Reprise
03. Midnight: Ghosts
04. Good Morning Hunter
05. Good Morning Hunter: Ok Dub
06. Disatro
07. Hot Hot Heat
