Apex Zero - Drummer Warrior Storyteller, Pt. 2 (Official Video)

Apex Zero releases 'Drummer Warrior Storyteller (Part Two)' as he continues to develop his living visual album alongside numerous, brilliant, multidisciplinary artists.

The film and EP symbolise a significant change in the ideas and style expressed in the albums first part, breaking from the often portrayed ‘struggling’ Black figure, aiming to express joy, love and aspirations to live and grow despite society’s obstacles. ‘Drummer Warrior Storyteller (Part Two) celebrates life, honours Ancestors and The Most High, expressing gratitude and appreciation for existence and creation.

The film was made with visionary filmmakers Chiba Visuals, Slim Yearwood, Alicia Warner and Ekua McMorris, shot across Barbados, Venezuela, Peru, Uganda, and England. It features pioneering metalsmith Roxanne Simone, cultural polymath Muti ‘Mutivation’ Musafiri, jewellery from rising star Lucie Gledhill, Ugandan traditional drummers Nilotika Cultural Ensemble, footage from Break Fast Jam 2018 and Afri-cans Street Art Fest 2018 and deeply personal photographs and footage of Apex’s immediate family across four generations.

Earlier releases from Apex on the project are Seventh Dimension (On Perspective) and ‘You (On Love)’ are now followed by ‘Live Life (On Livity)’, an uplifting, up-tempo, soulful banger that moves anyone that hears it. The organ driven production by Micall Parknsun gives Apex a platform to show his lyrical dexterity, moving effortlessly between chant-like and rapid-fire wordplay. The hook especially shows Apex’s skill as a lyricist, holding the same multi-syllable rhyme scheme for the whole section, working brilliantly with the ethereal vocals of Elia-Naa as they stake their claims and encourage others to manifest brilliant futures and live life to its maximum.

Speaking on the release Apex says “Live Life (On Livity), with all the tracks on 'Drummer Warrior Storyteller (Part Two)’, represents a radical break in my thinking and being. As vital as it is to make music and art about the struggles we face as a people and I face as an individual, the journey I’ve been on has taught me that life, no matter how hard at times, is Sacred, an honour and a gift. I want to make music and art that celebrates that, to manifest a world where me and my people live joyous, purposeful, fulfilling lives.”

‘Drummer Warrior Storyteller’ is a living, on-going project, with more releases, installations and events set for 2023 and beyond.