Drummer Warrior Storyteller is a living, visual album created by multidisciplinary artist Apex Zero. The album strives to embody Nigerian author Chinua Achebe’s perception of storytelling; the Drummer calls the people, the Warrior fights the war, and the Storyteller recounts the events, creating history, forming memory, and giving meaning to the survival of those who endure. The audio and visual installations came in two parts with the first being a short film created with creative producer Steph Be and Muti Musafiri’s Village 101 Studios who also bring in some of the world’s finest contemporary and Hip Hop choreographers and dancers to help complete the mission. The result is a 14-minute-long epic visual that explores social and political issues with excellent storytelling expressive choreography and abstract motifs to drive the message home.
The second film and EP symbolize a significant change in the ideas and style expressed in the album's 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, and 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.
The living, growing project engages audiences through multiple mediums, inviting them into the universe of the album, whether that is listening and watching alone or attending and contributing to one of the installations.
To date, the installations have ranged from intimate film screenings to full-scale immersive theatre productions. Following a second Art’s Council England project grant, Drummer Warrior Storyteller was premiered in its most complete form to date on Oct 29th 2022. The album was brought to life at Rich Mix, East London as part of Legacy 101: Spirit of the Village Festival 2022, celebrating the legacy of Black Excellence emerging from the creative renaissance movement Village 101. The living album was presented as an engaging installation exhibition and immersive theatre show as seen below.
Legacy 101 Festival also returns this October, with events spread across London throughout the month.
Stream Part One here and Part Two here.
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