This zine is inspired by one of my favourite records of the last few years, and one of the last Pharoah put out before he died: Promises.
It’s a 46 minute and 37 second odyssey broken up into 9 movements, and composed with Floating Points (“Sam”) and the London Symphony Orchestra. Phenomenal. Movement 6 especially. I had the whole thing on repeat for a long time (very good writing music) and I became kinda obsessed.
The conversation that’s playing out in some of the spreads above is an actual conversation Pharaoh and Sam had while recording. It’s pretty out there, but I’ve always been really drawn to it. I think I just love the idea that someone can eat, sleep and dream in sound. That they can hear music in everything, everywhere they go, even when it isn’t playing.
The singing bears smoking cigars on a ship helps too, not gonna lie.
