Revered multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Yussef Dayes today shares a new single ‘Rust’ featuring longstanding collaborator and friend Tom Misch. This latest track arrives hand in hand with the announcement of Dayes’ Royal Albert Hall headline performance on October 12. LISTEN TO ‘RUST’ HERE + PRE-ORDER THE LP HERE.

‘Rust’ is the second single to be shared from Yussef Dayes debut solo album Black Classical Music and follows the release of the title track, a collaboration with Charlie Stacey and Venna, and its video, the perfect entry point into the expansive project.

Continuously pushing boundaries in both recording and live settings, Dayes will be headlining at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 12.  Widely recognised as one of the most electrifying live performers of his generation, watching Dayes perform is an exhilarating combo of technical prowess, intensity and emotion – leaving audiences in no doubt as to the role of rhythm in channelling spiritual energy.  Dayes will deservedly take his place among the ranks of star-studded performers that have appeared at the iconic venue over the past century. Expect Black Classical Music to be brought to thrillingly vivid life within the storied surroundings.

Black Classical Music is Dayes 19-track debut solo studio album. At every turn, Dayes’ distinctive drum licks and Rocco Palladino’s bass are the sturdy anchors; aided by Charlie Stacey (keys/synths), Venna (saxophone), Alexander Bourt (percussion), and a whole host of honourable features including Chronixx, Masego, Jamilah Barry, Tom Misch, Elijah Fox, Shabaka Hutchings, Miles James, Sheila Maurice Grey, Nathaniel Cross, Theon Cross and the Chineke! Orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black and ethnically diverse musicians. Centered around themes of family and legacy,  the record is a journey of healing and spirituality.

Dayes details the upcoming album in his own words; “What is jazz? Where did the word derive from? Birthed in New Orleans, born in the belly of the Mississippi River, rooted in the gumbo pot of the Caribbean, South American culture & African rituals. Continuing a lineage of Miles Davis, Rahssan Roland kirk, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong ~ music that is forever evolving & limitless in its potential. The groove, it’s feeling, the compositions, the spontaneity, with a love for family, the discipline & dedication in maintaining the very high bar set by the pantheon of Black Classical Musicians. Chasing the rhythm of drums that imitated one’s heartbeat, the melodies for the mind and spirit, the bass for the core. A Regal sound for this body of music.”

Yussef Dayes’ discography is expansive and wide-reaching; his rise can be first linked to the Afrocentric quartet, United Vibrations, alongside his two brothers – Ahmad and Kareem – and saxophonist, Wayne Francis.  This was followed by the meteorically successful, but short-lived duo Yussef Kamaal, with keyboardist Kamaal Williams. More recently, Dayes released  Live At Joshua Tree, an EP presented by Soulection, and other solo releases including the live album Welcome To The Hills and Love Is The Message, which was recorded Live at Abbey Road Studios.

His list of collaborators is ever-growing and has blossomed to include the finest talents across both music and fashion. From 2020’s album What Kinda Music, a collaboration with Tom Misch released on Blue Note Records which charted in the Top 5, to an official remix of Pa Salieu’s ‘Frontline’, on Wizkid’s Made In Lagos album, plus production for R&B royalty in Kali Uchis and Kehlani and 2022’s joint release with Soulection entitled Live At Joshua Tree. The late Louis Vuitton innovator, Virgil Abloh, hand-picked Yussef to soundtrack and curate the LV dinner show for Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2019, as well as having Dayes perform at the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris and collaborating on many other projects.