Yarni announces his most ambitious project to date, "Anemoia," a ten-track album exploring the Greek concept of nostalgia for a time never known. The album sees the self-taught multi-instrumentalist collaborating with ten musicians and vocalists across ten tracks, weaving together disco, soul, jazz-funk, hip-hop, and trip-hop into a thoroughly modern tapestry.
The project has garnered significant BBC Radio support, with Romesh Ranganathan calling Yarni 'remarkable' and BBC 6 Music championing his work through Craig Charles and Stuart Maconie, who supported "Temperature's Rising" and "S.W.A.L.K," while Huey Morgan selected "Silent City" as his 'Beat of the Week.' Yarni (aka Benjamin Harris) continues to attract acclaim from influential voices, including Gilles Peterson ("lovely"), Luke Una ("a beautiful gift to the world"), and Deb Grant ("chef's kiss delicious"). His previous release "Boro" was featured on Spotify's Fresh Finds UK and Ireland as part of their Class of 2021 selection.
Central to "Anemoia's" success was Yarni's creation of an all-inclusive micro-community among collaborators. By fostering an environment free from the pressures of artists' own projects, he encouraged fearless experimentation. "I wanted to create a space where everyone could explore without boundaries," explains Yarni. "When artists feel completely supported, they push themselves further. The result is something none of us could have achieved alone.
Opening with the orchestral jazz-funk of "Neon Gods," the album journeys through "Temperature's Rising" (featuring Nathaniel Short and Yarni's first string quartet arrangement), the epic "S.W.A.L.K" with Scarlett Fae (bridging Fleetwood Mac, Cleo Sol & LCD Soundsystem), hip-hop fusion "Natural Light" (Franz Von and Jeff Darko), ethereal trip-hop "The Romantic Ghost" (Plumm), and concludes with Afrobeat-influenced "Nino."
Rather than a retro tribute, Yarni has crafted a forward-thinking album that reimagines funk, jazz, soul, and disco through a contemporary lens. "This isn't about recreating the past, but channeling its spirit into something new," he says. From string quartets to Brazilian percussion, "Anemoia" creates a musical world where past and present dance in perfect harmony.
