Name: Onwards
Brand: Contour

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

TB007

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "TB007"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-10-14

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5056321638496

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "5056321638496"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Contour

Genre GB

R&B / Neo-Soul

Label GB

Touching Bass

Touching Bass is a South London-based community, monthly dance and concert series, record label, and biweekly NTS Radio residency. Led by Errol and Alex Rita, this label is at the forefront of showcasing diverse musical talent from various genres. With their authoritative presence in the music industry, Touching Bass has created a platform for emerging artists to thrive and express themselves. Their commitment to fostering creativity and pushing boundaries has made them a respected name in the music e-commerce world.
Through their carefully curated events and releases, *Touching Bass* has become synonymous with innovation and quality. The label's dedication to supporting underground artists ensures that listeners are always treated to fresh sounds that push the boundaries of conventional genres. From soulful melodies to experimental beats, *Touching Bass* offers an eclectic mix of music that appeals to a wide range of tastes.
With their biweekly NTS Radio residency, *Touching Bass* continues to bring their unique sound directly into people's homes. Listeners can tune in regularly to discover new tracks from both established acts and up-and-coming talents. By providing this platform for musicians to showcase their work on airwaves, *Touching Bass* further solidifies its position as an influential force within the industry.

South Carolina-based multi-hyphenate, Contour, arrives on Errol and Alex Rita’s Touching Bass with Onwards! — an evocative, twelve-track journey through black art past and contemporary with soul, electronics and archival material at its core.

“The record exists as a bridge in conversation between today’s artists and art of the past which offered potential ways to navigate the world that we’re in; personally or on a larger scale” says Contour. 

Khari Lucas describes himself as multifaceted, including musician, score composer, film and radio programmer within his universe of practice. Contour — the musical alias he started in 2014 — is the vessel for his musical research, songwriting and production. 

Onwards! arrives following on from Weight (2020) and Love Suite (2021). Both previous records were impressive calling cards for the now 27-year-old, diving deep into a rich and incredibly vivid imagination set to a soul, hip-hop and psychedelic rock-influenced blueprint. This third body of work serves as an expansion of his songwriting ability, both lyrically and thematically, through and beyond autobiographical expression.

Outside of this latest offering, Khari has collaborated with visionary black fashion house, Telfar, to launch their Black Camo line, co-directed/edited (Fresh Rain, 2021) and scored (Half-Day, 2022; One Magenta Afternoon, 2022) film, and is a seasoned resident artist. Most recently for New York’s non-profit cultural centre Pioneer Works, NTS Radio’s WIP programme and as a guest curator for the New York-based art publisher and performance space, Montez Press Radio. 

As Contour, he has supported contemporary musicians including MNDSGN and keiyaA. His monthly hosted radio show on dublab is a curatorial exercise called Footprints in the Dark. A two-hour exploration of a single black artist and a means for making one part of his research practice public. He has also guested on London’s NTS Radio and New York’s The Lot among others.