Guyanese-born, Winnipeg-raised, and Toronto-based artist Odario has released new visuals in support of his EP, Good Morning Hunter.
“PEACE” was produced by composer Todor Kobakov, and it features Winnipeg emcee Len Bowen and gospel vocalist Dawn Pemberton.
Odario (Photo: Instagram)
For the newly released self-directed video, Odario decided to reach out to other people to represent the various parts of the song.
“As director, I reached out to some of Toronto’s most interesting characters to fulfill the task as lead emcee,” Odario explained in a prepared statement.
“You’ll find Toronto born Kalmplex (He/Him/Sir) covering my verse. Kalmplex is a multimedia visual artist that has been documenting Toronto’s art and culture scene for two decades. I introduce to you Angelita SB, Toronto’s fiery new poet and emcee. She covers Len Bowen’s verse. Angelita currently resides in Toronto’s deep west end, near The Westway Village. Her community and peers refer to their ‘hood as Ghost Town, due to the multiple cemeteries surrounding the area. Parts of the ‘Peace’ video was shot at a housing complex and basketball court near Ghost Town. Other parts of the video was shot at Loveless Cafe (temporarily referred to as Love Us Cafe) near Brockton Village, my stomping grounds.”
Along with showcasing a great song, “PEACE” does an amazing job highlighting the immense amount of talent holding down Toronto’s dance scene.
“I specifically wanted the video to embrace the city’s vibrant dance culture—you’ll notice that in all my videos—and provide that exhilarating feeling we get from experiencing dance,” said Odario.
“A crew of Toronto’s aspiring dancers were assembled by longtime choreographer Kwamé Mensah (DoDat Dancers / Sōl Kōd). Also appearing is Rasta Rydah, the captain of ALPHA, an all female riding club based in Toronto’s greater area. Rastah Rydah was born in Montréal, but her passion for bike culture developed while spending time in Hanover, Jamaica.”
Odario (Photo: Instagram)
Notable for fronting popular hip-hop collective Grand Analog, Odario’s foray into his first solo EP kicked off with stand-alone single “Low Light (In This Space)” which premiered in early 2020 via KCRW ‘Today’s Top Tune’ (Best New Music) followed by a cross-Canada tour supporting Bedouin Soundclash before the pandemic struck.
Odario (née Odario Williams) is a storyteller, a hip-hop junkie and a lover of many musical soundscapes. Odario wears many hats and describes himself as a raconteur, an actor and a DJ. As a founding member of Grand Analog, he has received considerable praise and critical acclaim, co-writing songs for three albums, three EPs and several singles. His music has generated over 65 syncs and he has been nominated for Sync Artist or Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Sync Awards. Odario has also been featured on singles by, and collaborated with, Canadian music luminaries such as A Tribe Called Red with Haviah Mighty, Ghost Caravan, Delhi 2 Dublin, The Sunshine Makers, and Qualité Motel. As host of the groundbreaking CBC Music program Afterdark, Odario fills the night with sounds ranging from art-pop and soul to avant-garde and electronic.
You can find “PEACE” and the Good Morning Hunter on various digital streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify via Do Right Music.
Check out the videos for “PEACE” and the Jason S. Cipparrone-directed “Hot Hot Heat” (released on Sept. 29) below.
You can follow @Odario on Instagram.
