Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)
Steven Bamidele

“Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)” is the new single from singer, songwriter, and producer Steven Bamidele. Brimming with carefully thought-out production, the track is written about his childhood experiences of displacement moving from Nigeria to the UK at a young age. Steven utilises the experimental musicality of the track to tell the story of these paradoxical feelings he dwelled on since relocating. The release follows “Kaleidoscope feat. Scarlett Fae” which saw support from Clash Magazine, Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), BBC Introducing, New Music Friday UK (Spotify), and Stereofox.

The cold chorus of “Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)” verges on dystopian, sitting alongside verses that begin colourful but are stripped of their warm layers. “The laugh at the end said it all,” Steven adds, speaking of the track’s title, “and I like the look of the word Farfisa (the main instrument in the song) so I kept that bit in.” This contrast evokes both the tonal change from the bliss of Steven’s childhood to the anxiety of his later formative years, and of the perpetual whiplash of information and emotional responses ever-present in the mind of a millennial growing up in the internet age.

“Where I grew up in England (Suffolk), there were very few people of colour. I felt like I stuck out, as if a spotlight was always on me,” Steven explains. “Simultaneously, I felt invisible because I felt unliked or unwanted.” Eventually, he found solace and comfort in music as a creative output, especially in his most introverted and lonely moments. As time went on, he joined various bands at school and played in the worship band at his church, all of which built his live performance skills and musical language. In 2011, after discovering James Blake and Modeselektor, he began to explore the creative potential of electronic music.

“I’m a big fan of people doing what they do, no matter what anyone says, going against the grain, being stubborn about it. I think the best results in art come out of that attitude.”

On the journey to finding his sound, Steven has developed into a meticulous producer and thoughtful songwriter. As demonstrated by “Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)”, everything from his experiences in childhood, to his relationships with those close to him, fuel the openness and integrity of his lyrics, often exploring themes of racial identity, family, and self-reflection. With influences ranging from Marvin Gaye and Radiohead to Lianne La Havas and Solange, Steven crafts his own unique and intricate sound, combining synth textures, syncopated beats, and reverb-drenched falsetto to create psychedelic forward-thinking soul.