Joshua Idehen – Don’t Let It Get You Down.
Joshua Idehen kept badgering his creative partner Ludvig Parment (aka Saturday, Monday) to “make more house,” and eventually Parment snapped back with “IS THIS HOUSE ENOUGH FOR YOU?!” The beat was titled “House 4 Joshua,” and yeah, it was worth it. “Don’t Let It Get You Down” is pure dancefloor energy, strobe-flecked house music that Idehen describes as music to make you feel good no matter how good you’re already feeling.
After nearly two decades in London’s poetry scene, Idehen found widespread recognition with the viral success of “Mum Does The Washing”, a collaboration with Parment that led to sold-out shows and major festival appearances including Glastonbury. His journey started after seeing Dizzee Rascal’s “Vexed” on Channel U, which led him to blend poetry with music, working with LV, Benin City, and Sons of Kemet.
A move to Stockholm during COVID gave Idehen space to reflect after a divorce and struggles with mental health. That rebirth shaped his forthcoming debut album “I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try”, out March 6th on Heavenly Recordings. Made entirely with Parment, it’s a cathartic mix of house beats, choral flourishes, and spoken word that tackles grief, joy, and healing without shying away from pain.
“Don’t Let It Get You Down” sits somewhere between life advice and club euphoria, with lush strings and Idehen’s eloquence rising over the production. It follows the album’s first single “It Always Was” and a recent appearance on Later…with Jools Holland.
Idehen supports Baxter Dury in Heidelberg on December 12th, and I’m curious to see how these house tracks translate live.
