Iwuda announces his debut single "Smoke Signals", out April 24, the first taste ofMusic for Iwuda, his forthcoming debut album on La Sape Records.
Iwuda is the solo project of First Nations bassist Davin Ojala. Named for the Anaiwan word for echidna, the project draws from jazz, groove, and a wide range of musical traditions to arrive somewhere distinctly its own: bass-forward modern jazz with a searching, restless quality at its core.
"Smoke Signals" sets the tone immediately. Built around over half a dozen interlocking bass parts, the track moves through a melancholic chord progression before opening into a euphoric solo, a miniature arc that Ojala calls "the encapsulation of these themes of searching."
That search runs through the entire album. Recorded in two halves — first at Yill Lull Studio in Canberra, where a suite of duo compositions were captured live in single takes as part ofSpace to Create, a First Nations program supporting artists with space and resources to do their work; and then at Echidna Studios, where the remaining sessions were built from the ground up, drums and bass first, with Ojala overdubbing and manipulating every bass element you hear on the record.
"The throughline of this album is the act of searching," Ojala says. "For a deeper cultural connection, for a way to represent my musical self — and hopefully the music invokes this sense for the listener."

"Smoke Signals" is out April 24.Music for Iwudais forthcoming on La Sape Records.