Maverick Sabre’s Songs That Inspired His “You Know How It Feels” EP

The English/Irish emcee lists 10 tracks he had on repeat through the recording process.
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Maverick Sabre’s Songs That Inspired His “You Know How It Feels” EP

The English/Irish emcee lists 10 tracks he had on repeat through the recording process.

Words: Kim March

photo by Adam Yousef

August 06, 2020

You Know How It Feels has been out for a few weeks now, but many of us are still puzzling over Maverick Sabre’s genre affiliations. Seamlessly blending contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and just a smidge of alt-rock since beyond last year’s breakthrough LP—which featured collaborations with Jorja Smith and roots reggae vocalist Chronixx—Sabre has long played outside conventions set by his predecessors.

One reason for this could be the list of diverse influences that went into the four-track project—in the playlist he made for us, Talking Heads and The Verve are included alongside Gil Scott-Heron, Brother Ali, and Zambian rockers Salty Dog. Read the full list of tracks below, and stream along to the playlist.

YKHIF is available now—stream it here.

Cymande, “Dove”  

This was my staple song for the EP…it’s warm, psychedelic, and has a sick groove that you can listen to on repeat for days.

Gil Scott-Heron, “We Almost Lost Detroit”

His voice matched with his message is forever inspiring. Vocals always so close to your ear, straight up no fuckin’ around. Got that warm lo-fi wobble to it as well.

Idris Muhammed, “Piece of Mind” 

Nothing to say on this apart from just listen—take in the journey of the tune, beauty.

Kofi Stone, “Same Old” 

One of the UK’s most exciting emcees right now, Kofi’s lyrics cut straight through—his tone and his delivery over them quintessential boom-bap beats are a great combination.

Brother Ali, “Uncle Sam Goddamn” 

Ali’s voice with this beat and the lyrics can never not hit home. Straight to the point, and I can feel it.

Salty Dog, “See the Storm”

Sick rock group from Zambia. Vocals send me off into that psych world—trippy feeling vibe.

Talking Heads, “This Must Be the Place” 

This tune definitely sends me away…love the vocals, feels a bit mumbled and has a directness in the groove. Funky madness.

The Verve, “The Drugs Don’t Work” 

Just a banger, really.

The Rotary Connection, “I am the Black Gold of the Sun”

Found out about this group through a Minnie Ripperton documentary. She was one of the original singers.

Task Force, “The Junkyard” 

UK hip-hop brother Chester P and Farma G always deliver potent-feeling music to me. Cut to my heart with lyrics, and always felt like they approached beats different as well—mad samples that match the stories being told.