London-based guitarist and producer Sheldon Agwu invites us into a deeply personal and philosophical soundscape with Kintsugi, his debut solo full-length album. The project draws its name—and its guiding principle—from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, highlighting rather than hiding flaws. For Agwu, Kintsugi is more than a metaphor. It’s a creative manifesto.
Built from a fusion of hip-hop rhythms, ambient textures, and raw guitar loops, Kintsugi is a meditation on vulnerability and authenticity. Agwu channels a wide spectrum of sonic influences—from Andrew Pekler and Jon Hassell to Rick Rubin, Madlib, and more—while crafting a sound that feels uniquely his own. Fans of Massive Attack, Flying Lotus, Jeff Parker, and Meat Beat Manifesto will find a natural resonance here.
But Kintsugi is not just built on beats and loops. It also strips things back to their emotional core. Solo guitar compositions appear in stark relief, and spoken word collaborators lend their voices—unfiltered, unguarded—to create moments of raw human connection. As Agwu puts it, these artists are “constantly living in their truths.”
Self-produced and recorded throughout 2023, the album is the product of both quiet introspection and communal inspiration. Between crate-digging in London’s record shops and reading interviews with creators across disciplines, Agwu spent the year in conversation—with ideas, with records, with people. These connections form the constellation that is Kintsugi, a record that doesn’t aim to be perfect but instead embraces the beauty of what’s real.
“Creativity and imagination,” Agwu says, “are the keys to unlocking the doors to the celestial.”
About Sheldon Agwu
Sheldon Agwu is a London-based guitarist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans jazz, hip-hop, soul, and experimental music. As a session musician and musical director, he has collaborated with artists like Jordan Rakei, Yussef Dayes, Bonobo, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Alfa Mist, and held down the stage at premier venues including Jazz Cafe, XOYO, Unit 31, and NT Loft.
Album Credits
All songs written, performed, produced, and recorded by Sheldon Agwu, except:
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"Meditation Ribbon Dance": co-written with Ylenia Tilli
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"This Infinite Dream I Call You": written by Ylenia Tilli, performed and rearranged by Agwu
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Marius Max on tenor saxophone for "Kintsugi"
