44th Move/ Alfa Mist

Biography

Alfa Mist, born Alfa Sekitoleko, grew up in East Ham, Newham, London, England, where he first taught himself to produce beats as a schoolkid, initially drawn to grime and hip-hop. Influenced by producers like Hi-Tek, Madlib, and J Dilla, he discovered jazz through sampling, leading him to self-teach piano by ear to unpack harmonic complexities, despite no local access to jazz or formal music education. He took three A-levels plus a BTEC in music composition and began creating music at age 15, inspired by his music tutor's performance of John Legend’s 'Ordinary People'.[1][2][3][4][6]

His career took shape in the early 2010s via Soundcloud, connecting with London's burgeoning jazz scene, including collaborators like Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, and university friends Kaya Thomas-Dyke, Emmavie, and Dornik Leigh. He self-released his debut EP Nocturne in 2015 on his Sekito label, followed by projects like 2nd Exit with Lester Duval (2016), the breakthrough album Antiphon (2017) featuring Thomas-Dyke and Jamie Leeming, Structuralism (2019), and Bring Backs (2021) on Anti- Records. His style fuses hip-hop beats, jazz improvisation, and melody, spanning production for Loyle Carner, neo-classical works, and reworks for Ólafur Arnalds and Blue Note, all self-taught without conservatoire training.[1][2][4][5][6]

As 44th Move with drummer Richard Spaven, he released a self-titled EP in 2020, blending hip-hop, broken beat, and introspection. Alfa's prolific ethos—new projects yearly—reflects his Ugandan mother's influence and London hustle, earning sold-out shows at venues like the Barbican and Sydney Opera House, establishing him as a key voice in nu jazz and indie jazz.[1][2][5]

Fun Facts

• Alfa Mist was completely self-taught on piano and had no knowledge of music conservatoires or programs like Tomorrow’s Warriors growing up in East London.
• Antiphon (2017) was built around snippets of conversations with his two older brothers about family importance.
• He runs his own label Sekito, self-releasing all bandleader records to date.
• As a teen, he produced grime beats during school breaks but shifted to hip-hop sampling, wondering why his beats couldn't match J Dilla's.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Hi-Tek - Production influence via hip-hop sampling that led to jazz discovery (Hip-hop records sampled in beats) [Early 2000s (school years)]
• Madlib - Production influence gateway to jazz through sampling (Hip-hop productions) [Early 2000s (school years)]
• J Dilla - Primary inspiration for self-teaching piano and jazz harmonics (Hip-hop beats and samples) [Early 2000s-2010s]

Key Collaborators

• Jordan Rakei - Long-term collaborator in early Soundcloud era and London jazz scene (Nocturne (2015)) [Early 2010s]
• Tom Misch - Frequent collaborator on projects and features (Nocturne (2015)) [Early-mid 2010s]
• Kaya Thomas-Dyke - University friend, band member, bassist/singer (Antiphon (2017), ongoing band) [Mid-2010s-present]
• Richard Spaven - Drummer partner in 44th Move project (44th Move self-titled EP (2020)) [2020]
• Lester Duval - Musician partner in 2nd Exit project (2nd Exit (2016), Tangent EP (2019)) [2016-2019]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia