Pete Josef is an artist who uses his soulful eloquence not just to entertain, but to open up conversations about his own social consciousness. He has an inherent need to create, build, share and protect as well as educate himself about issues regarding our habitat, society, politics, race and gender. All of these have permeated into his musical output in recent years, but on the new single, entitled Carbon, Pete writes very personally, and for the first time, about the death of his brother and how it has made him think about a wider, environmental subject matter.

Carbon is a simple and poignant guitar and vocals song that, on the one hand, mourns the loss of his brother Mark, but on the other, celebrates the idea that we will all somehow end up being part of the carbon cycle “in a beautiful field of green”. Mark was buried on a hillside, overlooking a stunning valley in the South-West of England, and the idea of being part of the carbon cycle was something that he felt quite content about - the idea of returning back to the land after his death.

“Now you are carbon, in a beautiful field of green. Wake up in the morning, rise over the valley, in a place you call your own.”

Carbon is the third single to be taken from Pete Josef’s forthcoming third album, released in 2024 and recorded in his self-built and self-sustainable studio cabin in his garden. The exchange between studio and live has become a unifying force since the resurrection of his live quartet in 2022. This year will bring choice live shows, featuring the mercurial Eli Jitsuto from Bristol based outfit Snazzback on guitar and longtime collaborators Jihad Darwish on bass and Miguel Andrews on drums.

Pete Josef - Carbon

Sonar Kollektiv is an independent label from Berlin, founded by Jazzanova in 1997. Known for its eclectic blend of jazz, soul, electronica, and beyond, the label has released 600+ genre-defying tracks from artists like Âme, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Benny Sings, Modha, Feiertag, Pete Josef, Jono McCleery, The KBCS, RAH & The Ruffcats, Magro, WAAN, and TTeo. From and for music lovers.