Theo Croker - Dream Manifest (2025)

Alongside the announcement, Croker unveiled the first album single, “High Vibrations,” featuring singer, songwriter, Malaya and producer and multi-instrumentalist D'LEAU (J*Davey). The first single is a testament to Croker’s creativity, fusing house-inspired production with sleek trumpet. This album marks a milestone moment for an artist who has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, received multiple GRAMMY nominations, and contributed to platinum-selling albums by J. Cole, Ari Lennox, and Common. Collaboration is at the heart of this album, featuring an all-star lineup including Estelle, Kassa Overall, Tyreek McDole, MAAD, Gary Bartz, Natureboy Flako, Malaya, and D’LEAU—each bringing a distinct energy to the record.

Blending jazz, dance, neo-soul, R&B, and experimental hip-hop fusion, Dream Manifest is a sonic journey of complex rhythms and percussive flow, carrying listeners through each track with a balance of deep tradition and bold innovation. A seasoned performer, Croker has performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and delivered a standout NPR Tiny Desk performance–watch Croker’s NPR Tiny Desk.

Croker first picked up the trumpet after being inspired by his grandfather, the GRAMMY-winning jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham, and later attended Oberlin Conservatory, where he was mentored by Donald Byrd. After graduation, he split seven years between Shanghai and New York, immersing himself in diverse musical collaborations that shaped his signature sound. His major label debut album Afrophysicist (Sony Masterworks)—produced with Dee Dee Bridgewater—is a result of these collaborations. On Dream Manifest, Croker continues to honor jazz and funk while seeing how far he can take them through his exploration of other genres.

Tracklist
1. prelude 3 (2:21)
2. one pillow (3:43)
3. 64 joints (6:21)
4. up frequency (higher) (3:35)
5. light as a feather (3:48)
6. high vibrations (5:36)
7. crystal waterfalls (5:13)
8. we still wanna dance (7:38)
9. postlude 3 (2:57)