Kokoko Live at the Horseshoe Tavern, September 24, 2019


2019.9.24
Kokoko -  9.24.19, The Horseshoe Tavern.

The manic energy of life in Africa’s third largest capital comes through loud and just a bit distorted with a performance by Kokoko. They’ve called their music “tekno kintueni” which refers to a local style with a hit of techno.
Boms Bomolo and Dido Oweke are the main scavenger-inventors in the band, which features instruments made from junk and mechanical detritus spread across the landscape, for the taking. Reminiscent of the Congotronics project, Kokoko add Belgian producer Debruit to add a club vibe to their sound. Whether Debruit is necessary or leading the charge is in the ear of the listener. Seeing the unique instruments created by the band alongside a keyboard that could replicate just about any sound struck me as jarring.
With an exciting mix of glass and plastic bottles, car parts, pipes, anything with an engine and more, Kokoko already have a naturally dance-friendly sound. Their band uniform- yellow jumpsuits- are apparently worn by street workers in Kinshasa.
Love Lokombe and Makara Bianko handle most of the singing over one percussive groove after another. They sing in Kikongo, Swahili, Lingala and French. Despite the language difference, Kokoko managed to lead the enthusiastic crowd led through multiple phonetic sing-alongs. Their energy spoke for itself, and their songs’ call-and-response naturally encouraged people to babble along happily. After picking up the tempo, pounding away toward the end, the band finished with a final a cappella sing-along.







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