Odd Okoddo & Ogoya Nengo - Palagoma (From Cool Waters) [Afrofuturism]

*** This blog post first appeared in TSMM's August 16th Newsletter, where you can get all the tips (and more) first ***

German percussionist and producer Sven Kacirek has been fusing electronic music with field recordings and various global sounds for twenty years, but always kept coming back to the rich sounds of Kenya where he is now based, immersed in the music that brought him to the attention of many - me included.

He’s also just set up a label from his Nairobi home called From Cool Waters and the imprint’s debut just dropped, featuring previous collaborators - eighty-three year old folk artists Ogoya Nengo and dodo singer/songwriter, luthier and five-stringed okodo player Olith Ratego - and its blend of Ratego’s vocal prowess and string work, Nengo’s more traditional vocal approach and Kakirek’s percussion and Buchla synth has just got the label off to a flying Afrofuturistic start.

Unlike many octogenerian vocals still active, Nengo’s voice is still strong as she channels her ancestral traditions and spirits into the new millennium and beyond; it’s the perfect foil for Ratego’s more exuberant and urgent vocal delivery. The pair effortlessly ride Kacirek’s electronic backdrop that variously pulses rhythmically and floats effortlessly through the speakers, elevating the everyday tales of Kenyan life, love and toil. Kacirek’s main focus is the Buchla, but he still finds time to add some organic percussion, further seasoning the star-bound ballads, weekend dance tracks and Afro-cosmic visions, and we can only wonder what wonders will come in the future now Kacirek is based their full-time.

If you're feeling Odd Okoddo's Afrofuturism, then check out the polyrhythmic percussion, highly flammable rhythms, deviant dark room rave primed electronica and low frequency pressure of Lagoss & Abagwagwa.

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