As a DJ, Nairobi talent Coco Em has made a major name for herself in recent years as a standard-bearer for all sorts of sounds, often centering on those local to her like Kenyan Shrap and Ugandan Gengetone and mixing them with Amapiano, house, techno, and other club sounds. Today, however, she comes to us as a producer with her new EP, Kilumi, which is just around the corner (via French label InFiné). Ahead of that, she’s dropping off the title track and you can listen to that exclusively below.
Like a lot of her DJ sets, it’s all about the rolling, simmering heat and when coupled with the hypnotizing vocals of Ndunge Wa Kalele it becomes straight-up hypnotizing. The EP as a whole—which includes further contributions from fellow Kenyans MC Sharon, Wuod Baba, Sisian & Kasiva, Janice Iche, and Ladbi—it was ushered into existence with the help of Santuri East Africa, Nairobi-based non-profit organisation who support East African artists and help them with the logistics of getting their art out into the world.
Speaking on the EP as a whole, Coco Em shares: “Kilumi takes on different paths each time a song starts… From the Amapiano-inspired elements of the single ‘Winyo Nungo’, the energetic combination of bass and hi-hats on tracks like ‘Kilumi’, the moody trap style of ‘Keep The Pace’ and more are the building blocks of the overall EP piece.”
Hit play on the title track below and then look out for the rest of the EP when it lands later today.
