Joe & Sekou‘s collaborative project creates a common musical language that is rich in detail and texture.
UK-based rapper, beatboxer, and singer-songwriter Joe Driscoll first met Sekou Kouyate, Guinea’s ‘Jimi Hendrix of the kora’, in France in 2010 when the two were tasked with producing a concert together but had no way to communicate. “He doesn’t speak any French, and I speak no English… but through music, we understand.” Their resultant musical collaboration, 2014’s Faya bridges different musical worlds, producing a compellingly intricate mix of hip-hop, spoken word, funk, Afrobeat, reggae, and African grooves, Kouyate’s electrified kora a continuous glistening surprise. The duo is currently touring and planning their second album together.
You can stream Joe & Sekou’s acoustic set right here on KUTX.
– Leyla Aksu