BUTU: Limited Transparent Red Vinyl LP

KOKOKO! The collective renowned for its daring sound, experimentations, rolling rhythms, stabbing melodies and powerful live shows comes back with a more electronic, upbeat sound, inspired by the nights of Kinshasa – DR Congo. BUTU means “the night” in Lingala. The album’s idea is a deep and intense dive into the night of Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, a noisy 17 million strong, chaotic and amazing city.

All year long, the night comes really fast in Kinshasa because of its geographic location, the city being situated near the equator, in the heart of Africa. At 18h and in a short 15min burning red sunset, full darkness consumes the day out rapidly. The capital, with little electricity, melts instantly into the night, its habitants becoming multiple graphic silhouettes in the front light of the numerous vehicles stuck in traffic. There is density, the senses are exacerbated, this is the moment everything becomes louder! Street vendors having become invisible or distinctable now need to be heard with shouting and drumming, distorted megaphones loops triggered by SD memory cards, phone top ups adverts, car/trucks engines roaring close and far, moto taxi’s klaxons, power generators drone sounds, it is the prelude to the night’s show.

The sound system from the clubs will soundtrack the city for the next hours, sometimes clashing with the evangelical churches, there is competition. The air feels so hot on your skin, in your throat, the fumes are strong. The overwhelming environment goes up to your head and can become suffocating. Music is the escape, a portal to an alternative reality, where you can forget, lose yourself, dance, or be someone else like the performers from the boiling art scene, let go in one only way: loud loud loud.

Makara sings to help people forget about their problems, the country’s problems for a bit, expressing frustrations through music too: my country doesn't like me ‘elingi biso te”, my sweat hurts “motoki nanga pasi”, they are scared “Bazo Banga”, you will break your head “Kidoka” The world will shake “Mokili eko ningana” but still do it well “Salaka bien”.

Taking influences from the rich Congolese music, with a natural revolted tone, and with touches of Kuduro or Kwaito, in its own electronic post junk sound and sometimes distorted way, BUTU is made for letting go, for trance, for expressing frustration and anger sometimes, losing yourself. It is busy like the streets, it is the capital’s night soundtrack, loud, energetic, surprising, driving, eccentric, intense like Kinshasa.

Tracklist:

1. Butu Ezo Ya
2. Bazo Banga
3. Donne Moi
4. Motema Mabe
5. Mokili
6. Mokolo Likambu
7. Kidoka
8. Motoki
9. Telema
10. Nasali Nini
11. Elingi Biso Te
12. Salaka Bien