Okay gonna front like it’s still Sunday on some mythical island in the south Pacific
Every dose until this one has been material that I’ve discovered in some setting and then searched on YouTube
But today’s was the other way round
I’m far from the only one
It’s got 37 million views!
Now, YouTube’s algorithm determines a limited number of videos to display as “recommended for you”
They’re generally useless
More evidence for the current poverty of AI
It’s almost always something I already know
Or some random bullshit with no discernible connection to previous selections
And this is before getting into the disgusting, racist, or psychotic material it apparently also suggests if you’re searching stuff other than music
However, in this case, I gotta give it up to the tiny robot minions toiling inside the Google supercomputer
Can’t remember when YT first thought that I’d like Kokoroko
No idea how these programs work, but gotta figure that past recommendations to other users garnered a lot of likes
Hard not to be sucked into the soft hypnotic groove
The brass harmonies are sad and sweet
And Oscar Jerome’s guitar dances between, around, under, and on top of them
It’s his composition
Kokoroko is a London afrobeat collective
The name is Urhobo, a language and ethnic group in southern Nigeria
Most of the group has West African roots, or routes
Trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey is the leader
She’s from South London
Exposed to a musical education in the church
Parents are from Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau
Also grew up with her stepfather, whose family was Zimbabwean and South African
The band’s brass section is all-female
They started out doing mostly afrobeat and highlife covers of the classics
Spent some time travelling in Coastal West Africa and the Sahel
In fact, Jerome penned Abusey Junction on a rooftop one night in Gambia
Maurice-Grey recounts that they devoted quite a few years practicing, touring, and honing their sound before releasing any music
A rarity in these days of cheap, at-home production
Abusey Junction was included as the closer on a Gilles Peterson compilation called We Out Here
And blew tf up
Recorded in 2017 and released the next year
The album cover is also great
Courtesy of Gaurab Thakali
The success of Abusey Junction has granted lots of visibility for their subsequent work, and produced sold-out shows
Thanks, machines!
