Coco Em Makes A Powerful Statement With Her E.P., Kilumi
Coco Em's debut EP, Kilumi, is phenomenal. Based on a traditional dance by the Kamba people of Eastern Kenya, Kilumi is a genre-defying, career-defining, culture-shaping project. Packed with textures of sounds including a 60 year old sample from traditional Kamba performers, Kilumi is not just an EP, it’s self-discovery and hard work. ‘I wanted to make a statement’, Coco Em confessed during our interview, which was punctuated with gushes of sincere praise by myself, and fits of bashful laughter by her. It’s hard to miss the intentional hand that curated this work. Strong traditional African instrumentation, colonial protest, an infusion of ethnic kenyan languages, celebratory dance fill this calabash of expression. ‘I didn’t want to have to explain it’. And she doesn’t. The work speaks for itself even where lyrics are in a language you do not understand, or where there is little to no speech.
Kilumi EP artwork
But before this moment, Coco Em was electrifying stages internationally as a highly sought after DJ and breaking several glass ceilings along the way. Even longer still, she has been behind lenses creating award-winning feature films. It all seems so natural and almost easy for her, which could make one forget that she is one of the few female creatives operating at that scale, especially in the dance music sound, as well as producers. I got to learn of her absolute love and dedication to art, a love that has proven to be a useful compass for her even in adversity. Our conversation centred around preserving culture using new art forms, the importance of collaboration and what’s to come for Coco Em.
What’s your earliest memory of connecting to music and liking a song?
Music from my earliest memories is the music that my mum used to play on cassettes, especially lingala. I think every household in Nairobi had one of those. I remember completely falling for Franco and being obsessed with his videos. I also remember from an early age just vibing with Lucky Dube and Madonna, whose EP I know back and forth, even the breaks.
Who are some of your musical influences?
With regards to rhythm, dance and typically what I like to play now, there are a lot of Lingala elements, and a strong percussive leaning. Along the way, I discovered classical music. I loved the instrumentation and the arrangements and how it would impact my mind. I also had a hard rock phase, reggae, and also hiphop which I deejayed for a long time. I picked up many different elements along the way and that has influenced my music.
You wear many hats in the art scene, how do they all feed into each other and what has been the most challenging aspect yet?
When I started out I was a Photographer, I had a day job. I was not deejaying but I was actively listening to music and sharing it. The crossover happened years later when I did my Boiler Room set because at the same time I was filming as the director of photography of ‘Lusala’ with One Fine Day Films under the mentorship of Christian Almesberger. This crossover was quite stressful, because I had decided that I was not going to let go of any of the things I was doing. The challenge has been that each of them is quite demanding timewise. I appreciate that I pushed through and decided to stick to it despite the difficulty in doing both because they have led to amazing things down the line.
Right now though, I am finding that I have to let go of one for the other. I don’t have the luxury of doing both at the same time because both are at their peak. I just released a feature film with South Sudanese director Akwal who is currently doing the runs. Filming which we did in South Sudan was intense and it’s not something you can do while gigging. Immediately after, I’m now preparing for what will hopefully be a Europe tour. Juggling music and film is very difficult so I want to find ways of merging both, by doing music films for example.
Coco Em captured by Judith
You have had an impressive trajectory in the music space, how can you describe your journey and what are some of the moments that stand out to you?
I move a lot by feeling and trust that every space I have landed in has had a purpose. I was initially playing for free but still thoroughly enjoying it. Living off of music is almost impossible so you need to have a plan A,B,C. But I was fulfilled by being able to share music because that’s what is at the core of all I do. Moving to a point where I am able to set my rate is an achievement. I like to distinguish between the local and international space. Internationally they have the capacity to meet a certain rate and requirements. But locally I rearrange myself in tandem with what the venue is able to offer because we don’t have the advantages that the international platforms do. So my journey has been in waves, playing for free but also landing some big deals almost like magic.
How did COVID and its impact influence your EP?
We had just performed in Amsterdam with Strictly Silk and they were to come here as well. We thought COVID would last a week. By the 3rd month, I was still in denial. By that time there were absolutely no gigs, and I was about to finish my reserves. Every time I’d open my emails there would be a regret message due to the pandemic. It started to hit that the situation was permanent and that I didn't have a job. At this point I am questioning my career. I was however inspired by people who were taking the time to reflect. Upon doing the same I decided to improve my production skills. My partner also encouraged me. I submitted my first ever publicly available production to the Sena Ala challenge by Sho Madjozi. The reception was good and that encouraged me. I also became more involved with the community at Santuri and I had the idea to produce not just myself but as a community of women which led to the formation of Sim Sima. Santuri onboarded us and helped us secure a grant for our first workshop. That experience kept my production idea going. I then got support from Strictly Silk to do workshops last year. That has been the better side of COVID which I’m grateful for, because it gave me production and led to the EP.
That whole experience sounds like a TED Talk success story. What advice can you give to artists trying to get a community to work with and manoeuvre the grant and financing space?
Securing funding has always been a challenge, even in the film space where I’ve tried for a long time. Having a community gives you an edge because you can consolidate resources. The people giving funds want to see the value and payback potential, as well as an alignment of values and goals. If you have an idea don’t be stuck with it alone. Reach out to people and groups within your sphere. For me that was Santuri because they support the underground scene which is often neglected. With that said, I’m not a genius in that space. We received support from Santuri and with Strictly Silk I applied the same formula. Once you unlock a formula that works for you it becomes easier to get more support. You have to show a genuine urgent need, a purpose that is impacting other people. In the long run, we need to move as groups. I'm really inspired by movements like NyegeNyege. You need a community to survive in this industry.
Folk music in Kenya is not often in the mainstream, but with Kilumi you have merged the traditional with the modern. How did that idea come about?
The song Kilumi started everything. There is a sample in there from an album I bought from the Smithsonian Folkways Museum. It put me in some sort of trance. When I first heard it I felt like I had been instantly teleported to the grounds where it was recorded. I couldn't believe it. The original recording was by a European who went and recorded in the 60s. I had so many questions. The soloist’s voice and hearing her sing in Kikamba really impacted me, and I was shocked at how linked I felt. The kamba language made me feel a sense of power which I tried to translate. When I put a small snippet on I.G the response was massive. I decided to go with it full on as a means to rediscover my culture. Kamba was my first language but as a child I was made fun of and I stopped speaking it. I feel like elements of my culture are lost on me. This is me rediscovering it. Playing the EP for my mum really changed my perspective because she gave me a history of the Kilumi dance; it was the women who would perform it, to date but most of them are very old. I’m so intrigued and I’m looking forward to exploring it even more. I want to make it as authentic, honest, as moving as it feels to me. I want it to be both accessible and good so that as many people can hear it and feel what I feel, and celebrate along because it is about celebration and healing.
Coco Em captured by Paddy Gedi
The music feels very accessible, was this forethought or did this come about in the process?
It came in the process because I realised I want to be able to play it in a set while I'm deejaying dance music. People receive dance music in different ways, from trap to amapiano. I wanted to make the EP accessible to all these audiences and became a bit more intentional but never lost the element of authenticity.
Something unique you do on Kilumi is mixing different cultures. How did you go about making those combinations?
What informed the switch-over initially was the drums. In 2013 I attended the presidential inauguration ceremony as part of the press and part of the entertainment was an Ohangla dance(luo drums). I had never heard anything like it. The stadium was large but the sound that came from those drums, combined with their dance was entrancing and intense. That experience stayed with me. The intensity of the drums also reminded me of the Kilumi dance, together with the whistle. It was very natural for me. I was also keen on collaborating with all the featured artists in their own right, and incorporating their language which felt like an instrument on its own.
What do you hope people will take from your EP?
I really hope it opens their mind and exposes them to what is possible within music. Music is the most powerful, most unexplainable energy. I hope that it will inspire them. I want them to appreciate the production because I wanted to make a statement about production as a woman, that it’s possible to be a badass woman producer. For the producers, don't stifle the flow within you, break away from the mould and create something new- to make more art. I also want them to look forward to what is coming, because I'm still growing and excited for my own journey.
