Mood Boosters with Coco Em

It’s another Monday and we’re all in need of a little spirit-lifting.
Coco Em knows a thing or two about upping the energy. The Nairobi-based producer and DJ has made a name for herself through her exhilarating sets that match electronic delights with future-facing African-rooted sounds, including Afro-house, kuduro and lingala.
Sets for the likes of Boiler Room and Nyege Nyege followed and soon enough she was sharing her selections with a wider audience through her Sim Sima show on Worldwide FM.
Sim Sima is also the name of her brand new label and the Nairobi-based womxn collective that Em started with the help of Santuri East Africa studios, a non-profit that empowers East African artists. It’s in their studios that she finished her debut EP, Kilumi. The pandemic gave her the time and head space to focus on her production skills, and after challenging herself to write a new beat every day, she ended up with a sprawling collection of ideas which she then refined into the sounds that sit on the release.
She gives props to the artists around her in Kenya too, linking up with several of her contemporaries, including Ladbi Ommes, MC Sharon and Wuod Baba. There’s a cinematic mood and atmosphere to the release which touches on percussive, bass, trap and amapiano influences, and contains that same excitement you’ll get from listening to her DJ sets.
From music videos that’ll make you laugh to songs that’ll empower you and fuel your energy levels, Coco Em blows our Monday blues away with a selection of mood boosting tracks that pay particular attention to her fellow Kenyan artists who are making waves in the scene.
Kilumi is out now on InFiné. Photo credit: Paddy Gedi.
Topics
Chris Kaiga is one of my favorite Kenyan artists to watch. Chris Kaiga’s creativity always shines through his clever use of wordplay (mostly in Sheng – Swahili/English) as well as the brilliant videography decisions made in his music videos. ‘Chain Chain’ explains that once you’ve made it and your product is good, you need to go wear a chain chain or some bling bling.
Nishakuwa Champez na imewacha kuwa siri
(I’ve become a champion and it’s no longer a secret)
Ndio maana navaa chain na machingri
(That’s why I’m wearing a chain and bling bling)
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