Mood Boosters with Coco Em

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)

I recently discovered this song and video on the Hyperdub youtube page. I am a fan of the label and I’m always checking to see what’s new. I love the song even though I’m not sure what it is they are talking about. The guy in the back chasing the main runner in the video with a reflector, a flare, a water bottle (even though they are in the sea), confetti, etc, always makes me laugh. As a filmmaker I am very inspired by the video’s simplicity and creativity. The song also has a lot of percussion and drumming that doesn’t follow a strict pattern which I really like. 

Just when the pandemic restrictions placed on Nairobi were beginning to lift, I started performing at a regular amapiano event and Le Plane E’Landile featured on every single one of my playlists. The hook is catchy and the bassline infectious. I’ve had people dance on tables for this one. It’s also really fun to watch Casper Nyovest bust a move to the beats with his friends as soon as their plane lands, get quarantined at the airport by anxious airport staff and proceed to throw a party at the airport. It’s such a fun tune and hilarious video.

Unganisha is a Kenyan-Norwegian collaborative group made up of multi-talented artist, vocalist and Arutu player Labdi Ommes and super cool producer Bernt Isak Wærstad. Add in the amazing percussionist and singer Kasiva Mutua and you have the melodious dance tune ‘Lwang’ni hotel’. The word ‘Lwang’ni’ stands for flies. This track is about eating different kinds of fish in open air hotels and stems from experiencing eating in places that have flies following the fish around.  More often than not, wherever you find fish, you will find flies. 

Drop an Ata Kak tune at any party and unless the crowd is dead, you are sure to get them grooving. I’ve been playing Obaa Sima over the years and I am enjoying a slow re-discovery of the Ghanaian ‘dance-rap enigma’. This doesn’t seem to be the official music video for Daa Nyinaa, but I had to have an Ata Kak track on this feel good playlist by any means necessary.

Kamo Mphela is a hardworking, good looking baddie. I love her style, her dance moves and her sultry voice. She consistently puts out new music and has been on tour in Africa, the UK and most recently in Dubai. Nkulunkulu was the single of her debut EP titled ‘Nkulunkulu’ and it tore through the Amapiano dance charts in 2021. The word ‘Unkulunkulu’ means ‘the supreme creator’ in Zulu. This song is a dance prayer for endless blessings for living the “soft” life.

Rambo is a single from Culoe de Song’s amazing EP ‘Medicine’. This song makes me feel powerful. Every single song on the three track EP makes me feel powerful. Though the music is classified as Afro house I feel it has many elements of techno built into it. This EP completely changed how I listen to and curate my music for performance. This is a bold, expressive and energetic tune perfect for the dance floor. The lovely animation is a great out of the box idea for an afro house tune – it makes Rambo feel like a marvel superhero character and makes me want to roar every time they say ‘Rambo! Mbo!’

Sometime in 2021 everyone in Nairobi and on social media was doing this dance style called the run. When I first saw the full video and heard the song, I was hooked and amazed at the quality and creativity of the visuals. This is a feel good dancefloor tune, perfect for gatherings of friends and family, garden parties, weddings and so on. It’s fun because there are dance instructions to follow and it reminds me of doing the shuffle.

TheLuchi is a mysterious character who always wears a mask and has a spokesperson speak on his behalf. It is rumored that even in the studio he won’t record until no-one is around. His catchy dance anthems have made him a popular name in Kenyan households.

Boutross dropped the shrap anthem ‘Yea Yea Yea’ when the pandemic had almost completely destroyed the entertainment scene in Kenya. A big ambassador for Shrap music Boutross is hailed as the ‘Shrap god’ (Shrap is a genre coined from blending Sheng language with Trap music. Sheng is a mix of Swahili and English, a language created by the urban Kenyan youth.) ‘Yea Yea Yea’ is a feel good club tune whose video is set up high in the sky (where all the high people reside if you know what I mean). Boutross and his unit the AD family are always pushing the bounds of creative expression, storytelling, hard work and consistency, frequently dropping new music, regardless of the circumstances.

Have you ever had someone come to you with some gossip about you or someone else? If you have, and it annoyed you, this is the perfect song to dedicate to them. There are really no fitting words to fully describe the artist Mercy Atis. Mercy is Mercy. Bold, daring and does not give a !@*#. This song tore through the Kenyan music scene in 2020. If it didn’t leave you with questions or in stitches, it left you in awe of Mercy. I love this track – I played it on one of my World Wide FM shows. Mercy is fearless, confident in herself. She has had a rough road to get to where she is and I am enjoying witnessing her journey of honest expression.