"Today we're taking you on a journey" - Kokoroko make this promise to their fans at concerts. And they keep their word: within a very short space of time, the audience can embark on a musical journey around the world from London to West Africa to East and South Africa. The jazz and Afrobeat band Kokoroko was founded in London in 2014 by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey after she realized on a trip to Kenya that the English Afrobeat versions of her childhood bore little resemblance to the original music - she wanted to change that. She quickly found like-minded jazz musicians in Cassie Kinoshi (saxophone), Richie Seiywright (trombone), Oscar Jerome (guitar), Yohan Kebede (keyboards), Oscar Jerome (bass), Ayo Salawu (drums) and Onome Ighamre (percussion) who wanted to create a modern version of UK Afrobeat with her. Kokoroko draws on the personal family histories and identities of its members - all of whom grew up in London, but also have roots in West, East and South Africa. They process this cultural mix and the resulting positive and negative experiences in their music. They manage to effortlessly form a melting pot of influences and experiences, shaping a new Afrobeat future. Their unique music is created through the combination of synthesizers, percussion, guitars and horns, which combine to create dreamlike melodies - lyrics are not missed at all. They blend the restless energy of London with the relaxation and lightness of many Afrobeat songs to create their very own tempo. After their song "Abusey Junction" quickly became a viral YouTube hit in 2019, they released their first EP "Kokoroko" in the same year. The song now has over 65 million streams on Spotify, proving the huge appeal of this band. The long-awaited debut album "Could We Be More" followed in 2022, on which the band found their own style even more strongly and broke away from the conventions of the jazz and Afrobeat genres. On the accompanying European tour, they impressively proved that they had succeeded in this endeavor: the album is bursting with energy and almost feels like a live album despite the studio production. They also bring this infectious energy to the stage, and nobody can escape their magic. Whether at the renowned Coachella Festival or small basement clubs in London - anyone who has experienced Kokoroko live once will want to do so again and again. Anyone who is already infected by Kokoroko fever or would like to be will have the opportunity to do so in late fall of this year: At four concerts, the band will also be taking their German audience on a journey - that's a promise!
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