Pele by IKOQWE

“Pele” (‘skin’) is the first single off the forthcoming debut album by IKOQWE (pronounced ee-kok-weh), a new project by Batida (the Angola-born, Lisbon-raised artist who ranks among the leading exponents of the new wave of African electronic music), and Luaty Beirão, aka Ikonoklasta, the Angolan rapper turned iconic activist.

IKOQWE’s inspiration comes from old school Hip Hop as much as from traditional Angolan music. The album (entitled “The Beginning, the Medium, the End and the Infinite” and due for release on March 5, 2021) includes drum machines, vocals in Angolan slang, Umbundu, Portuguese & English, discussions about neocolonialism, iniquities & falsified history, radio sounds, utopian solutions, and much more.

“Pele” is a 3-track single, containing the album version, and remixes by afro house legend Boddhi Satva and by UK ‘disco noir’ band MADMADMAD. A Pele music video will also be released, including some footage from IKOQWE’s first live performance.

Dois (?) seres vindos de um tempo e espaço não muito distantes, imunes a quase tudo, queimaram-se física e mentalmente ao contactarem com a normalidade vigente.