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Mokole

by Jembaa Groove

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Mokole 04:52
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about

After numerous successful releases which have garnered them the support of BBC6, BBC London, KCRW, KEXP,and Worldwide FM, the latest instalment and single from Berlin based Jembaa Groove, is Mokole, which takes a downtempo approach to the group's signature West Africa meets US jazz & soul sound, and forms part of their debut album Susuma, set to be released March 18th on German label Agogo Records.

Bandleaders Yannick Nolting (bass, composer, producer) and Eric Owusu (percussion, vocals, songwriter) wrote Mokole with the intent to “inspire someone who may be struggling, and lost on what action to take”. Pitched down and with serenity, in comparison to much of their output, the idea was to build a track that counteracted with the sustaining upbeat rhythms found on Susuma and notably in West-African music as a whole.

Focused on their musical aesthetic and sound, Jembaa Groove embrace the warm and vintage elements of 60s and 70s soul music, alluding to past greats like Donny Hathaway, and contemporary voices like Michael Kiwanuka, all the while leaning on their nomadic musical backgrounds.

Comprised of seven band members, formed and based in Berlin, they are as much influenced by the soulful rhythms and baritone chords of 70's black America, artists like Lee Fields and Charles Bradley, to Orlando Julius (Eric lived with him in Accra), Ebo Taylor and those at the very height of Afrobeat and highlife artistry in Nigeria and Ghana.

Mokole which means “nobody knows” in Ga, one of several languages spoken in the city of Accra, Ghana - Eric’s home city - begins with a short monologue where a message of hope and prosperity is conveyed; “We don’t know if we're gonna make it. But you don’t have to be in competition with anybody. Cause your time will come”.

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released January 28, 2022

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Jembaa Groove Berlin, Germany

Fresh Afro-Soul Music – Ghana’s Highlife going by the heartbeat of 70s Soul Music

Jembaa Groove is a multicultural band founded in late 2020 by bass player and composer Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu. This 7-piece liveband combines fresh sounds from Berlin’s underground music scene with traditional West-African sounds from Ghana and Mali. ... more

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