IKOQWE (pronounced ee-kok-weh) are a pair of fictional characters who, coming from a distant time and space, are confronted with today’s world. Their impressions are conveyed over the course of an exciting album which blends electronic music, hip hop and the sounds of old kalimbas from Angola. 

This is no coincidence: IKOQWE stems from the reunion of two old friends:  Angolan/Portuguese producer and DJ Pedro Coquenão, also known as Batida (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 debut album is set for release in March 2021. Meanwhile, to whet our appetites, here’s the first single: “Pele” (’skin’), which comes in three guises: the album version,  and remixes by Portuguese afro house legend Bodhi Sattva and by UK ‘disco noir’ band MADMADMAD.  Out on January 22 on digital platforms.