Jali Bakary Konteh “Combination (Hat+Hoodie Remix)”
Jali Bakary Konteh doesn’t make kwaito. He’s not even from South Africa. He hails from […]
Jali Bakary Konteh doesn’t make kwaito. He’s not even from South Africa. He hails from Western Africa—Gambia, to be exact—and specializes in playing the kora, a 21-stringed lute instrument. Earlier this year, he released the Konteh Kunda album via Akwaaba, and now the label has followed that up with a new EP of remixes, available for purchase here. This version of “Combination” comes courtesy of German bloggers Hat+Hoodie, who have put their extensive knowledge of tropical bass to work and given the song a distinctly kwaito flavor. The house-like beat skips along, the synth melodies twist and turn, and the bass bounces with aplomb. Hat+Hoodie may be mixing and matching African genres, but it’s hard to argue with the results.