Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate Play Monistic Theory

Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate have come together for a second round of kora infused fusion on their album Monistic Theory.   Much like their debut, this effort is a gorgeous blend of North American and African sounds that come together in a jazzy blend of funk, folk, and virtuosity.   With a variety of influences and musical sounds blending and working together there is nothing that this duo is afraid to try.  They rap, they sing in Guinean, they pack a thousand guitar riffs into a song and let the kora weave magic spells; it’s all here and Joe & Sekou seamlessly intertwine cultures and chemistry to a dynamic and organic sound that is uniquely their own. 

From songs that sound like they’re straight from Pat Metheny’s studio to more traditional ballads featuring the kora, Joe and Sekou take the listener on a journey of exploration and discovery.  It’s a wonderful ride that’s as gorgeous as an African sunset and as intriguing as New York City.  These guys can seriously play their hearts out and it feels as though they’ve dumped every ounce of their musical souls into these songs.  There’s a lot of love, emotion, creativity and talent throughout these songs.  It’s hard to believe after listening to Monistic Theory that this collaboration might not have ever happened.  Thankfully, both Joe and Sekou stuck things out and let things flow and if all works out the journey that they’ve carried on with Monistic Theory will continue for years to come.

Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate Unite For Faya

A true transcontinental musical collaboration Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate are a songwriting team that are as diverse and talented as the world is wide. Mixing American hip hop and Guinean Kora the artists bend genres, defy boundaries, and together create a unique musical language that's the very definition of open minded. Faya is a fantastic example of two minds coming together and being in total musical synchronicity.

Faya is percussive and minimal with both current and traditional approaches to production. The record sounds as American as much as it does African and as old as it does new. It wouldn't shouldn't work simply from a geographical standpoint, but it does. The clashes of cultures, sounds, and music mesh well together and the album as result sounds fantastic. From reggae, hip hop, percussion, traditional Guinean music it's all here and living together in perfect harmony.

Faya proves that music can bring society and cultures together. Joe & Sekou are amazing musicians and their ability to create something so evenly rooted in each others influence is simply awesome. Faya is a fantastic example of how hip hop, Afrobeat, and just about everything else can work together in symbiosis if given half the chance.