Experimental hip-hop/jazz quartet Bokoya team up with Cologne-based producer/guitarist Gianni Brezzo (Jakarta Records) for collabo album Minari on Melting Pot Music. There new single Velvet Stream is out now.

Bokoya describe themselves as a four-headed human drum machine that play improvised beat music. You can call it jazz if you like (all four members are graduated jazz musicians btw) but be ready to stumble over some Dilla, Kraut Rock, Ambient or Dub in the mix. We recommend their double-album Hausensession (MPM 2022) as a reference point.

Gianni Brezzo's music is a bit easier to access but not less leftfield. Jazz is a major influence, but it goes way further. On his album Tutto Grosso (Jakarta, 2022), Brezzo rides a sonic wave similar to Matthew Halsall, Surprise Chef, El Michels Affair and BadBadNotGood.

The recording sessions for Minari took place at the Gottesweg Studios in Cologne where Bokoya and Gianni Brezzo jammed for three days and nights based on some basic sketches and beat. The sessions were edited and arranged after by Bokoya and Brezzo but no overdubs added.

What is Minari? Minari, also known as "water parsley", is a fragrant vegetable plant that is used extensively in Korean cooking. It is known for its somewhat bitter and peppery flavor. It can be found in kimchi, spicy fish soups, stews or paired with pork belly.