DON'T TAKE MY SOUL by K.O.G

Multi-talented, Ghana-born, UK-based sonic shaman K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana - the
professional name of vocalist, composer and visionary Kweku Sackey) presents his
third album on Pura Vida, the imprint of respected French label Heavenly Sweetness
spearheaded by much-loved French DJ and producer GUTS.
Born and raised in Ghana, but having spent much of his adult life in the UK, for
K.O.G this record can be seen as the culmination of a lifetime spent absorbing,
combining and refining the diverse influences that have shaped his music and his
character.

Kweku explains: This album is a very personal journey. I speak about three things:
the soul of my community, where I found my inspiration. The roots, highlife, soul,
going to church, being around traditional ceremonial setups. Taking people to the
very origin of my voice, my soul, my impulses, my community, my culture.
And the next phase is cross-culture: living half of my life in UK and half of my life in
Ghana. Putting myself at this crossroads to see the effect of the sonic
consciousness, how awake I am with the music from Ghana, and also how living
here, having children and family here has also influenced my music.
And thirdly, it’s mirroring my personal journey. Starting in Ghana, with my band in
Ghana, and my roots, then moving up to UK, Going from Zone 6 all the way to
Europe. Highlife - the syncopated fusion of local music and jazz which is at the core
of Ghanaian music, and which from the 1930s spread like wildfire across anglophone
West Africa - is one of the core building blocks of this album. But don’t be fooled by
the catchy melodies and bright sonics. K.O.G is using it to speak about some topics
that are anything but bright.

Highlife is absolutely dark. Most of the places you hear real highlife music, it’s
funerals! And it’s part of the culture. Death is part of life. Seeds die for life to
germinate. Art is just an emotive expression, when you can cause an emotion in
somebody, and it’s not always happiness.

This theme of self-expression and vulnerability is a consistent one throughout the
record. With special guests Pat Thomas, Dizraeli, Fameye, Ogunskele.