Fact Mix 874: Cõvco

Cõvco describes her long overdue Fact mix as “an ode to honeys who go to the club to experience something unexpected.”

London-based Congolese artist Cõvco is a fundamental thread through the fabric of London’s underground art scene. Cutting her teeth as a polymathic DJ notorious for cutting between genres with chaotic abandon, her early NTS shows and a stint as resident at the legendary PDA parties saw her developing a style that chopped bleeding edge experimental club sounds in with rap, r&b and film scores, all the while drawing from a rich tradition of regional African music. “It’s more than DJing,” she says, “it’s storytelling in a dark room and flashing light, a  lift off into a place unexpected, somewhere where, when you land, all you can do is smile at yourself like: ‘yeh, I really experienced that’ and ‘wow, that feeling does exist.” This same energy surges through her solo recordings and live performances, in which she lends her ethereal voice to alchemical blends of experimental electronics and expressionist piano.

CONSCIENTEOFTHESOUL, the soundtrack to her 2019 live performance at South London Gallery, Consciente Of The Soul, and DAPHNEY both represent startling statements that channel the eclectic energy of her DJ sets into a singular sound occupying a similar space to the DIY experimentations of the CURL crew or the expansive performance works of Klein and Curtly Thomas. Building upon these solo projects, throughout 2022 Cõvco has toured her one woman play, Nexus In Paradise, across Europe, showcasing a truly interdisciplinary art practice, incorporating elements of poetry, performance, sound design and visual art, the latter of which culminated in a solo show at the Cordova gallery in Barcelona. A film version of Nexus In Paradise will follow later in the year, inaugurating the artists new performance and visual art platform, Infinite FX. At the beginning of the year, Cõvco debuted the first Infinite FX show as part of Nine Night’s Channel B program at the ICA, performing live alongside Jebi Labembika, Alpha Maid, SCATTSMAN and Verane, unveiling an exciting new collaborative direction for the artist.

Her long overdue Fact mix reflects both the broad scope of her early sets and the expansive palette with which she now paints, providing a reliably spirallic passage between some of the stranger corners of the club, featuring tracks from Lord Tusk, De Schuurman and Coby Sey, an interlude from Ruby Rhod, Chris Tucker’s iconic radio host from The Fifth Element and particularly special blend of Anita Baker and Axis Arkestra. “The mix is an ode to honeys who go to the club to experience something unexpected, to friends who reside within the hip hop culture, or don’t participate in night life culture, who have stepped out of their comfort zone, entering a much more experimental, hardcore setting and had the best time doing so, to honeys who had the best sober dances during my sets. It’s really to everyone who doesn’t conform, to the ones who are rebels in their own truths, who don’t run with the masses and know how to truly enjoy life with the bare minimum.” 

Cõvco continues: “it includes live edits and edits made whilst mixing, the mix really allows some of the most euphoric tracks to take their time the same way jazz musicians and some the classical greats never rush into the break of the song, it’s like God’s timing, he knows when’s best, being able to have and be patient. Being present is a rare experience these days, so it’s to give it a chance, to digest in the ambiance and the feelings that arrive alongside the contrast of speed and spiral. You’re dancing into all of these different portals and not looking back.” 

You can find Cõvco on Instagram.

Tracklist:

Unreleased – ‘Brassfoot’ 
Cõvco – ‘Surgeon x Soukous Edit’ 
De Schuurman – ‘Bubbling Freaks’
Only Now – ‘Remote Viewing’
Lord Tusk – ‘Unreleased’ 
The Fifth Element – ‘Ruby Rap’ 
Anita Baker – ‘Angel’ 
Axis Arkestra – ‘PPS’
Ashanti – ‘Foolish’ (Cõvco Edit) 
Uingizaji Hewa – Duke Bit Puyo 
Max De Waldner – ‘Bismuth Dream’ (Cobey Sey Rework) 
Jay Mitta – ‘Mwakidimba’
Jay Mitta – ‘Duru’ 
Nicki Minaj – ‘Fraction’ x Fred Hammond – ‘Breath Into Me’ (Cõvco Live Edit)