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The making of this album was in itself a voyage," says Tatiana Heinz one half of Okou, perfectly summing up what this duo is all about. Because Okou reflects the diversity of our world and their music is the sound of globalisation. It is a whirlwind of different genres and styles condensed into a single album – a wild blend of Cesaria Evora, Peter Gabriel, Miriam Makeba, Pete Seeger, Jeff Buckley, Billie Holiday, Bonnie Prince Billy, Muddy Waters, Nick Drake, Annie Lennox and more.

Okou is a duo. Tatiana Heinz has an Ivorian mother (in fact, her name is Okou) and a French father. Her upbringing was nomadic, following her aid worker father around Africa. Afterwards she studied graphic design in France and worked in the music industry in the UK, alongside the likes of  Keziah Jones and Mick Jagger. Gilbert Trefzger, the other half of the duo, has an Egyptian mother and Swiss father. He learnt how to play the oud as well as the banjo and slide guitar with Nittin Sawhney and Roy Ellis, while at the same time writing music for movies and theatre.  The two met in Paris. Okou’s debut album is entitled Serpentine,  aptly describing the tortuous way its songs were created through sessions in Basel and Berlin among other destinations, and through numerous file exchanges over the Internet.  

No set genre

After several months’ work on the songs together, the duo finally recorded the album in the United States, hiring musicians from a diverse range of musical styles. Some have a jazz background (such as Ira Coleman, who has played with Betty Carter, Laurent de Wilde and Dee Dee Bridgewater), while others boast rock or pop credentials  (such as drummer Andrew Borger, who has worked with Tom Waits and Norah Jones). In concert, with just the two of them playing their rich and diverse brand of music, Tatiana handles guitar and percussion together while Gilbert has a mighty bass drum that he combines with guitars and banjos, to which he has added a bass string.

When Tatiana talks about music as a vocation, it’s clear that it is both a pleasure and an

ambition for her: "We admire people who really lose themselves in creating their art, people who aren’t obsessed with themselves. We like it when someone sings or plays in a way that goes beyond themselves. We like artists who through their political commitment or in the intensity of their work deliver a message that is greater than the song itself. We like to hear artists who have something bigger to offer than just talking about themselves." Gilbert concludes: "You can find artists like that in every era and every music genre, whether it’s Indian, techno, metal, or Arabic music.” And of course there are other artists who don’t seem to belong to any set genre!