Koko to the Beat

On the corner of Camden High Street and Crowndale Road there's a corpulent building, tall and bulky. I pass it each time I go to the store to get cookies, to Leyas to grab a cup of coffee, or to Sun Orbit Amusements to play Time Crisis 2. And whenever I walk along the black wall - past the heavy back door, the cautious cctv cameras and the pregnant rubbish containers - and around the corner I feel like the sticky sidewalk is sprayed with stories about the previous night. 

Sometimes, when I walk back home, digesting a double-chocolate or a long black or the latest top score, I sneak a peek at the framed posters that advertise upcoming events. I never stop to take a closer look, but every now and then I would let my eyes quickly scan the large prints. KOKO PRESENTS, they say in capital letters and small caps, which are followed by the names of a month's worth of artists. Unfortunately, I never noticed a name that I know.

Then, a few days ago, one of my flatmates, Phil, told me about a gig that he was going to check out. It was Ali Shaheed Muhammad vs Nu-Mark. Unbelievable, I thought. A Tribe Called Quest's dj meeting Jurassic 5's dj, that's history in the making right there. So I told him I would definitely join him. The days quickly passed and here we go. Teresa, another flat mate, was on a whisky spree and couldn't come, but Ashley, our newest member, came along and even brought some friends. 

Back in the days, KOKO used to be the Camden Theatre, which had opened it's doors in 1900. After ten years it changed into a cinema and operated succesfully until it closed during World War II. Afterwards it reopened as a radio station, before it became famous as The Music Machine in the seventies. It got its present name in 2004 and hosted countless gigs and concerts ever since. And today it was Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Nu-Mark's turn.

We met in the kitchen - best thing about being flatmates - and had a Paulaner and some Haribos before we left. At the station we joined forces with Ashley's two friends and went for another quick pint at the nearby pub. One of the great things about London is, there's always a pub around the corner. Then we tried to get in, and were surprised by two left at home IDs. We bravely tried to pull a you-go-in-first-and-throw-your-ID-off-the-terrace, but got caught by the digital eyes.

After sending one girl home to get her passport, we were reunited inside after not too long, two beers to be exact. The inside of the venue is pure amazement. There are several levels with bars and balconies, stairs and seatings. But the best part is the sound, I guess. It is super rich and makes the old planks in the floor vibrate with rhythm and blues. Or beats, in this case. And man, the beats they were playing made me realise how much I love hip hop. Yes yes, y'all. And you don't stop.