reginald omas mamode iv: 400 years
Francisco Espregueira
Preparing the release of an highly-awaited all-new-double-album compilation entitled Plug One, CoOp Presents a beautiful teaser EP created by the genius of Reginald Omas Mamode IV. 400 Years delivers a powerful message on the survival in the face of violence and abuse from European colonialists that still reflects in the descendants of those who suffered such an atrocity. The funky and distinct sound trademark showcases the sonic growth of both the artist and the label.
Coming up influenced largely by his father, a Mauritian percussionist, and by the hip hop scene in Bristol & Bath where he grew up, Reginald Omas Mamode IV relocated to Peckham, London in the early 2000’s. He has been actively releasing music for almost a decade now, with singles, albums and EPs on labels such as Five Easy Pieces and 22a, as well as collabs with his equally talented brothers Mo Kolours & Jeen Bassa, and cohorts such as Al Dobson Jr & Tenderlonious. The digital single of 400 Years also includes two incredible refixes from Gonzi and CoOp Presents label boss, IG Culture. The full album, Plug One, is set to drop November 2020.
“Being of Creole Mauritian origin. I have, for much of my life, been aware of the story of my descendants. It’s a story of survival in the face of violence and abuse. The abusers, European colonialists who collectively subjected populations of peoples across all continents to countless violent, murderous atrocities. All of which, void of reparations, continue still now to have resounding economic, social, political and psychological effects. The island of Mauritius was a sugarcane producing colony, which used slaves for labour. Those slaves, some my ancestors, were bought and sold amid an era of African slave trading. Lasting approximately 400 years.”