FOLKROOM PRESENTS: Muco

“Muco is a true modern-day mediaeval bard.”- National Folklore Survey

“Muco (pronounced Moo-Cho) revives Middle English folk songs for a modern audience; a contemporary griot, [who] has fused elements of folk music from his heritage, mixing Old, Middle, and Modern English, French, Swahili and Kirundi.” – The Pett Review

Muco is a singer, songwriter and composer of British-Burundian heritage whose music is inspired by a love of language and storytelling. Through his reimaginings of medieval folk songs in Middle and Old English, Muco has cultivated a passionate audience online, drawn in by his unique interpretations. In these performances, he uses his voice and the ‘inanga’ (an East African zither) to reimagine historic folk music and poetry. His work not only revives these ancient pieces for modern audiences but also expands ideas of historical musical performance. He seeks not to recreate but to make the voices of the past understood, appropriate to a new time.

His latest projects, ‘Soþlice’ and ‘Summer Crossing’, combine lyrics and influences from Old, Middle, and Modern English, as well as French, Swahili, and Kirundi, reflecting his deep interest in the interconnection of folk traditions across cultures.

For Muco, the key to this historical approach to folk music is not cosplay or perfect reconstruction, but dialogue between past and present. “It’s much more effective to engage with history by exploring how people feel today,” he says. “It’s about an authentic emotional connection, not an authentic re-creation.”

Support for this gig comes from False Idah, a contemporary singer-songwriter whose warm, atmospheric music is shaped by introspection and openness; a perfect contemporary accompaniment to Muco’s expressive reflection of the past.