HESS x CAFI CHANTA present Bu Kolthoum live in MUNICH.

As part of his current tour across Germany, France, and Tunis.

Originally from Damascus, Bu Kolthoum has built a singular trajectory within the alternative Arab music landscape over the past years. His work draws on hip hop, soul, and Arabic musical references but avoids settling into a fixed genre or format. Instead, his projects are structured around shifts in tone and intention, moving from direct, rhythm led tracks to slower, more minimal and introspective pieces.

His practice places particular emphasis on voice and delivery. Whether working through dense, percussive flows or more restrained vocal lines, his approach remains deliberate and controlled, with a strong attention to phrasing and space. This carries through into his production choices, which often balance raw textures with more reduced, almost stripped back arrangements.

Alongside his main output, including releases under the Bo’Bo alias, he has developed a body of work that is both varied and internally consistent, navigating between different registers without losing coherence. His writing often sits between personal narrative and broader observation, without overstatement, maintaining a certain distance while remaining direct.

Over time, this approach has translated into a growing presence across stages and collaborations with artists working across different scenes. His live performances reflect the same structure as his recordings, precise, contained, and focused, with an emphasis on progression rather than spectacle.

His current live performances continue this trajectory with a more refined and deliberate direction. The compositions feel more reduced, the transitions more controlled, and the overall structure more cohesive, marking a clear step forward while remaining rooted in the foundations of his earlier work.

This event marks a collaboration between HESS and CAFI CHANTA (MAZIJ), bringing together two platforms that operate across different cities, sharing a programming approach and a focus on independent practices and cross-regional connections.

CAFI CHANTA (MAZIJ) is a Munich-based platform that has become an active presence within the city’s independent cultural landscape, creating spaces for alternative music, live performances, and community driven programming.

HESS is a Paris-based platform focusing on alternative sounds from the SWANA region and its diasporas and an underground movement redefining the alternative Maghreb scene through cinematic live experiences and sonic rebellion.