"As someone making experimental music from the African continent, I find myself at odds with the way the industry wants to define me, and by how they want to define music by African sound-makers...so often, we’ve been gaslighted into not seeing ourselves as originators or as important contributors towards things that we had a significant role in the creation, or development, of."
Read MoreNotes on My First Single, 'Galu'
“looking at crab pools and blurry figures in the horizon, and revelling in the secrecy of mornings.”
‘Galu’ came out on SA Recordings’ ‘Singles Series’ about two months ago, which is part of my upcoming EP: ‘peace places: kenyan memories’. This is the first of a little blog series on this website I’m calling ‘Notes on ___’, where I share with you some of the behind-the-scenes of each track.
Read MorePlaylist Experience #3: Original, then Cover
I initially curated this playlist for myself, as it has happened so often that I get attached to a song only to find out that I’m not listening to it in its original form. Then, I go to check out the original, and it feels weird to listen to that (which makes me feel guilty - it’s the o r i g i n a l !). To be fair — it’s not necessarily a bad weird, or even a good weird. It’s just so interesting to have to reimagine, or more so, re-experience, a piece of music that you have grown so accustomed to.
Following this curiosity of experiencing a song differently, I put together this playlist of tracks that I love and that I’d learned over time had multiple versions. I thought to share the experience on the blog. Because it’s like, you're listening to the same song twice (or three times)…except it isn't like listening to the same song at all.
Covers, for me, are this interesting product of creativity. You see a song and somehow are able to visualise its essence in a completely different form.
The playlist is based experienced in order, so you hear the original (or first version) of the song, and then listen to its cover(s).
If you knew the song before, which version did you know about first? and, how different can the same song sound? Is there a pattern as to which versions of each song you like? E.g., do you prefer the covers that slow down a song; or perhaps when it’s jazzier; or when it sounds more modernly produced?
Were there some songs you were surprised to find out were covers?
—
Grappling with Colonialism's Effect on My Music Journey (Or effectually, my Artist Statement)
I was born and raised in Kenya; but my music education was always through a white and Western lens. Now, my compositional voice is starting to align more and more with my own spirit, and I aim to contribute to the preservation of Kenya’s rich stories and cultural traditions.
Read MoreFalling in Love with Dance
I often think about how all these amazing opportunities to work with choreographers suddenly fell onto my lap, interconnected in some way but just as random and coincidental…
Read MorePlaylist Experience #2: African Classical Composers
As a Kenyan in the world of composition, part of my musical journey has involved discovering other African classical composers that came before me and who have paved the way for the many others after them.
Read More