Both curators of the Norient City Sounds: Nairobi Special, Kamwangi Njue (7Headc0) and Raphael Kariuki (DJ Raph), are active in the Nairobi underground electronic scene, and both are residents at the weekly Mist night in Westlands where they try to showcase local talent and different sounds from around the world. In this compilation, both worked on music and sounds by fellow Nairobi-based producers, distilling hours of conversation between Thomas Burkhalter and the selected artists from early 2020 into this collection of remixes. The conversations touched topics such as music production and sonic fiction, most of them focusing on gengetone, a hip hop and dancehall influenced mainstream genre, originated in Nairobi.
01 DJ Raph: «Complete Faith»
remixed words by Blinky Bill
Blinky Bill shares a deep-felt and poignant reminder of hope, in this minimal sketch.
«And when I see Kenyans who are exceptional, they’re really exceptional by any standard, that keeps me motivated that there’s people who’ve not lost complete faith in the system and they’re operating outside the system and trying to make things work.»
– Blinky Bill
Follow Blinky Bill on Instagram, Spotify, or SoundCloud. Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on March 3, 2020.
02 Kamwangi Njue – On Playing Gengetone
remixed words by Coco Em
Coco Em, who has her first self produced EP out now, analyses gengetone from a DJ perspective and as a listener. She deconstructs its «crass» tendencies as that which mirrors the society and also criticizes the genre’s musicians for sticking to the same topics of sex and parties, when they could explore more diverse topics in their lyrics.
«It’s like they’re not treating the women very well. A lot of the time it’s confused with empowerment, I feel like. I’ve been told several times not to slut shame. If she wants to twerk in a thong on the tree. Let her do her thing.»
«So there’s a lot of confusion as well. But I will be careful what I want to attach myself to or what I want to play or to push and stuff.»
– Coco Em on playing gengetone in a DJ set
Emma Nzioka aka Coco Em, is a Nairobi-based DJ/producer, photographer, and filmmaker. She has a passion for music, activism, and creating communities based around these interests. Through her work in film and music, she has been blessed to connect with audiences from Uganda, South Sudan, South Africa, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia, Rwanda, Tanzania, France, Canada, and Switzerland. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on March 5, 2020.
03 DJ Raph: «Gengepress»
remixed words by Hitman Kaht
Hitman Kaht is a top gengetone producer with hits such as «Wabebe» to his credit. This remix messes around with a gengetone break by Kaht, with an excerpt from his conversation with Thomas Burkhalter.
«I don’t think that there’s a need to criticize this music because the music is actually doing more good than harm. I have said before, the youths are unemployed. They don’t have anything to do. Now we want to put some music out and it’s working for us. They’ve created an opportunity for themselves to feed themselves and have a future. That’s the only perspective you should look at if from. If now you don’t want us to do music what else because there are no jobs also. People might end up in drugs and violence; that’s worse. I think it’s just a good thing. We should not really hate it.»
– Hitman Kaht on gengetone criticism
Follow Hitman Kaht on Instagram, Twitter, or Spotify.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on March 3, 2020.
04 DJ Raph: «Fuck Police Everywhere»
remixed words by 7Headc0
Kamwangi Njue (7Headc0) is a writer, producer, and DJ based in Nairobi. This remix is inspired by a conversation about sonic fiction, his area of artistic practice. It imagines an other world, but one with familiar struggles.
«Kodwo Eshun wrote this book ‹More Brilliant Than the Sun›. He’s talking about what’s beyond what you’re listening to. What goes on when you hear a sound?»
«You know what they say? Fuck police everywhere, not just a song. The way the governments are structured is just messy and with police and police, police, policies.»
– Kamwangi Njue
«Music, conversely, involves manipulation in the generation and arrangement of sounds for the purposes of contrivance, performance, fantasy, fictions – alternative realities.»
– Adam Harper discussing Kodwo Eshun’s ideas in Norient
Follow Kamwangi Njue (7Headc0) on Instagram, Twitter, or Bandcamp.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on March 2, 2020.
05 7Headc0: «My Name Is»
remixed words by Jinku
Jinku is one of the first names you encounter in the Nairobi alternative music scene. He is one fifth of the collective EA Wave. In the original interview that served as a basis for this track, he reflected on sampling, arrangement, and software. He says that he appreciates the details in almost everything.
In the few seconds voice interpolation sampled from the interview, the phrase «My Name Is...» is looped until the track’s end. The song’s bouncy drum pattern follows a two bar piano loop sample, the kick’s insistence almost leaves one probing for their own name.
The name behind the moniker Jinku is Jacob Solomon. He’s a Nairobi-based graphic designer and musician and conceives of himself as an all-around creative. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on February 26, 2020.
06 7Headc0: «Happy Songs»
remixed words by Moroko Kalahari
As a pioneer of a niche freestyle steez in Nairobi, Moroko Kalahari’s consistency in the recording studios of Kibera and his legacy position him at a peculiar place. He is connected gengetone through his young contemporaries, rappers who look up to him skillswise. With different gengetone styles from every hood, Moroko speaks on Kibera gengetone aesthetics in particular. In the interview that served as a basis for this track, he took the role of a big brother and spoke on music and politics.
«We don’t like to go all the way out politically. Although, Kibera is a really political, sensitive location to do music from.»
«On the gengetone, gengetone is really when you look at the music. It’s about... Yeah, it’s sex music. But Kibera gengetone is different from Nairobi, the other side of Nairobi gengetone, because we are not explicit. Because your friend is Muslim, your girlfriend maybe is Muslim. So, we have that amount of respect.»
– Moroko Kalahari on Kibera’s gengetone
Moroko Kalahari is a Nairobi-based emcee, musician, and visual artist. He used to rip out mics at freestyles sessions around the globe. His live performances are still some of the dopest around and his versatility continues to show and blend in hip hop, gengetone, and its subgenres. Follow him on Instagram or Twitter.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on February 27, 2020.
07 7Headc0: «Touch in Time»
remixed words by MR. LU*
From the sample material, MR. LU* speaks of different worlds in Nairobi music that he’s part of. Histories bounce off one another as he locates himself within the city sound. Mostly influenced by Matatu culture, he gives props to his crew XPRSO and his friends, and the Nairobi Ableton community which he has, together with the artist KMRU, helped to see through. As a sample-based producer, MR. LU* breaks down his sampling and chopping processes and defends sampling as a technique and an art of preservation. He speaks of his hope for artists to change society.
«And we always try to create music that simulates that. And another influence, we mainly take influence from elements in the city and just in our own lives. And we try to put that in song.»
«So I feel like most artists in this world could bring a lot of change and they reflect a lot of what happens in society. And I feel like we should all just listen to our little voice inside that brings change.»
– MR. LU*
MR LU* is an audio-visual artist based in Nairobi and he has a four member music and genre and culture collective. They call themselves XPRSO. Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Based on an interview by Thomas Burkhalter, conducted on March 6, 2020.