Of album launches and wild parties

The long weekend served a banquet of events and STEVENS MUENDO sampled some of them

Something special happened over the long weekend in Nairobi. Something new was also generated.

Two identities coming into one. Two music genres from two continents were coming face to face — to be fused together. Initially, the two groups looked at each other sceptically, sizing each other. Before long they discovered that they could actually get along in the music language— after all it’s a universal language.

It was a fusion of the two cultural and musical hubs Berlin and Nairobi hence BLNRB, merged abbreviations of the names of both cities.

The acts participating were Modeselektor; a duo that likes to experiment, plays with techno, dancehall, hip-hop and rave. Gebruder Teichmann as well as Johcoozi met some of the best musicians of the vibrant Kenyan club scene to round off the project.

The participants of the 12-man hip-hop collective Ukoo Flani, rappers Abbas with his crew Lon’ Jon and Kimya, the electro pop-band Just A Band, Nazizi, Radi and blind guitarist and singer Michael Ongaro grouped yet again last Saturday to host one of the best concerts Nairobi has seen in the recent past at Railways Club grounds.

The BLNRB was the last show of a series of events, which have been characterised by mind-blowing parties in Nairobi, Berlin and Cologne where the album was officially launched. And all the players were back to Nairobi, where it all started.

It was an unforgettable moment at the Madhouse as the band played the synchs and drums live on the keyboard with artistes free styling their act. Songs such as Kumbuka, Living Room, Everyday Without You, Very Necessary, Madhouse, Away, Msoto Millions and Zamaney are some of the singles, which characterise the well knit 18-track album and yes, the stars did not disappoint.

It was a great kick to a fun laced weekend, which saw Pulse traverse the Rift Valley down to Crayfish Camp where the Smirnoff Experience was being hosted (see Scene @).

Well, it had all started at the Nairobi National Park that Friday with visiting Donell Jones doing a major 1980s R&B kick-back party in the wild show.

Awesome audience

However, the climax of the rather long action-full Jamhuri weekend came on Monday as all roads led to the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) where MTV-Award winning ace Daddy Owen was launching his new album, Utamu wa Maisha.

The attendance is what Americans would call awesome.

Besides, hundreds of fans still followed the live televised Coca Cola sponsored concert on TV making it one of the most watched album launchs of the year. Besides the numbers, nothing was left to chance. From the magnificent sound and lighting, security, sitting arrangement and time keeping, every item of logistics bit was clearly on point.

The gospel fraternity had answered the call and as the clock hit 3.30pm, all major gospel acts such as Emmy Kosgei, Jimmy Gait, Danco, Rufftone, Kambua, Ngashville, Mist Seed, BMF, Juliani and MOG took over the party with sterling performances.

Taking the stage with her trademark own-design African dress image, Emmy Kosgei and her back-up dancers lit up the stage with an amazing presentation of her runway hit single Ololo.

The Jimmy Gait and Kambua duo could do no more justice to the jubilant atmosphere as they took the tempo higher with praiseworthy Holiday and Furi Furi delivery.

It was then time for a dance showdown as leading dance groups Alabaster, Zionists, Altermin and Saints took charge of the dais with well choreographed moves, which even left the day’s hosts Essy and Alemba in awe.

There was a rib cracking moment when fast-rising petit stand-up comedian Erick Omondi hit the stage posing as a high school lad donning a Juliani dreads look.

Cool performances

Then it was time for Danco, Ngashville and Seed to prove that their fame, heightened by Papa God Oh among other collabos was not a fluke. Deejay Sadiq was in the booth and he too, did not disappoint.

Strutting down to their award-winning hit single I Sing For You, BMF took to the stage to an animated applause. And so did Juliani and MOG.

Then came the moment that all had been waiting for.

Presidential hopeful Raphael Tuju went on stage to officially launch Daddy Owen’s Utamu wa Maisha album and when Owen hit the stage, it was all fireworks from the beginning to the end.

"I owe it to God and all my fans who have supported me this far. I am truly overwhelmed by your support," Daddy Owen said as he took to the podium.

Tuju urged the youth to take music seriously. In reference to Owen, he said he had seen the artiste grow from humble beginnings to be what he is today because of his seriousness in music. Said he: "Talent should be taken very seriously because it is business."

However, one thing was notable with the gospel musicians; only Daddy Owen took time to say a prayer in the course of his launch.

In probable allusion to his rise from grass to grace, Daddy Owen performed Shilingi ya Kenya and what it has done to people. This came after he had done another of his songs with Kaberere, I don’t Know.

His latest song Dakika Tatu was also well received but it was Mbona, a song done in collaboration with Denno, a talented young man with no sight, that emotionally moved the crowd most.

Utamu was Maisha is Daddy Owen’s second album. It contains the King of Kapungala’s brand new hits Piga Dasta and Dakika Tatu among others.

— Additional reporting by Jeckonia Otieno