Inside the studio with Ken Ring

Music producer Ken Ring. (Courtesy)

What is the most important thing for a music producer to know?

Forget about everything else when you enter the studio and create music.

How does your day as a music producer look like?

I like spending most hours of my days in the studio recording an artist’s music or mix and master recorded tracks. As an accomplished rapper from Sweden with 16 albums, 200 shows and 600 songs, I record my own music in the studio.  

What inspires you when producing new music?

My inspiration differs from project to project. Whenever I work on new music, I listen to the artiste’s songs and their genre of music a lot to mentally get into that zone. Currently, I am working with Jamaican reggae musician Duane Stephenson; thus, I am in the reggae era. I have also been working on a Johnny Vigeti album; hence, I have been listening to many rap songs.   

How do you start a new music production project?

I look into the artiste’s entire catalogue to get a feel of their sound and see what flavours to add to improve on their next music project with me. In their previous projects, sometimes the melodies are good but the drums need improvement. As a producer, I think about how to outdo the artist’s previous records.  

Tell us more about your current projects with Johnny Vigeti and others.

We have recorded about 30 songs with Vigeti but being selective, he said only three of those songs can make it to an album. I enjoy working with him because I understand his artistry as we go way back more than 20 years ago when I recorded Kalamashaka’s albums, in which the famous ‘Fanya Mambo’ shot them to fame here and in Europe. In the last three weeks the studio has been open, I have finished hip-hop artist Elisha Elai’s album, and recorded songs for Wyre, Lavosti, Kenny Smith, Wanavokali, and Shamir. I am also in talks with many prominent artists in the East African region.    

How have you managed to produce all these many songs in such a short time?

I send a couple of songs to artistes and plan sessions before they come to the studio. When they get here, we start to work right away. I’m the kind of producer who does not hang out or have people in the studio just to pass time. This is where we create music.

What is your approach to creating a unique sound for an artiste?

What is missing in music is the Kenyan sound. What we have had is music from Kenya going with popular trends like Amapiano. I want to be one of the people who dig deep to get authentic sound for artists. For this, I have been talking to guitarists to get loop samples and create music from that.

What are some of your favourite songs among those you have produced?

‘Fanya Mambo’ by Kalamashaka and ‘Mr. Vigeti’ album by Johnny Vigeti. My own hit songs ‘Sarah’ with Duane Stephenson, ‘When U See Mi’ with Mavado, and ‘For the Ghetto’ with Jah Cure.

Why did you open the studio in Diani?

My main reason is that I love Kenya; my late mother is from Longisa, Bomet County. I was brought up in Europe by a Kenyan mother, and after I got famous there, I wanted a place where I don’t have to keep up with a public image. Diani has always been a quiet place for me. Furthermore, I have seen the potential of music in East Africa, where artistes earn from their art. The industry is growing, and I want to be a part of this journey.