Kenyan Afro-house international Idd Aziz makes a comeback

Kenyan Afro-house international Idd Aziz [courtesy]

Kenyan Afro-house international makes a comeback with Fatuma masterpiece,

Come Dada was one of the most successful songs released into the East African market eight years ago. It was a genius project by Idd Aziz. He featured Khaligraph Jones, the hip-hop OG and it was Wyre’s Lovechild Records mastery that did the rest of the magic.

“Come Dada was actually a welcome back home project after being away for a long time. I actually produced it two days after jetting back into the country then,” says Idd Aziz.

“It was a collaborative project l did with   Khaligraph Jones who l discovered on Facebook. I reached out to him for a collabo as l was interested to work with him. It was quite a successful project,” he says.

Over the years, Idd has collaborated with well-known Afro-house artistes to produce hit songs like Kamili, Lua, Kibe and Jogolo among others.

This time, he releases his first afro-house solo single, Fatuma showcasing his talent in the Afro-house genre and presenting his unique voice and style that will undoubtedly captivate his fans.

Fatuma is a soul stirring single honouring the resilience and unwavering spirit of our forefathers. This melody was their life line, a single shared bond to the loved ones they were so cruelly and violently being taken away from as they shipped off towards an uncertain future.

As the slaves sang this song on the boats, their voices carried both a burden of desolation and hopefulness that allowed them to remain strong in light of unspeakable odds. When the slaves poured out their bleeding hearts, Fatuma turned their pains and anguish into the cry of brokenness hand in hand slit radically pulling unto a rise of powerful unity.

 “I have been working on this Fatuma project for a while now. It is a recording I released a fortnight ago. My album is also ongoing and should be released sometime next year hopefully. As always am continuously collaborating with some great names in the afro-house scene. Stay tuned. There is a lot coming,” Idd Aziz says.  

“Am currently on tour for this specific project and l have upcoming tours this quarter in Australia, US, Europe and in Dubai,” he says.

Idd Aziz is an incredibly talented artiste from the breathtaking coastal region of Kenya, with a unique sound that fuses elements of afro-house with rich Mijikenda and Kiswahili to create this distinctive sound that sets him apart from his contemporaries.

Through his music, he strives to bring people together, transcending boundaries and spreading joy. His unique blend of African rhythms, modern production techniques, and soulful vocals creates a sonic experience that is both nostalgic and cutting edge, which caters to such a wide range of music lovers.

His interest in music began when he was 13, and by age 15, he was touring the world and finding his voice. He then moved to Trondheim, Norway, to widen his musical perspectives.

The versatile singer has been experimenting throughout his career with various genres; jazz, Afro-fusion, Afro-house, among others. In the jazz and afro-fusion fields, he had the chance to collaborate with the German pianist Uli Lenz and Japanese jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi, Heing Siumaro, the Trondheim Orchestra, and African legends such as Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Alpha Blondy, and Youssou N’Dour. Such collaborations have shaped Idd Aziz’s musicality and widened his artistic horizons.

Immediately upon his return to Kenya in 2014, Idd Aziz threw himself into the local music scene as one of the most in-demand studio session percussion players. He then released the single

Come Dada; featuring Kenyan hip hop artiste Khaligraph Jones. His radio hit singles include Ni Wewe, Noma and Kamili with other hits among them Way of Love, Hale, Hinde and Lua casting him out as an international star.

Continuing his musical endeavors, Idd Aziz showcased his talents at prominent events such as the annual Lamu Art Festival, Wilder Festival, Pawa 254 Fest and Koroga Festival alongside Baba Maal . Later in 2017, he joined the Coke Studio Africa house band. This was the same year Idd travelled with other Kenyan artistes to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC.

Idd Aziz has achieved so much in his already blossoming career; having been awarded the prestige of Afrimma Best East African Artiste, a perfect indication of his unrivaled talent and influence within the industry. This only cemented his position as one of the artistes to look out for.

In 2017, the celebrated star decided to invest in the Afro house genre, introduced to him by Max Doblhoff back in 1998 when he performed at Sikiliza, a legendary club that was at the Village Market. Much later, in 2017, they collaborated on his first afro-house single named Africala. He has collaborated with popular artistes and DJs such as Black Coffee, Nitefreak and DJ Diplo and gained a strong foothold in the House scene and became

popular both in Europe and at home. His music and fan-base is growing and he has more than one million listeners on Spotify per month.

“My fan-base has predominately been outside the country because the genre of Afro-house that l switched to was more understood and embraced outside there than Kenya when l started. It is in the recent years that my people have gotten to understand and embrace this style of music. When l produce music, I always try to make music that is consumed worldwide not only focusing on Kenya,” Idd Aziz says.  

“I am really connected to my home, and am gaining audience each day in Kenya for those who know and appreciate good music. I am just being me, this is my style and my fans who love good music appreciate what l dish out musically,” he says.

Idd Aziz is highly influential and an individual of great feats, even within the afro-house music scene. He is that one person who has ensured that dedication to art, love of culture, and creativity in style have constituted him among the frontiers in the field of music. While he remains an artiste in continuous evolution, he has continued with commitment to crafting music that uplifts, inspires, and hails the great African heritage.

It is the respect of his incessant touring and studio recording projects that continue to transport listeners through a musical journey unlike any other.

“The Kenya and African music industry has a long way to go to achieve what others have achieved. l believe the playground is good enough for all of us with our different genre but l reckon our local artistes are either too scared of competition or do not have knowledge of how to work together to make this industry propel. It will be nice to see them open their minds and collaborate and support each other, otherwise for now we have a lot to learn,” he says.