Kenya: music of the Mijikenda Gallery
…Images from the Singing Wells trip to the Coastal Region to record the music of the Mijikenda, a culturally related group of nine clans. Our recordings concentrated on the music of the Giriama and Digo clans – a music style renowned for rhythmic percussion, vocal solos and harmonies. We recorded 8 different music groups from the region….
Kenya: music of the Kalenjin Gallery
…Images from the Singing Wells trip to record the music of the Kalenjin tribes. The journey took us to Kitale, Mount Elgon, Kapenguria, Iten, Kapsowar and Lake Baringo where we recorded the music of traditional groups from different sub-tribes including Pokot, Marakwet, Tugen and Saboat….
Day 9 – Sunday 9th July 2017 Story
…the instrument” (1). According to Hornbostel– Sachs(2), all four would be classified as composite chordophones, more precisely under the 321.2 category of: “Yoke lutes or lyres – The strings are attached to a yoke which lies in the same plane as the sound‐table and consists of two arms and a cross‐bar.” Through a group interview, we attempted to compare them in: size (size of resonator; length of arms and per extension of strings); materials of fa…
Visiting the Ketebul offices in Nairobi Gallery
…On Monday I took a trip to visit the Ketebul guys at their studio in Nairobi. Tucked away in an unassuming street, Ketebul is situated in the Go Down Arts Centre, a graffited music enclave of made up of some seriously hip outlets. I was visiting to interview Tabu, you can read the interview here….
Global Influences Project: Loop Library Page
…titi group led by Okumu Korengo who is considered one of the best players around. Okumu Korengo also played all instruments, accompanied by dancers and back up vocals. You can learn more about the group here. You can watch the full visual performance of this song on our Youtube channel by clicking here. Download the loop singingwells · SW Samples – Nyatiti Group 158BPM singingwells · SW Samples – Kidinda Cultural Group 158BPM Kidinda Cultural Grou…
Kijaruba Group Group
…Kijaruba Group are a group part of the larger Bigilia Group. We met them on our 2017 field trip to Tanzania. You can read more about them on the Bigilia page here….
Day Five: Ilesi, Khayega to Kisumu Story
…on to what is yours and being proud of what you carry. He wrote this in 2009 and this is the first time it has been recorded Wongo: This is a song he played earlier on the trip and we wanted to hear him do it. With that, we concluded our trip and returned to Kisumu for flights to Nairobi….
Filimbi Instrument
…A whistle. The word filimbi is Swahili for ‘Whistle’, ‘flute’ or ‘pipe’. – so the instrument name ‘Filimbi’ could refer to any whistle or flute type instrument. We heard this Filimbi in use by a member of the group Zaire Ndindingwara on our field trip to record the music of the Mijikenda in 2011, played alongside percussion – as a bed for the vocalist in the group….
Singing Wells Stories Page
…ssion by clicking here: First Influences. Winyo also accompanied us on our trip to record the Batwa of Kisoro and the Luo of Kenya. Abubilla Music also supported the release of his debut album: The Benga Blues. To listen to and buy a copy of that, head here: The Benga Blues Sagat Traditional Dancers We recorded the music of the Sagat Traditional Dancers as part of our trip to record the music of the Kalenjin in the Rift Valley of Kenya in March 20…
FAQ’s Page
…the recording. This amount varies based on a number of factors such as the number of members in the group and the number of songs we record. In the event of any music we record making money directly (through sales, sync licensing or performance royalties) we will endeavour to channel this money back to the original performers. Can I buy the music you have recorded? A selection of our music is available to download from our site. We have one album…
Kenya: music of the Luo Gallery
…Images from the Singing Wells trip to record the music of the Luo. We travelled by road from Nairobi to the shores of Lake Victoria and recorded different music groups from the Luo tribes….
Uganda: Music of the Northern Tribes Gallery
Images from the Singing Wells trip to Northern Uganda, Kampala and Entebbe where we recorded the music of the Acholi, Alur and Iteso tribes. The journey started in Entebbe where we collected two vehicles to take the team to towns and villages in the north of the country including Gulu, Pakwach, Nebbi and Soroti. After 5 days recording in the north we returned to Kampala to record two more groups based near Naguru which perform in the traditional…
Group 8: Abutazi Story
…to the inanga and its sound and all it does for them. We loved this double number so much we recorded it twice. Makare (“Call Me Makare”) – This is named for Fox Makare, the rapper of the group, who raps the song about himself. And it goes straight into Amananga (this song is inspired by a South African music style called Amapiano, but they’ve done their own Rwandan version on the inanga, hence “Amananga”). The song Amananga is another ode to the…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…ians via M-pesa and Pay-Pal contributions. Another possibility was to sell tickets with the use of online access codes that admit ticket holders into the virtual performance. The result was that a number of live streaming studios where performers book sessions to perform and stream their concerts sprung up in Nairobi. Some venues also adapted to hosting online performances, directly streaming shows to mobile devices and computers of audiences wher…
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…t our influences artist Fadhilee to the field. Fadhilee’s reaction to this last session of our trip was worth the wait, as he discovered the author of “Kweli Ndugu”, a song he had done a cover of years ago. We brought them together to play this song together and you can watch the video below. Songwriting Legends Across East Africa Muturi wa Wandindi Muturi wa Wandindi’s actual name is Geoffrey Mutwiri, Mbaraka. He is originally from Kigane Village…
Group 1: Inganzo Ngari Group Story
…da, Uganda, Burundi and parts of Congo). Then the same dancers performed a number about a community, Intwatwa, formerly known as the Batwa, the group we recorded in November 2012. It was a celebration dance with many steps to honour their rich and historic culture. Next we had the Intore – which means a traditional warrior dance. This was a manifestation of each warrior showing the king what he’s made of – his talent, his weaponry, and judging by…