This track is part of:
TIMEZONES
Nairobi's next generation music Producers and performing artists speak out.
In recent years, small-scale studios in Nairobi have begun producing music locally, and some of their output reaches millions of listeners in Kenya, or create buzz and noise in international niche music scenes. Their producers and musicians are turning old hierarchies upside down, often calling for social and political reforms. But they’re also facing a lot of resistance.
Full Podcast:
norient.com/thomas-burkhalter/timezones-episode-1-nairobi
Featuring:
Baby Elephante, Blinky Bill, Boutross, Coco.em, DJ Raph, Hitman Kaht, Kamwangi Njue, Karun, Janice Iche, Jinku, Joseph Kamaru (KMRU), Manch!ld (debe), Moroko Kalahari, MR. LU (XPRSO), MUNYASYA and Wambui Kamiru
A podcast by Thomas Burkhalter
Director, idea, interviews: Thomas Burkhalter
Music: Thomas Burkhalter, Daniel Jakob
Additional Samples: Joseph Kamaru, Boutross +
soundofnairobi.net
Additional Voiceovers: Kacey Moore, Selasia A. Djameh
Trailer Voiceover: Nana Akosua Hanson
Editing: Thomas Burkhalter, Daniel Jakob
Mastering: Adi Flück, Centraldubs
Graphics Cover: Šejma Fere
The Timezones Podcast Series is co-initiated and co-produced by Norient and the Goethe Institute.
Release: October 1 2020
TIMEZONES: A podcast series
The TIMEZONES podcast series plunges into the world of artists and their practices, asking: What does living and working in culture and the arts involve in different countries, cities and contexts today? The artists’ thoughts on their moods, their social, political and intellectual realities and their philosophies (of life) have been worked up into experimental audio collages.
The podcasts run the gamut of formats and content, from straight journalism to experimental and documentary approaches, ethnography and fiction, sound art and improvisation. The TIMEZONES series endeavours to create new artistic forms of storytelling, listening and exchange across the boundaries of geography, time zones, genres and practices.
The TIMEZONES Podcast Series is co-initiated and co-produced by Norient and the Goethe Institute.
«It's Kamaru, Joseph Kamaru, KMRU, in my workspace, my studio. My safe space in Rongai, 2:36pm on the 24th of February, in Nairobi. This is my space, I'm usually just here. I wake up and come to my desk. Yeah. A typical day, maybe on a Tuesday, first thing, I usually check my mails. I'm a very maily person and I clear all the mails I have to finish by morning when I wake up. And from there, I just like get to the order of the day, if I'm working on projects or if I'm out in the field recording something. Yeah. This is my space. I'm usually just here, I wake up and come to my desk. I don't sort f picture it as a job where I perform, I get money. It's more of expressing what I'm feeling and being authentic and being honest with myself. And I feel that it's one of the really important factors that people, musicians or all creatives just to be honest, as they express themselves. It's a struggle to try and be authentic. This is me and this is what I'm going to showcase to you. Live a life of the music. Living in this bedroom and traveling and a festival books me just by writing them an email and showcasing my work is really motivating to people that, yeah, you can push and do your stuff and get bookings and get paid. Yeah, live a life of the music.»
Joseph Kamaru
