Open Mic

Warm Houses

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

For the first set of the year - a warm, mid-tempo, somewhat celebratory compilation of new/old Afro-House bangers and some nice fusion tracks from around and about the Motherland. Highlights include:

Fena back with Dutch, yet another hit featuring Kagwe Mungai and Toshi // New material off The Very Best's latest album MTMTMK (which cheekily stands for More To Malawi Than Madonna's Kids) // Fuse ODG's latest azonto tune //P Square and JJC repping for the West // Nonini and Calvo Mistari with the new trend of fusing genge and house elements.

Download HERE

From Studio Booth To DJ Booth - Part 3: Required Viewing

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:38:00 +0000

*CLICK HERE FOR PART 1*
*CLICK HERE FOR PART 2*

I wish to conclude my end of the copyright debate with two documentaries highlighting the current state of copyright law in more developed areas of the world and how it is turning into a menace rather than a well intentioned cause to develop wider society and at the same time benefit the creators of intellectual property.

RiP: A Remix Manifesto features the popular mashup artist/DJ Girl Talk as a case study of the state of copyright and the madness that has infiltrated the music licensing industry around the world, while at the same time building its case for "The Remixer's Manifesto" - four key talking points that the documentary's creators try to justify.

Everything Is A Remix explores the concepts of creativity, originality, intellectual property and copyright on a much wider scale but in four very brief parts that are nonetheless very informative.

There you go. Enjoy. Discuss. Comment.

From Studio Booth to DJ Booth - Part 2: Questions for CMOs

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:35:00 +0000

*Click Here For Part 1*

In this long overdue second part of this blog post, I sent the message below to MCSK and KAMP for their input. The post will be updated if/when they exercise their right of reply. Anyone else can weigh in on the comments section as soon as now. Here's the message below:

Hallo there, MCSK, KAMP and PRiSK

I have some inquiries to do with your music performance licensing regime with special focus on DJs for a blog article I am working on. They are laid out in seven parts as follows:

1. Sufficient Authorization

Currently, the kind of relationship between artistes and DJs in Kenya is that which the DJ is an integral, almost indispensable part of the music distribution and publishing system. We are well aware that artistes periodically send DJs copies of their work for the sole purpose of being played during the DJs' performances in public at clubs, concerts, public gathering and even for broadcasting in radio shows, podcasts and other media. Does this practice count as sufficient authorization from the artistes to use those works in public performances according to the Copyright Act? If so, why would DJs who perform using music supplied by the copyright owners for the purpose of public performance need to obtain music performance licenses? Is this reality reflected in the rate of the fees imposed for obtaining a license for music performance?

2. Music Videos

In my opinion, a number of complications arise when analyzing the copyright implications for music videos according to the Copyright Act. Reading the interpretation clause (Section 2) of the Act, the closest description to a music video is an “audio-visual work” which is described as follows:

“audio-visual work” means a fixation in any physical medium of images, either synchronized with or without sound, from which a moving picture may by any means be reproduced and includes videotapes and videogrames but does not include a broadcast;”

In light of this, which CMO is responsible for monitoring the performance of audio-visual works in public settings? This is an important question since DJing has evolved and the sub-sector of the Video Deejay (VJ) who performs music videos as opposed to the original musical work.

The second complication arises in the language of that particular section of the Act. Audio-visual works are interpreted as being fixated in a physical medium (videotapes, CDs, DVDs etc.) Does this imply that music videos that exist “in the cloud” on sites such as YouTube do not fall under this category? If so, does this mean that if we apply strict interpretation of the Copyright Act and restrict audio-visual works to those confined in physical media, then a VJ who performs using only videos ripped from YouTube or other video-sharing sites without a license of any sort is not infringing copyright?

3. Royalties Distribution

Royalties allocation is normally a straightforward affair in scenarios where musical works get airplay, are downloaded in their original form or as ringback tones etc etc and the related data is well-documented. However, I am more interested in scenarios where distribution of royalties can get complicated. Take for example distributing the royalties from venue owners of club/discos or concerts - Of course, the ideal situation is whereby only the copyright owners whose works are used in the performances should benefit. Without a system of determining which specific works are used in performances at such venues and how many plays they get in the period for which royalties were collected means that those whose works are not used stand to gain unfairly. How do you work around that challenge to ensure that deserving copyright owners get their dues?

4. Open Data?

The resources available to the public such as forms, rates for various types of licenses and elaborate FAQs sections are much appreciated. However, I would also like to imagine that there is still a wealth of data in your hands that can be made available. For instance, it would be interesting to make the raw data of the royalty earnings of your members/members of other collaborating CMOs in a given period. I believe these types of data sets can be beneficial to your members in terms of promotion, opening up new opportunities and even expose those who are still up and coming in the industry. What's your take on this?

5. Tainted Copyright

Kenyan producers and artistes do not shy away from infringing copyright themselves in the process of creation of their musical works in varying degrees that range from light sampling to practically lifting an already existing musical work in its entirety and passing it off as an original work instead of a derivative work. You do not have to search very far for examples: I seriously doubt that P. Unit cleared with Island Records/Mango Records to use the popular 90s Bam Bam riddim for their new track You Guy (That Dendai). The instrumental portion of Rabbit's critically acclaimed single Swahili Shakespeare was entirely lifted from Sad Romance by Ji PyeongKyeon without even as much as an acknowledgment of the original work. Black Duo's Rap Kwa M.I.C. - considered a local hip hop classic by all standards – heavily plucks its instrumental content from Chaos by Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek and Bahamadia off the 1999 compilation album Soundbombing II.

Anyone is therefore justified in questioning the utility of dishing out royalties for such works with tainted copyright. If creators and eventual owners of copyrighted works do not adhere to restrictions against infringement on other works, why should they benefit from the levels of protection and licensing their works are currently enjoying? Where do CMOs stand in this ironic situation?

6. Venue Owners/Event Owners vs. DJs

I believe the mischief being guarded against when imposing music performance licenses is to ensure the party responsible for or gaining from the public setting in which music is performed gives copyright owners of the music used their due. The DJ (if he or she is not the event/venue owner at the same time) merely facilitates the performance of the musical works. The relationship between the DJ and the venue/event owner resembles that of the employee and employer in tortuous claims. The liability for failing to obtain a license should therefore lie squarely on the event/venue owner, in my view, more so since they are those who stand to gain more as opposed to the DJ. This should make practical sense across the board with very few exceptions. Why then have you adopted the policy of falling back on the DJ when the event/venue owner fails to obtain a license? Doesn't imposing some monetary penalty on the event/venue owner solve that problem instead?

7. Flat Rate for Licenses

Is flat rating the fees for obtaining music performance licenses for DJs reasonable given that this sector of the music industry is not balanced, with a huge gap between the top-earners and the up and coming DJs in terms of income generation? What are the complications surrounding alternatives such as a tabulated fee rate system where one pays according to what one earns?

I am very interested in getting your point of view on these issues.

Regards,

WP

From Studio Booth to DJ Booth – Part I: DJs Scratching Their Heads over Music Licensing

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:57:00 +0000

The extremely heated debate as to whether Kenyan DJs should pay for public performance licenses when performing in public has been raging for a couple of weeks now – local artistes, local DJs, the organizations mandated to issue the licenses and interested stakeholders have been at it, each voicing their interests everywhere from social media to radio and print media. I will now attempt to add some momentum to this discussion with a few pointers.

The legal basis of music performance licensing is well explained by misternv on the diasporadical blog so there is no need to be repetitive. Basically, when a song/musical work is published, different groups have some claim to copyright – the composers (the folks who come up with the various elements that make up the song in terms of beat, stems etc.), the producers (the folks who do the final mastering and recording) and the performers.

A lot of financial input is involved in the production and publishing of these musical works, therefore these groups have to be compensated for their efforts. This is mainly achieved by issuing licenses to those who intend to use their musical works. To cut down on the hustle and bustle of tracking down each and every copyright owner for authorization to use their works, the right to issue these licenses lies in the hands of these non-profit (collective management) organizations: MCSK (on behalf of composers) and KAMP (on behalf of producers). The fees from licensing then trickles down as royalties to the various copyright owners with PRiSK having the responsibility of making sure that performers are also part of the equation.

In applying the strict letter of the law, DJs as performers of copyrighted material need authorization for the public performance of the musical works involved. In order to obtain such a license, it has emerged that DJs will need to pay the Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) a cumulative fee of Kshs. 31,500.That is fundamentally the state of the law as it is. However, the state of the law as it ought to be could be another matter altogether. The state of the music industry at the moment stands out as an unavoidable challenge to the application and implementation of some of legislation touching on music licensing.

As regards public performance licenses, the long-standing industry custom has been that in clubs/discos/events/concerts involving performance of music, the onus is on club/disco proprietor or the organizer of the event or concert to pay the relevant fees without the involvement of the DJ. One therefore wonders if the focus should be on the organizer/proprietor instead of the DJ if no license has been taken. The organizer or club/disco proprietor usually gains the most from the public performance therefore there is more to gain from ensuring that owners or organizers of clubs/discos/events/concerts obtain the relevant license than ensuring that DJs play an annual flat fee.

On the flipside, the argument for DJs having to pay for public performance licenses is sound especially for well-placed professional DJs who gain financially through playing in exclusive, up-market clubs, public events and concerts. The problem probably lies in the rate of the fees – the majority of upcoming/small scale DJs who play at small establishments for a few thousand shillings do not see Kshs. 31,500 as a reasonable rate for licensing fees. I’m aware that tabulating/calculating fees according to income from public performance could prove immensely challenging for the CMOs but the flat fee must be balanced.

In addition, a vast number of professional DJs receive tracks from musical artistes solely for the purpose of having them play those tracks in clubs, events, radio/TV shows etc – they are called Promo CDs or Promo packs in industryspeak. In my view, this constitutes sufficient authorization to perform the musical work. The question is whether a DJ who plays music solely from these “promo packs” needs to take a public performance license. This situation also raises the question as to why the CMOs prefer a flat fee for public performance licenses instead of a regime based on actual performance of a musical work. A flat fee means that even a registered artiste whose work is never played even once in a club/event stands to gain. It also means that the fees are also charged on behalf of the copyright owners who want their work performed by DJs only for promotional purposes and not financial gain.

The CMOs have also intimated that DJs need to obtain reproduction licenses to cater for the practice of copying of musical works from their own private collections of legally obtained CDs and vinyl records to storage devices or through systems such as centralized data banks, music pools or just plain old ripping music videos off YouTube for the purpose of public performance. Other countries including the United States find it difficult to grant a monopoly in a single entity to issue blanket reproduction licenses and leave this to the individual copyright owners.

This brings in the issue of distribution of music by the various copyright owners vis a vis the nature of the DJing these days. Distribution of local music is wanting – partly caused by the fact that the average Kenyan consumer is not used to legally purchasing music. The Camp Mulla debut album proved to be a very elusive item on the first two weeks of its release, for example. Not all local artistes can claim to have a proper release of a single suited for the DJ (in high quality lossless formats such as FLAC or WMA with extended versions, instrumentals and acapella versions). I suspect that there are artistes who consider posting their music on YouTube and handing copies to TV/radio stations a release. This means that the DJ will resort to the above mentioned means of obtaining the music.

In light of the prevailing developments, let’s now see what would be a suitable practice to follow if you are a professional DJ dealing with musical works:

1. Production
If you are a DJ involved in the composition of a song (DJ Kaytrixx in Bamzigi’s Bachette for example?) and have been credited for the song as either a composer/co-composer or performer of the work, make sure you are registered with the relevant CMO to get your share of the royalties.

2. Remixes
Remixes are considered derivative works (those based on an original work) and thus needs authorization of the copyright owners. If they send you the track to remix, that should constitute sufficient authorization. Make sure you and the copyright owners are clear on how you want to deal with the resulting copyright in the remix. You could opt for a one-off flat fee or also claim your share of the royalties accruing from the remix as co-composer of the work or any arrangement that suits you.

3. Mixtapes, Promo Video Mixes and Bootleg Remixes/Mashups
If we were to apply the law strictly, you would need the blessing of each and every copyright owner of each and every track to release these. However, promotional compilations, mixtapes and videos you release for free could fall within the Fair Use category (see below). Bootleg remixes or mashups could also fall within Fair Use.

4. Playing in Clubs, Events, Concerts etc.
Wherever you perform live, make sure the proprietor/organizer has the relevant license. If they are not keen on obtaining one, you could factor in the cost of obtaining your public performance into your overall fee… Good luck with that though…

5. Fair Use
Essentially, you need clearance from copyright owners when recording and releasing your mixes or mashups. However you could rely on the doctrine of Fair Use to justify such use. Fair Use is a defense to copyright infringement designed to permit limited use of copyrighted material without permission to encourage innovation, parody, commentary, criticism, research and such positive results. Determining whether your mix, remix or mashup qualifies as fair use several factors are considered:

If the use is of a commercial nature: If your purpose was to use the works to gain commercially (selling mixtapes or remixes) you should not fall back on this defense
Availability of the original song: It is hard to prove fair use if you use an unreleased track without authorization to reserve the owners right to decide whether to release the song
How much of the original song was used (in the case of remixes/mashups)?: the less, the better

Has your remix diminished the value of the original song (in the case of remixes/mashups)?: in terms of preference of the original over the remix, and other licensing opportunities such as preference of your remix for use in TV or radio advertisements over the original could hurt the original song’s copyright owners

***
Watch out for Part II where I ask MCSK and the other CMOs some nagging questions.

Losing You

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:29:00 +0000

A lot of randomness here hence the title - basic reaching out all over with some long drawn transitions.

Some of the highlights: Solange Knowles' new single Losing You that came out recently with an equally nice video (check it out here) // Musik Maestro's first two singles including the banger House Party // JR's long lost hit Show Dem // Just A Band's new (and different) single off their upcoming album Sorry For the Delay - cop it here // A lil bit of this and that from Classixx, Tupac, Chief Boima, Popcaan etc. to spice things up.

Download HERE

Constipation

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:04:00 +0000

7th October, 1998 – 6.35 PM

As he often did on school days, Johnny sat at his small desk strategically placed at a safe corner of Mummy’s kitchen, doing his homework as Mummy prepared supper. He had been ridiculed the other day by the boys at the playground when he described this daily ritual to them. He didn’t care that only girls were supposed to watch their mothers cook. There was something very interesting about the way Mummy went about her business without any apparent strain (at the same time asking him math questions at random) and still ended up with fantastic meals.

“What’s two plus sixteen?” she would ask in a by-the-way manner. And barely a second later Johnny would answer: “Eighteen!”

“Divided by three?”

“Six!”

“Times four?”

“Twenty-four!”

“Times five?”

“One twenty!”

“Divided by six?”

“Twenty!”

Three or four questions later, Mummy would smile and call him her little computer who would be a professor one day. Few things made Johnny feel that good. The evening quiz was the main reason he read two classes ahead of his mates. He dreaded the day Mummy would ask a question he could not solve. This was no ordinary school day, though. A few days ago, some very angry people on television had said Daddy and all other teachers will not go to school until someone gives them back the money stolen from them. Children were not allowed to go to school as well. The only thing Johnny missed about school was playing bano with his friends – he had a huge ball bearing which he used to break his friends’ glass marbles after promptly shouting the sacred warning – BREAKINGS NO PAYINGS.

Daddy walked into the kitchen, looking irritated as usual. He leaned over Mummy’s shoulders as she prepared the sukuma wiki for cutting.

“Hey, why are you leaving out the stalks?! Please make sure you chop most of the stalk like I’d told you yesterday. Some of us need the roughage for digestion.”

With that, he retreated back into his bedroom, shaking his head apparently surprised that someone had to be reminded of something that simple twice. Johnny chuckled softly. Daddy was a hard man to please and that meant he was always angry about something or other – the maid using the tap irresponsibly when washing dishes or clothes, somebody sleeping with the lights on, someone not finishing the food on his or her plate etc etc. Of late, Johnny’s sister Purity - back from boarding school because of what those people said on TV -was a chief contributor to the things that made him mad. She was always bringing her friends over and using the TV and radio at the same time! Johnny often found Daddy’s complaints more of an amusement than anything else, and many times he wished the people who laughed in shows like Friends and Married With Children would pay them a visit so that his laughter would be lost in theirs. He was determined to find a way of sending them a letter of invitation. For the mean time, he would have to make do with laughing inwardly.

***

8.30 PM

They were at the dinner table having ugali and fish with veggies on the side. Daddy was hurrying up, not wanting to miss even a minute of the nine o’clock news. He had served himself an extra helping of sukuma which Johnny found odd. Daddy often said veggies were for children and rabbits. His new-found love for the kale did not go unnoticed. Purity was also hurrying up. She did not want to miss the final minutes of the soap opera showing just before nine. Daddy was watching her with the corner of his eye.

“Purity…”

“Hmm?” Purity responded without diverting her attention from her food.

“It’s rude to look away when addressing people… older people, you know.”

Purity heaved a sigh and let her fork land on her plate with a heavy clang and looked up towards Daddy.

“Yes Dad?”

“Now, I have no problem with you bringing your friends over, but if you want make unnecessary noise and practice that crazy ndombolo dance GO TO THE STADIUM!!! I can’t have such behaviour in my sitting room.”

Johnny suddenly burst out laughing uncontrollably, a morsel of food still in his mouth. He went on and on as the rest looked at him with surprise on their face wondering what was so funny. Johnny had remembered seeing Daddy peeking through the key hole of the sitting room when Purity’s friend had come over earlier that afternoon. He was on one knee, his spectacles on one hand and shaking head every few seconds. After Daddy’s rant and that image in Johnny’s head, the boy could not hold in his laughter any more. He just had to let it all out. The fish bone in his mouth soon found its way to his throat and just like the laughter, the urgent choking gurgling sound came abruptly too. The look in his eyes transformed from playful amusement to absolute terror.

Mummy was by his side before he knew it and had him stomach-down on her lap thumping away at his back like a drummer doing an impressive solo. Purity was kneeling down holding his head, screaming something Johnny could not quite hear. Daddy paced up, down and all over occasionally leaning over to inspect the progress of the first aid. The laughter started coming back, starting first at his ribs and lungs, receiving a gulp of air in then out. It made its way up his throat and voice box but all he could manage was an odd sound somewhere between choking and laughter.

***

9.20 PM

Johnny had somehow swallowed the bone but Daddy was taking no chances. He had taken Johnny for a quick check-up at the neighbour’s, Dr. Panesar – a registered trainee doctor. Daddy often took anyone in the house who was sick to see Dr. Panesar first because going to the hospital was “unnecessarily expensive to go to for just malaria”. Besides, Daddy was always giving Panesar’s daughter good grades at school despite being a poor student so he was always owed one.

After being taken through the motions of determining if he was really going to live, Johnny lay on a sofa in Panesar’s living room. He pretended to be concentrating on the news on TV but was really listening in on the conversation between Daddy and the doctor.

“So Doc, I’ve been taking lots of fibre in my diet as you advised. What could still be possibly wrong with me?”

“Constipation is a very complex creature, Mr. Mambo. It requires a delicate balance. In as much as fibre is good, you should take care to avoid diarrhea as well. That is also bad for you as it irritates the piles.”

“Oh really? I’ve been having a bit more bowel movements than usual.”

“You should also avoid orgasms if you can…”

Daddy laughed hard – something Johnny had not seen or heard for quite a while.

“Orgasms?! What does sex have to do with constipation, my friend?”

“Odd as it may sound, those two organs down there are connected in ways you can’t imagine. It is not by accident that they are so close to each other. You could also just be stressed. Stress does not help either.”

Orgasm? Constipation? Sex? Stress? All these words were strange to Johnny. What were these things? He pondered over them, as the adults summed up their discussion.

***

10.00 PM

Johnny was being tucked into bed by Mummy after the rather dramatic evening. Mummy said she thought maybe it was too soon for him to start eating fish with the bones like the rest of them, despite his protests. She kissed his affectionately and headed for the door.

“Mummy, is Daddy sick?” John asked after deciding it was only the right thing to do.

Mummy turned around, startled.

“Sick? Why do you think he is sick?”

“He was talking to the doctor and said something is wrong with him.”

“He said that?”

“Yes.The doctor said it is something called Constipation. And also Sex. And also Orgasm. What are those? Are they like malaria, Mummy? Is that why Daddy is not happy?”

Mummy was obviously overwhelmed, judging from the look on her face. She stood there for a minute, trying to find what to say and how to say it. Johnny innocent eyes eagerly looked back at her.

“I’ll tell you about it tomorrow,” she finally said. “I’ll tell you about it only if you get all my questions right tomorrow, okay?"

“Okay Mummy. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Mummy switched of the lights. Before she slept, she thought about the hardest math question for an eight year old boy.

Private Solutions: A Tale of Political Awakening and coming-of-Age in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 06:56:00 +0000

"Loss and liberation. They often appear together. Some say this applies just as strongly for countries as it does for individuals." _ Luka Sollo

I intended to write this book review in May right after the glitzy launch of the new political party affiliated with presidential hopeful Uhuru Kenyatta – The National Alliance – but fate had other plans. By some stroke of bad luck, I lost my copy of the book after a brief visit to a cyber café in Nairobi’s CBD (has ANYONE ever recovered anything misplaced in a Kenyan cyber café?)! In as much as I knew where I could get access to another copy of the book I intended to review, I would never get back the relevant timing of the TNA party launch. However, I am luckily afforded another opportunity now that the country is still abuzz owing to Miguna Miguna’s launch of his memoirs, Peeling Back The Mask, written after his fallout with our PM Raila Odinga.

The book I speak of is Private Solutions: A Tale of Political Awakening and Coming-of-Age in Africa, written and self-published in 1999 by Steven Were Omamo, a Director at the World Food Programme and also a role-player in economics and food policy circles of the AU and UN. It proves very interesting reading given the format and content of the story. This novel takes the form of “memoir fiction” or autofiction – an autobiographical account of moments in the lives of fictional characters. What results from this unique style is a book-within-a-book of sorts. Private Solutions is centred on Luka Sollo, an economics lecturer and the member of a newly formed political party of a fictional African country. In as much as the country is fictional, the discerning Kenyan reader will have a great time lifting the thinly veiled metaphors peppered throughout the entire book – references to towns such as Terodlé, Umusik and Urukan, references to geographical features such as The Valley and The Great Lake, etc.

The genesis of the story is the brutal murder of Luka’s father under mysterious circumstances that lead Luka to believe that all is not well when a poor squatter is arrested and charged. It is this quest for the truth (and subsequent death of one of his colleagues) that thrusts Luka into the murky world of domestic politics where he uncovers a sinister plot by politicians from a regional block to secede from the rest of the country and form a secluded government. It is shocking how the situation being envisaged by these rogue politicians mirror all the political upheavals that have shook this country post independence, that is, the creation of ethnic tensions (1992 clashes), military involvement (1982 coup attempt) and the exploitation of ethnic tensions to change the destiny of the country (2007 post-election violence).

Luka shakes off his middle class apathy (often cited as one of Kenya’s socio-political quagmires) and decides to have a say in shaping the destiny of his country in political terms. His acquaintance with one Dr. Tai Ogundipe, a wise and charismatic Nigerian with the flair of Fela Kuti and the determined resolve seen in the likes of Miguna Miguna, further cements his decision and he begins the process of coming up with a political party that will shake the status quo of the nation and finally bring reprieve to its long-oppressed citizens. It is Ogundipe that provides an accurate description of the status quo, which rings true for most African countries:

“First you can be sure that Letat will continue to use the ethnicity card to buy time; more people will be killed, maimed, orphaned, raped, rendered homeless as a result… Second, … new wealth will not be shared by all citizens but will instead accrue to a favored few… Third, mismanagement of your public sector will continue and likely deepen… That is the country you will have by the end of Letat’s current term.”

The subsequent e-mail correspondences between Luka and Ogundipe as the party is formed and progresses provide what can only be described as an impressive guide to creating a progressive political party for Africa. That segment is so good; it is easy to forget that the book is fictional and treat it like essential strategy notes: The party’s top brass comprises of professionals under 40 years of age from different sectors and of both genders. The party is advised not to have a nationalist agenda based on xenophobia and exclusive notions but nationalism striving towards an open, assimilating nation. Their sourcing of funding is mainly from the domestic population who are viewed as “partners” or “investors”, the rationale being that the more the population invests financially in a political project the more committed they will be, as opposed to other parties that rely on foreign funding or funding from a select few to serve the interests of a few. As regards the fight against corruption, Ogundipe points out to Luka that the best method of attacking the vice is not a high profile campaign asking or compelling people to forgo corrupt activities (which in most cases are just private solutions/resorts to wider public problems). The best methods would be to instead concentrate on the wider public problems that fuel corruption –provide basic amenities, improve infrastructure, make vital goods and services more affordable, promote job creation etc:

“If we Africans have a signal feature, it is that we specialize in devising private solutions to public problems. We are compelled to...From the ugly water tanks on house after house even in the most posh residential neighborhood…to the growing number of school age children herding livestock in rural villages during school hours…Shoddy public utilities mean that we all have to be at least partially self sufficient in water and power…Retirees with meager incomes…do as their parents did three quarters of a century ago; they send their kids into the fields with animals…So the point you need to get across to the average man and woman is that a vote for you is a vote for a party that will seek public solutions to public problems.”

As regards washing off tribal prejudices, things take a more personal turn as the party’s top brass (all from different ethnic communities) talk about where their tribal prejudices emerged and it is discovered that the “apathy, paralysis and easily-ignited blind rage” resulting from ethnic-based clashes had been exploited by past and present regimes to keep focused, progressive opposition divided:

“After that things got more personal. We talked about tribalism and what it has meant to each of us as individuals. We lamented the many conversations that had been ruined, friendships hijacked by ethnically insensitive remarks…And each story was tinged not only with anger and bitterness, but also with a strong determination to hold on to that which had been ridiculed – be it foreskin, skin tone, head size, lip size, teeth angle, accent, whatever – and in doing so remain true to the tribe…talking about it helped. We laughed a lot.”

The final punch the book drives home is how the country’s loss can eventually be the beginning of its liberation, as with individuals. The loss of Luka’s father eventually leads to his getting a fresh burst of life and hope through the small gains his party makes in the course of the general elections. The same probably rings true in Kenya. The apparent loss of our lives and freedoms since independence right through to the 2007 Post-Elections violence and beyond should propel a desire to change the status quo, to speak out and oppose injustice and to strive towards the sanitization of our democratic space and rights. And as many have said before, if we see little value in the lives already lost or wasted, then perhaps more should be lost until the point sinks home.

Steven Were Omamo wonderfully crafts the novel for quick, enjoyable reading (being only 160 pages long) despite all the amazing perspectives and raw facts on how to spark Africa’s socio-political renaissance. There are lots of quintessential Kenyan anecdotes and funny incidents to make you laugh along the way to the back cover as well. I dare say that this book is more relevant to the country now than when it was published 13 years ago! There is a sense of political awareness building up right across the board and there still is a lingering question on our minds that remains unanswered: What if the PEV of 2007 had raged on? This book adds further questions – what if it had raged on to the point of secession? As we proceed to another election period soon, do any of the political parties in place come close to resembling the impressive set up of Luka Sollo’s PNN party? Good thing is that the book not only poses vital questions but also suggests much needed solutions as well. The views expressed here are not utopian but realistic ones alive to the unique challenges the African continent is faced with. Everybody should read it as soon as possible.

PS: Now, to my knowledge, copies of this book are very scarce indeed. I could only trace a single physical copy on sale on Amazon. That is why the review is as lengthy and quote-laden as it is – so that as many people as possible get the gist of the book. However, the author may be contacted via his LinkedIn page or the email address provided in the book: swomamo@yahoo.com to discuss getting copies of the book on order.

Juliani: The Roadtrip

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 17:49:00 +0000

From Studio Ang (the good folks who did Just A Band’s Kichwateli video) comes this half-hour documentary covering Juliani’s roadtrip to Mombasa for the coastal version of the launch of his album Pulpit Kwa Street late last year. Using social media (Google + in particular) he selected five fans to tag along and share the experience. Their journey from Nairobi to Mombasa is a symbolic return to the roots of modern Kenya’s urban culture, given the fact that the coast has been buzzing with all sorts of social, economic and cultural interaction long before the colonial times. Juliani takes note of this by acknowledging his need to do a coastal launch for the album – folks at the coast have a special appreciation for words, he says. The documentary also traces back the origins of this master lyricist in Nairobi’s Dandora slums and the Mau Mau camp.

It’s not all about Juliani though. We get a glimpse into what the five fans are about. Through them, it is easy to detect how Juliani’s music resonates across the board irrespective of class or gender (the lady fans can rap along to his songs word for word as well). There are several touching and human moments when they visit a pioneer of Emeli town – not forgetting the kids trying their hand at freestyle rap there - and a drug rehabilitation centre in Mombasa.

All in all, it is a relaxed and warm documentary that is quite pleasing to watch. Combining, Bobb Muchiri’s directing skills and the musical supervision by JAB’s Bill “Blinky” Sellanga, it is hard to expect anything less One can sense how Juliani and almost every other participant seem to have had quite a good time making it.. The beautiful shots of all the locations they traverse in their journey brings that “Safaricom ad” spellbound feeling, but with much more relevance gained this time.

I’m hoping that more of this type of documentaries – those with an urban/cultural context – will be made in the very near future as we explore more out-of-the box methods of getting the Kenyan story told.

Juliani: The Roadtrip

Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:07:00 +0000

Welcoming the weekend with a selection of danceables. Highlights include:
One of my favorite azonto tracks right now Lapaz Toyota // Fena Gitu's brand new banger, Africa Massive - still available for free download HERE // Range Rover from Sauti Sol's self-titled EP (listen to/buy it HERE) // The usual tunes from Flo Rida, Neyo, KiD CuDi and Drake // Cranking up the bass in the last 15 minutes with some tropical bass, kuduro and dubstep from Skrillex, Uproot Andy, Labrinth, Buraka Som Sistema and Wiley

As usual, here's the DOWNLOAD LINK...

Space Monkeys Flying Over Napoleon's Penis

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:48:00 +0000

There is no time to prepare, there is no time. Somehow, Death comes in a way to suggest it is assisting you to escape from something more dreadful than itself. Makes you wonder what is more dreadful than being wedged underneath six feet of dirt, stone cold with your own thoughts as the only company – or your ashy particles scattered into the sea, each minute particle just as lonely as the next. Even those in death row are not given the time to keep everything in order.

Unfortunately, life and death are both lucky dips – “Come baby, come!” and “Gone baby, gone!” are never fitted well enough into the script to make them quote worthy. The odds are always changing. A carefully planned birth, a mother’s son blessed with a rich father is judged by the unwashed masses for having dirty underwear or holes in his socks (at the same time looking through his pockets) right after his beamer skids off the hilly hairpin bend into the rocky valley below. A nasty brutish life below the poverty line is somehow recognized by all the trappings a government funded, press attended funeral and is one of the subjects of an investigative documentary destined for prime time news slots right after that life is extinguished by an oil pipeline accident – the source of upped ratings like Wacko Jacko or George Saitoti. No, nobody wants anything like that.

At least some of the small small things should get organized then if we can’t sort the big stuff like redemption or forgiveness. Yes, yes, yes…We’d prefer it’s the torso not the head that gets mashed to a pulp – some of us are just too beautiful to miss out on an open casket ceremony. We want some time to at least get that porno disc out of the DVD player before bashing our heads against our own bathtubs etc etc. Yes, everybody wants something like that.

Even for those of us who chose to make a carefully planned exit, the small stuff still proves sweaty. Jumping off the top of your apartment building could as well be setting someone else up for manslaughter. Jihadist martyrs may at certain points ponder the utility of the 72 virgins right at that last millisecond when their genitals are being pulverized by explosives, for we do not know what form the soul takes or if it indeed resembles the body, what liberties are permitted with our souls or with other souls for that matter. How will the mating of such pure beings be like? Right at that very moment before someone presses the button that will ignite the C4 wedged all around his balls as he screams his chosen battle cry, does he stop to even think, “Oh hey, do we still get functioning dicks when it’s done?” does he?

Still on the subject of dicks, what the hell happened to Napoleon Bonaparte’s penis? Would he have opted to blow himself to bits like the fundamentalist jihadist if he knew the shriveled remains of his dick would be paraded around secret auctions around the world? Is he rolling in his grave and lamenting how his penis should have been preserved fully erect and in its full glory (despite its alleged small size)? Indeed, the process of dying is still complicated in itself too. Everyone, every living thing is converted to a unique kind of martyr, each advancing causes and courses of the lives left behind in big or small but mutable ways. A bunch of oblivious Rhesus monkeys became the pioneers of space travel and had a rare view of the planet earth without their knowledge, never mind that the term “monkey” still being used as with a racist connotation implying all that is dark, inferior, unintelligent and devoid of civilization.

If the wonders of the deep ocean bed are still new to us, who will be able to see a pinprick of light after death engulfs them in a blanket of blackness so thick they can feel it? If life before and during death is so shrouded in mystery, how dreadful is the depth of the mysteries of life after death? Maybe Paradise is life stuck in a beautiful moment so brief if you blink you may miss it. Maybe it is infinite time stuck within the same beautiful space forever. All this, we shall know soon, or not so soon…

Sauti Sol EP : A Review (Sort Of)

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:49:00 +0000

“Everybody loves my new car/ all of a sudden I am a sexy man…” _ Sauti Sol

Last year, there was a slight surprise (at least from my end) when Sauti Sol released Mara Hio Hio, a track inspired by Fela Kuti’s Lady featuring Nigeria’s Supa Hype and our very own Muthoni the Drummer Queen. Following their hugely successful debut album Mwanzo and the follow up Sol Filosofia, the band had established a signature sound/style of the down-tempo, soulful variety as evidenced by their most popular song to date – Lazizi – a tune that is never absent from each and every talent show audition in Kenya. There were traces of deviation from the norm in the second album (tracks like Soma Kijana and Private Spice) but Mara Hio Hio gave much stronger signals of the band’s willingness to subtly reach out beyond their signature sound and dive into less “comfortable” genres. However, the best indicator of how far Sauti Sol can stretch is the band’s brand new self-titled EP that is nothing less than a bagful of pleasant surprises.

For this project, they enlisted the production skills of South African producer/artiste Spoek Mathambo and his crew Nombolo One. Spoek Mathambo’s musical style mainly consists of fearless genre blending while maintaining his African roots as the canvas for his work, earning him the tag of the latest afrofuturist sensation. His recently released second full length album Father Creeper is a testament to this and he enjoyed a good run at the 2012 SXSW mega concert as well. So, from the get go it was already guaranteed that this EP would be very different from all other previous Sauti Sol projects.

Despite the impending clash between Sauti Sol and Mathambo’s artistic personalities, the EP’s strongest points are in its opener and following track (attack is the best form of defence anyway). Love or Leave is a perfect balance between these two styles, keeping in touch with benga/lingala elements that define both groups’ African roots. Sauti Sol is also at its most liberated vocal state here, going head to head with the musical arrangement. Later on, the band gets more and more vocally controlled, hardly getting room to breathe above Mathambo’s great weaving dance of the genres from the Jamiroquai style pop in Disco Lover to electro-house in Dxynamix produced Mr. Money. This may prove to be quite some shock therapy for the die-hard traditional Sauti Sol fan.

Everything is total genius in Range Rover - the cleverly used riff off Muddy Waters’ Mannish Boy building up to an energetic frenzy that is bound to please on any dance floor in the world, as well as its distinctly smug lyrics oozing innuendos of afrocentric success (“Everybody loves my new car/ all of a sudden I am a sexy man…/Range-y Rover, Range-y Rover”). It is a statement of a fresh and new, grown up, game changing approach to the way Sauti Sol intend to do things - like a brand new Range Rover tearing down the Thika Superhighway. If I was in charge of CMC Kenya, I'd be itching to do something with this music-video ready track.

Summer Love teeters all over light afro beat, jazz and a seasoning of blaxploitation soul with no intention of committing to one or the other, in line with Nombolo One’s enigmatic determination not to be boxed-in. Meanwhile, Slow featuring Spoek Mathambo and Dela cannot avoid being compared with Mathambo’s excellently done Melodi featuring The Frown off his covers project Nombolo One. Whether this is a disadvantage remains to be seen.

In a nutshell, this EP will go a long way in widening the appreciation of Sauti Sol’s brand worldwide in as much as it may catch on slowly on the local front. Muthoni DQ and Bamzigi already caught some far-flung attention with their afro-jungle/afro-bass offerings. Now it’s time for Sauti Sol to try their hand at something radically different but at the same time taking care not to lose themselves in the musical woods.

Scoot over to the Sauti Sol EP Bandcamp page to cop Love or Leave for FREE and to listen to/buy the rest of the EP.

MOTDF

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:30:00 +0000

It's all about hi-tempo this time around, a bit of this and that perfect for a one hour warm up dance - house, dance, some ghettotech, some tropical and coupe decale - sometimes mashed up, Other times remixed but all of em served raw.

Special Highlights: Habida's new single Girls Night Out whose video just came out // A special Najindian remix of D'Banj's Oliver Twist // Yuna's hit Live Your Life gets a pretty neat remix // A bit of kwaito house from Soul-T and DJ Cleo now that they'll be in Kenya for Blankets & Wine on the 23rd // The strangely popular Azonto song (I still don't get it) // one of my fave coupe decale tracks On S'Eclate from Bebi Philip // Dee-M remix from Beyonce's End Of Time Remix Competition - couldn't find the Kenyan submissions by Wawesh and the rest on time // etc etc.

S/O to Cathy "C-Bone" Mimano for contributing to the album art :)

Download HERE

HD

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:17:00 +0000

A brief, straightforward set dominated by smooth-as-LEGOs transitions whose selections get moodier by the minute. Highlights include: Labrinth's lead single off the Electronic Earth album // Stuff from Nneka's new album, Soul Is Heavy // Camp Mulla's new single Hold It Down peppered with a bit of Kanye West on both ends of it // The usual bangers from Minaj, Wayne, B.o.B, Rick Ross, Drake, Chipmunk etc. // The most controversial single of last year Yonkers by Tyler The Creator // Moody stuff from KiD CuDi and Frank Ocean // and summing up with the showcase end featuring Ethiopia's Saba Kahsay with her magnificent voice...

As usual, DOWNLOAD HERE.

The Big Brother Africa Fights: Another Feminist Facade

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:04:00 +0000

“…it’s our curse/Don’t cry about it, don’t cry about it/This is what makes us girls…” – Lana Del Rey

Now here’s the thing – I do not really watch that thing called Big Brother Africa. The type of voyeurism it offers is not enough to keep me up late into the night, am sorry. However, I have come to know all the usual highlights of an average season of that show – shenanigans you would expect from a bunch of young folk stuck in a single space for 90 days with the promise of millions in cash – X will be out trying to get into Y’s pants, X and Y deciding whether to hate A or B, X actually getting into Y’s pants, altercations and provocations to get somebody else evicted etc etc. The one that really takes the cake though is when a female housemate gets into a confrontation with a male housemate leading to the exchanging of blows and/or slaps. This is usually followed by a deluge of feminist ranting about violence towards women and discussions about what a “real” man is or what a “real” man does. It has been no different on this season’s BBA. Right after Sierra Leone’s Zainab and Ghana’s DKB landed their palms on each other’s faces yesterday, the feminist chatter on the internets has not yet let up. Amidst all the noise, I found the peace of mind to ask myself whether this incident and similar incidents of its kind merit the status of an example of violence towards women.

All incidents of this kind tend to end up in the entire wrath being directed towards the male participant in the fight. I was in the club recently and I happened to witness a woman walking up to a man and starting a verbal and physical altercation with him. When it was apparent nothing sensible would come out of the situation, the man simply tried to push her out of the way, and leave. The woman, who had all this time been cussing out, landing blows and provoking the man to dare hit her, fell to the ground with the kind of drama that would make the likes of Didier Drogba proud, you’d think she’d been hit by an eighteen-wheeler. The bouncers immediately swung into action and threw the guy out without as much as finding out what had gone down. What was more appalling was the fact that some of the folks who had witnessed the entire incident from the start had the audacity to loudly conclude that the guy had it coming, that a real man never hits a woman… I mean, WTF!!!

From what I have gathered it was similar with BBA’s DKB and Zainab. The chick invaded the dude’s privacy, provoked an altercation, and got a slap for her crude efforts to get her housemate evicted. To try and link this to violence against women is, in my opinion, utter bollocks and a travesty to the good intentions of what feminism should stand for. After her eviction, Zainab also descended upon twitter with her take on the entire incident:

“A REAL MAN NEVER HITS A WOMAN” is one of the most contextually misplaced and incomplete statements of all time. Nothing is one way. Everyone deserves just desserts for the type of person they try to be, especially in the context of DKB vs. Zainab. A woman who carries herself in a lady-like manner will no doubt attract reasonable and composed reactions even when they are involved in serious disagreements with men and even fellow women. However, acting like a crass bitch and expecting to be treated like a lady just because you possess the opposite of a penis is trying to stretch things a bit too far. Unfortunately, most womenfolk believe it is their right to be treated well irrespective how they behave. That this can be used as a feminist talking point - that many women can run around chanting this phrase referring to events such as the BBA fight, oblivious to its connotation that women are incapable of having a rational argument or without acting in an erratic manner, without realizing that this is an admission of women being inferior to men - is embarrassing to say the least. Alternatively, I would not have a problem with this statement when used to refer to repeated, unjustifiable acts of violence towards women – wife battery, assault of girlfriends, sexual slavery, human trafficking and such serious issues. But to support a BBA contestant goading her opponent for the sake of monetary gain, or just through being an unpleasant, unreasonable and confrontational human being who just happens to be a woman by design, really?

Yes, the constant double standards plaguing modern day feminism is its main undoing. That feminism today cannot take a stand on equality and gender roles makes everything even more confusing. Zainab above also comments how certain men “do not know how to deal with women” begging the question whether women are only good for being “dealt with” by men much like the way we deal with dogs who merely rely on the powers of instincts and notions of reward and punishment. I want to believe that women are capable of dealing with themselves, defining themselves and determining how their interactions with men should be, and taking responsibility for these interactions as individuals instead of fleeing back into the cocoon of womanhood when things go terribly wrong.

The principal failure of modern day feminism mirrors the failure of radical fundamentalist religion which is that they demand special treatment as opposed to equal treatment. No progress will be made when people demand to be treated like The Iron Lady and at the same time like The Princess and the Pea. The premise of feminism when defining womanhood has to move from “the opposite of manhood” to “similar to humanity”. Until feminists are ready to meet the rest of the world halfway, they shall continue to lead women deeper into the hole of disillusionment much like the predicament of the African-American still wondering which dilemma to resolve first between deciding whether to allow white people to say the word “Nigga” out loud or deciding whether to respond to the Pound Cake Speech.

Let’s face it. Zainab being slapped by DKB is NOT a feminist talking point or an example of violence towards women and/or the helpless. It’s just bad television…

UPDATE: Here is Aisha's response to this post.

Willi Willi: The Art Of Unintentional Satire

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:55:00 +0000

I came across this video while looking through stuff in a pal's laptop the other day. It's by a bunch of Ugandans with some "foreign" input somewhere in there... Check it out first:

Of course, the initial and most natural reaction was to have an epic laugh, and laugh I did. In fact, I don't think I've laughed as hard since Eli Porter v. Envy. Then it happened. IT. The realisation that there was more than just a hint of seriousness by these ladies and gentlemen. A level of genuine seriousness which betrays a veiled intention that these folks may have had every intention to produce something that would be comfortably placed in a playlist with the Mavados, Vybz Kartels and Beenie Men of this world. Obviously, intent and content come together dangerously here and form a mind-blowing satire served as a visual last laugh. A last laugh at the now-aware viewer who watches in shock as Frankenstein does The Willi Willi Dance...

This is a last laugh at younger society - maddened by the sudden resurgence of dancehall and such genres where the dance came before the song, obsessed with the end without regard to the means, Deeper-Than-Deep-V skinny jeans clad society,willing to forget the misdeeds of these new swaggerific missionaries who disrespectfully came all over our women like it was just another Passa Passa night in the 'yard'....

This is a last laugh at younger Africa - whose roots are always taste of something funny no matter how well cooked, microwave mayonnaise and all... Younger Africa frolicking with geisha girls whose brothers in Japan rebuild their country weeks after tragedies...

Its not all gloom though, these artistes generously hand over the last laugh back to us in the closing scenes when one of the guys (enjoying a head bob on one of the chicas bums) gets farted on at super close quarters - and how the fucktard tries to keep his composure until the vid fades to black!!!! That was the crowning moment for me, I considered it kind of a way to say life is never that serious, some debauchery is always in order to spice things up...

PS: JUST KIDDING!!! I love this music vid to bits - We all do! That explains the 13.8 MILLION hits on YouTube. I hope Matasia Star is taking notes...

Good Vibrations II

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Mixture of new and not so new riddims plus a bunch of underrated ones that have not got the attention they deserve... Special Mentions: Worldwide Riddim, After Summer Riddim, Love Fling Riddim, Dancehall Plague Riddim, and Konshens' new banger Gal A Bubble...

The last bit is a showcase segment featuring Abbas, Chantelle and Cindy reppin' for East Africa and mashup of sorts between Nicki Minaj and Notorious B.I.G.

Download HERE

36 Hours in the Dark Ages

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Saturday morning. It has been 36 hours plus without electricity, and I am done with making all sorts of speeches directed towards that much hated, recently re-branded monopoly that supplies us with that commodity – KPLC. I have raved, ranted, tweeted hate and called the concerned numbers in vain, but those folks, it seems, have a steely and constipated resolve not to give a shit. To add insult to injury, the neighbouring buildings bulbs are lighting brightly, so bright they almost burn the nerves in a way that seems to say, “You are children of lesser gods, deal with it bros and brosettes..” I have finally come to terms with the fact that I will have to spend the rest of the weekend back in Stone Ages and a hypothetical digital Dark Age. Never mind that last Saturday, the entire country was plunged into darkness without warning or apology. On Friday, the realization that my life is almost completely dependent on electricity made me toy with the idea of behaving like it did not even exist yet if is restored at any point before Monday.

Saturday afternoon. I’ve decided I’ll do some reading. Save for a collection of Lenin’s (sometimes irritating) collection of speeches, letters and articles by Lenin on Imperialism and another on China’s venture in courting newly-independent Africa in the 60s with reasonable success today (I found out recently that our government-issue condoms are now CHINESE branded, Quandong or some shit like that, ignoring the irony of that joke about penis sizes across the continents – goddamned chinks! ), apart from those two books, I have read pretty much every tangible literature in my possession, everything else being in soft copy format. The last tangible book I bought was Kwani? 06 last year and consumed it within the week. It hits me that 70% of my reading has been entirely web-based – blogs, tweets, articles, that kind of thing. That’s just how we obtain information and get entertained these days (quoting from Laureezy’s blog post). I begin to envy the average man of the 17th and 18th Century, they had the privilege of enjoying the concept of the story primarily at its most basic form – orally, their enjoyment of the same limited only to the audience’s and the story teller’s imagination. The art of conversation was not lost to them or limited to 140 characters at a time. The use of “quite” and “rather” in describing something conveyed different nuances. To say that this state was complete bliss for them is a lie. Books and newspapers blew their minds, the advent of cinema and telecommunication as well, but there was something lost somewhere between then and now, I think – blame capitalism, blame globalization, blame anything else, but something was lost. But that is a story I have told many times before.

Saturday evening. I’ve slept most of the day, in fact as soon as two paragraphs into Lenin. Sleep has been accompanied by a mixture of dreams and nightmares. That kinds of nightmare about a six inch hook deep in your little toe and centipedes, squirming underneath your shirt, yeah. The worst nightmare though is the realization that I simply cannot do without electricity, it has become a basic human right, all the way up there with food and *ahem* internet. It has become an indispensible addiction that fuels other worse addictions. So maybe KPLC’s inefficiency is unintentionally in our best interests to wean us and make us psychologically prepared for the unlikely eventuality that the world goes to shit soon and suddenly. Isn’t 2012 the official year of the End of the World? How prepared are we for a calamitous world where the most basic of needs will be a struggle to find, let alone electricity or internet access? In the Kenyan context, the world has nearly gone to shit more than twice (1982 coup, 1992 clashes, 2007 PEV etc etc) – how ready are we to kick in our survival instincts? Will we be ready to eat our own dogs (they are among the first species to die in apocalypse theories anyway because we have BABIED their survival genes away for thousands of years), will we be ready to re-embark on nomadic lifestyles as our ancestors before us, will we be able to find hope if we do not even know the direction of Mecca or even Mount Kenya? Will we be able to believe that in the blackness of a modern Dark Age there will exist rays of hope?

* * *

Every now and then, I see an interesting ad on the digital billboard at the Haile Selassie roundabout. It goes something like:

“BAD NEWS… THE ECONOMY SUCKS… *insert gloomy face* GOOD NEWS… PK CHEWING GUM STILL AT 5 BOB!! *insert happy face, mouth full of gum, or something that rhymes with gum*”

For those of us who still take lunch at Chips Msimamos – those fast food joints which get so full most you are standing while eating and those sitting eating as fast as the closest standing person because of the shame, the shame, the shame, like that shame of sitting in a face-me mat while a nyanye stands – for us, yes, the economy sucks. Everything seems to appreciate by the hour – fuel, bills, basic commodities, alcohol, data plans, healthcare etc etc. However, we still carry that blind faith that certain commodity process will never change. At certain point, the list of “untouchables” was rather long, ranging from salt to matchsticks to condoms (did I just mention that the free condoms are from China these days?). Most of these sold out to their capitalist urges or just market forces, but I’ll take this chance to honour a commodity that has remained reasonably steadfast over the years – the good old mandazi. You can get that shit anywhere for 5 bob, not more not less. It is probably one of the last “untouchable” available today. Mandazi na chumvi. Too bad that can’t go too well with tea. That’s just how it is…

Friday

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:23:00 +0000

An hour and a half from last Friday night... Track list says it all...

Download HERE.

Dance Afrique

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:46:00 +0000

Predominantly African and African-based party sounds from here and there including: hot new tracks by Keko and Madtraxx as well as Liquideep // Remixes/mashups by Filipe C, Douster and Chief Boima // PLUS: A 15 minute tribute to the classics - Youssou N'Dour, Nzimande All Stars' 1980 tune "Breadwinner" and finishing off with some Fela performing Shuffering & Shmiling Part 2 off the No Agreement album...

Download HERE

I Didn't Sing But I Saw

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:50:00 +0000

*Pic sourced from @marcusolang*

Sometime between 1:00PM and 1:07PM today (my phone likes to lie to keep our relationship "spicy"), inspired by Marcus Olang's twitpics of a certain work of art that had popped up overnight in the CBD, I got my ass off my workstation deep in one of those frustrating offices along Harambee Avenue that can make a trip face-down through an acre full of daisies feel like heaven to a pollen intolerant man. Yes, I stood up and began a walk towards Muindi Mbingu Street just the way I had planned it right down to the last step the previous night - Avoiding the lift, taking the longest possible route and obeying the traffic lights in a way your average Nairobian pedestrian WOULDN'T. Behold, twenty minutes later, this is the marvel that caught my eye:

Graffiti'd on the wall bordering an empty space right after City Market where folks often like to chill under trees at lunchtime et cetera, this Banksy-esque piece seemed to have been made by the recent rains overnight. I mean, I'd walked past that wall four days ago and the paint was not there. A random, spontaneous marvel.

What pleased me more was watching the passers-by's unscripted and spontaneous reaction to the wall. Many at first walked on oblivious for a few steps then literally stopped at the first glance at wall, smiling at the pleasant surprise. Others whipped out their phones to take a picture of/with the wall, much like they would upon spotting a celebrity. Others looked around and at each other as if to ask "WHO DID THIS?!" A bird's eye view would have revealed that sort of layout you normally see in an art exhibition - the main crowd at a distance, absorbing the work in its entirety. Most pleasant of all was listening the small clusters of people, mobile or static TALK - it was a random discussion of sorts everybody seeming to talk at the same time.

"The vulture's arms are chained to the seat, sindio?"

"What in the world is that!!!" "Yeah, what happened to that maize?" "Ile mbuku Oginga Odinga... Not Yet Uhuru..." "Mummy, even me I know how to draw aeroplane!"

etc. etc. etc.

Probably the best lunch time I have had this year (so far), despite the sweaty collar I got (small price to pay), no doubt. I had a feeling that even singing the national anthem on Tuesday would not have made me feel this good.

* * *

I think the best revolutionary or constitutional moments are those that are unscripted, quantum and stumbled upon from unlikely sources. Those branded as voiceless suddenly discover they can speak and be heard. They come from that one overlooked anomaly smack in the middle of the status quo. That persistent stain in the spotless white shirt and labcoats used for "new and improved" detergent commercials and experiments to do with mind control on a massive scale.

Pass by The Wall sometime...

The Morning

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:45:00 +0000

The morning lies about everything, it lies from the start. The morning lies that the night is still young yet the night succumbed to its own cancer. Yes, the night's will was already perused and destroyed upon discovery that you were named as the sole beneficiary. The morning makes the mirror your enemy, especially when it demands to be addressed by its full names in recognition of the completion of dangerous missions peppered with cool gizmos and martini swirls - "The name's After, Morning After...Shaken and shaken..." Of course, the A.M. proves more than skilled in the art of conversation and even talk of the weather will still feel refreshing and life-changing. But when the morning speaks, the morning speaks to scheme, it hastens to entertain with worthless banter in an effort to make you forget or dismiss your dreams.

The morning makes you run a marathon in an F1 track. Unknown to you, that nanosecond spent in the shower or the breakfast table smiling at a resurgent good memory has to be paid for through the nose. Every new day, the working masses sit prostrate in a disorganized mess of asphalt, steel and fume as if paying homage to an unidentified Moloch whose image and likeness is manifested in the collective form of CBDs worldwide. The reverent worship is accentuated by the psychotic chants of morning radio call-in sessions.

The morning carefully manipulates the seasons like slides of a silent film creating the illusion of constant change. Constant change of scene without constant change of state. Through the morning we are condemned to exist within the confines of wonderfully lit vacuum tubes emitting forth rays of electons each carrying its load of propaganda. A show so spellbinding, we continue to exist only because we have totally forgotten that we need to breathe. And the status quo persists through the static. The Early Bird still hovers above a nation of wormholes and the straight line remains a multiple set of perfectly circular dots.

The morning has sucessfully held its place as the custodian of second chances, the registrar of clean slates and the supplier of new leaves. It is the beautiful lie that never lasts as long as it should. Postcard sunrises are replaced with ember-hot afternoons and tiny shadows as the masses take refuge in the shade and talk about how tomorrow will be a good day. Later, even more take refuge under the cover of their sheets and blankets under the cover of securely locked houses, surveilled by well-fed dogs and weeded security guards who do not know people - hiding from the dark reality of the night and its black light.

Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:35:00 +0000

50 minutes of new and old funky, ghettotech, dubstep and a few surprises to make the hump day of the week feel like a breeze. Highlight include; New stuff from Azealia Banks ,MIA , Santigold and Chief Boima // Brenmar's lovely remix of Rihanna's hit What's My Name // An interesting blend of Rick Ross dubsteped // etc etc.

Download HERE

Deeply Rooted - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:10:00 +0000

Part 2 of the long overdue tribute to The Roots' amazing discography. Just like last time, this session covers most of the 13 studio albums including the new one Undun including: stuff form the collabo albums with john Legend and Betty Wright // Ursula Rucker on the spoken word tip // more of the usual classic Roots tracks with an up-tempo segment towards the end.

Enjoy!

Download HERE

NB: I will re-up the other previous cloudcasts soon...

RIP Megaupload

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000

"I want to be like some terrorist, a socio-cultural terrorist. Radical and careless." _ Mehul Gohil, Farah Aideed Goes To The Gulf War

Amid all the noise surrounding SOPA and PIPA - a fresh attempt againt the current freedom enjoyed by internet users in the USA - many pundits had already predicted a worldwide detriment if the two bills were passed into law, hardly a surprise given the way that US foreign and economic policy seems to dictate that of the rest of the world, especially those of us in the Third World. Sure enough, the first casualty has faced the firing squad and its dismembered head is being displayed all over the internets, much akin to the infamous Osama slaying. Friends, Megaupload is no more!!

Yes, the Feds launched an indictment against owners and managers of the file-sharing site that we have come to use and love so much on various charges of copyright infringement that goes into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition, access to millions of links to files hosted by Megaupload is now impossible since it has been completely shut down. Of course, the pain and loss is being felt not only by American users but nearly the entire internet universe, including my very own virtual front door. I happened to use Megaupload exclusively to up my Mixcloud-hosted mixes along with other miscellaneous .rar files for private distribution. I now have to deal with re-upping around 5GB of files with the obvious time and money implications (this is Kenya, high-speed net at affordable prices are still something of a pipe dream, you know).

This murderous event is perhaps a foreshadow of the events to come if at all SOPA and PIPA are passed by the US legislative system. Perhaps a complete shut-down of other common file sharing sites: Rapidshare, Fileserve, Zshare or the increasingly popular late comer, Hulkshare? It could spell the end of YouTube, Vimeo and perhaps even the transformation of Facebook and Twitter to such levels of redundancy that the Chinese internet space is already used to.

Besides, the war on internet based piracy could present an interesting backlash against the spirit of American foreign policy. In Africa and other parts of the Third World, this war may rejuvenate traditional forms of piracy - physical bootlegging of CDs, DVDs, books etc - run by organised criminal enterprises, enterprises that have been proven to have links to terrorism, especially targeting America as opposed to the second degree bootlegging stemming from internet piracy itself (eg. that 50 bob movie guy you normally go to).

To some extent I have always considered Direct and P2P file-sharing a gift to the Third World, something like international donor funding only of the intellectual property kind. I mean, the way things are just do not support anything else!! Distribution of movies, books, films etc etc to Africa (and Kenya in particular) is currently pretty shitty as opposed to the vinyl 70s and 80s for example. physical distribution is expensive while internet-based distribution models such as iTunes requires retailers to own credit cards, while a majority of the population remains unbanked. Before the creators and distributors of intellectual property look for more innovative ways of marketing and selling their commodities to Africa (such as partnering with mobile money transfer systems such as M-Pesa) I do not see how the current status quo will fail to subsist.

Fancy Recollections

noreply@blogger.com (willpress) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Hallo 2012!!!

A chaotic, somewhat rusty collection of latecomers and leftovers from 2011 and earlier, along with some other timeless tracks. Highlights: Stuff from Camp Mulla's much anticipated debut alb, including the new single Fresh All Day// a bunch of nice blends with Drake, Notorious BIG and 6TreG lending some sweet vocals to some of the track // New stuff from Meek Mill and from Common's late December release Dreamer/Believer // Chino XL, Erykah Badu and Michael Jackson dropping some timeless verses// etc etc.

S/O to Samantha "Ying" Magutu for gracing the cover art.

Download HERE