BaraBara.fm – A Journey into the Sound of Kenya

Please visit our LAST SEEN AT Page for revised reports on the gps positions troughout Kenya. The Satelite view allows to zoom in and out and move around the adjoining places from on high.

Interview with Sven Kacirek about the BaraBara.fm project at the audiovoltaics digital music culture.
Comments are always appreciated.

The album is finished. It is not mastered yet but I finally drew up 13 different tracks that hopefully fit together pretty well. The album won t come out before October 2010 but the last days I have posted extracts of all 13 tracks to give you a better overview of the result. Furthermore you can listen to some extracts of the original field recordings I used for the tracks. And finally: Don t miss the videos of the Kenyan recording sessions, Agnieszka did on our journey into the sound of Kenya.
We are happy about any comments on the tracks.
Best wishes
Sven & Agnieszka

Track No 7: Lamu Flute Player
^{Flute Player Extract}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Flute Player From Lamu
Lamu Soundscape}

Track No 8: Singers From Kwale
^{Kwale Singers Extract}
Fieldrecordings:
^{A Cappella Choir
Solo Singer}

Track No 9: Matondoni Orchestra
^{Matondoni Orchestra Extract}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Matondoni Rhythm Section
Matondoni Orchestra 1
Matondoni Orchestra 2}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with the Matondoni Orchestra

Track No 10: Joseph Oganga
^{Joeseph Oganga Extract}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Nyatiti Take 1
Nyatiti Take 2
Vocal Take 1}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with Joseph Oganga

Track No 11: Rongo Village People
^{Rongo Village Extract}
Fieldrecodings:
^{Rongo Village Rhythm Section
Rongo Village Band}
Click here to watch the recording session in Rongo Village

Track No 12: Mwatela & Mbui
^{Mwatela & Mbui Extract}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Vocal Take
Shaker Take
Village Soundscape}
There is no video of the recording session yet. But you can watch a video Agnieszka did of the traditional schnapps ceremony right before the session started.

Track No 13: Takaye Preaching
^{Takaye Preacher Extraxt}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Divine Service}

Track No 4: Olith Ratego
^{Olith Ratego}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Olith Vocal Take
Road Trip}

Track No 5: Kayamba Orchestra
^{Kayamba Track}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Kayamba Take 1
Kayamba Take 2
Tuc Tuc}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with the Kayamba Orchestra

Track No 6: Ohangla Band
^{Ohangla Band}
Fieldrecordings:
^Band
Drums
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with Jack Nyadundo & Band

Comments are welcome!

Track No 1 : Ogoya Nengo
^{Ogoya Nengo}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Ogoya Vocal Take
Village Atmo/Preaching}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with Ogoya Nengo

Track No 2: Okumo Korengo
^{Okumo Korengo}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Okumo Vocal Take
Okumo Nyatiti Take}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session wit Okumo Korengo

Track No 3: Owino Koyo
^{Owino Koyo}
Fieldrecordings:
^{Owino Drum Take
Owino Vocal Take}
Click here to watch the video of the recording session with Owino Koyo

Please leave a comment.

This is an idea for the last track of the album. The track is based on a field recording I did on a hot Sunday in Takaye Village, just a stone ´s throw away from the Centre of Malindi. Early in the morning I had the chance to join a divine service. I got in touch with a small church community about 15 people. The preacher preached himself into a rage. Thank god that I had my MD-Player and the okm-mics with me…..

^{Takaye Preacher}

This is a first try based on the great Kayamba Recordings we did in Kwale. Don t miss the video of the recording session. It s amazing to see how 8 people play the Kayamba in unison.

^{kayamba track}

Journey in the Nyanza region on March 11th, where we met with the nyatiti player Okumo Korengo :

The People at Ogoya Nengo’s Village:

Best wishes for the new year 2010 to all of you !!

Here comes a new video about the recordings we did on march 25th in Matondoni, this small island close to Lamu.
The music of the traditional Kaswida group was so different from everything else, we had seen the days before.
At least ten male singers of three different generations sang a fiew melodies over and over while the rhythm group played and hammered continuously a very monoton and ruminant beat.
The slow and coordinated movements of the old men and young boys were graceful and full of inner fragility. A lot of children were playing around us and the veiled women regarded the dance from the background. While we sweat at 35 °C.
Listen to the version, Sven created based on the Matondoni Recordings.
And here is the corresponding video track:

How do you like it?

This is a new version of the Lamu- flute track. I recorded some kind of solo handdrums in the middle part of the song. Though the track sounds different from the extracts I have already posted, I hope, that you gonna like it.
^{Lamu 2nd version}