BaraBara.fm – A Journey into the Sound of Kenya

On march 22nd I recorded a flute player in Lamu . Last week I played some simple beats on two different tamobourin drums, which I bought in Kenya, on top of the original recordings.
Yesterday I added a soft brush pattern and two other percussive elements.
This is a first extract:
^Lamu

On march 22nd Mbui and Mbutch invited us to meet their great band in a small village very close to Malindi. First we had to drink a glass of self made coconut schnapps (video)
Then Mbui, his father Mwatela and up to ten other musicians played many great tunes for us. We stayed there until night. After some more glasses of coconut schnapps we set out through the incredibly black night back for Takaye Village.
Here is a first Track idea based on the recordings we did on march 22nd.
^{Sengenya Music}

This is a first try out based on the great recording we did in Matondoni, this small island just a stone´s throw away from Lamu.
^{matondoni extract}

The recording session we did at the home place of Jack Nyadundo on the 11th march was the first reording for the barabara-project at all. you can see some pictures here.
Jack Nyadundo and his young band are playing a style called “Ohangla”. At the moment “Ohangla” is really the latest craze in Kisumu. It is played in all of the clubs. People dance a very hot style to the rythms and the kenyan women shake their “hips” in an uncredible flexible way: they can move their bumcheeks in every directions!
It was fun to meet Nyadundo and his band. Finally Sven had to play the main drum. Later on Nyadundo advised him to go round in circle while the rhythm had do go on. Sven failed and the crowd laughed lustily.
During the next days of our Nyanza trip together with Tabu, Patrick and George we realized that a certain kind of buoyant spirit is something that all of the people at the Nyanza region radiated even though most of them lived in an extremly poor backround.

Listen here to the track that Sven created based on the original recordings.

^{Ogoya Nengo}
Ogoya Nengo Video

^{Okumo Korengo}
Okumo Korengo Video

^{Owino Koyo}
Owino Koyo Video

^{Jack Nyadundo Orchestra}
Jack Nyadundo Photos

^{Olith Ratego}

^{Joseph Oganga}
Joseph Oganga Video

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The kenyan guitar-like instrument called Nyatiti is one of the most important instruments of the Nyanza Region. On march 11th we met with two different Nyatiti players. First we went to the village of Joseph Oganga. (Watch the video) Later on Oganga joined us to visit one of his friends, who is also a great musicians. The last days I worked out a three-minutes track based on the recordings we did with Okumo Korengo. There is also a great video of the recording session, Agnieszka did this day.
^{Korengo Extract}

This is a longer version based on the recordings we did in Kisumu on march 10th. As I have already written before, Ohangla Music is totally hip in Kisumu. It s really the big thing at the moment. They are playing Ohangla in all of the clubs and of course everybody is dancing to the straight four- on-the-floor-beats the drummers are playing over and over.
Obviously the following example sounds a little bit different from what I have posted before. Nevtertheless I hope you gonna like it.
^{kisumu extract}

Here comes a longer version of Ogoya Nengo. After listening to her takes over and over again and again, I am still so impressed by her singing. What a voice !
For the middle section of the song I used the recordings we have done before we left the village. Everybody was dancing and singing. The husband of Ogoya played the solo drum accompanied by an amazing percussion trio. Watch the video, Agnieszka did on this unique day.
^{ogoya nengo longer version}

And this is a longer version based on the recordings we have done with Joseph Oganga right before we met with Owino Koyo on march 11th. I think the version is still a little bit to cheesy and a little bit to soft. May be it´s a good idea to record a pretty loud drum part for the middle section of the song.
^{joseph oganga extract}

This is a longer version based on the recordings we did on march 11th with Owino Koyo in his small village just a stone´s´throw away from the lake victoria.
Both the video of the recording session and the first audio example are of course still available.
^{owino koyo longer version}