BaraBara.fm [v.3] - A Journey into the Sound of Kenya » Nyatiti

Six Finished Nyanza Tracks (Extracts)

Agnieszka — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:04:43 +0000

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Ogoya-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Ogoya Nengo}
Ogoya Nengo Video

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Nyatiti2-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Okumo Korengo}
Okumo Korengo Video

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Koyo-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Owino Koyo}
Owino Koyo Video

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Ohangla-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Jack Nyadundo Orchestra}
Jack Nyadundo Photos

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Olith-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Olith Ratego}

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Nyatiti1-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Joseph Oganga}
Joseph Oganga Video

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Okumo Korengo

Agnieszka — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:23:49 +0000

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.
http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Nyatiti2-Ausschn.mp3 ^{Korengo Extract}

Joseph Oganga Extract

Agnieszka — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:41:43 +0000

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.
http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Nyatiti1-Ausschn.mp3 ^{joseph oganga extract}

Nyatiti Recording at Aluny Village

Agnieszka — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:45:47 +0000

March 11th was one of the most exciting days during our stay. In one day we met with Ogoya Nengo, Joseph Oganga, Owino Koyo and last but not least Okumo Korengo.
We came upon Korengo at Aluny Village, a very small dorp close to the village of Oganga.
Both Oganga and Korengo are fantastic Nyatiti players. At a first glance their way of playing sounds pretty the same but the longer you listen to their music the more you realize how different they play.

Korengo plays the Nyatiti much smoother than Oganga and his singing is much more relaxed and more laid back. I couldn´t say which style I prefer. May be you do.
On top of the recordings we did at Aluny Village, I played some brushgrooves on different sheets of paper and some heavy bass-like marimba ostinatos. I also recorded some string-like sounds at my piano using different ribbons and horsehair.
http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/Nyatiti2.mp3 ^{Okumu Korengo}

Nyatiti Player Joseph Oganga

Agnieszka — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:45:26 +0000

A new video snippet of our visit at Joseph Oganga’s garden, where he played Nyatiti, an instrument which reminds of a guitar. A few days ago Sven posted a new adaption (see below) of the Nyatiti Player singing on top of his own performance. It was a very cool expirience for us, especially when we noticed that Joseph accentuates his play with sounds and facial expressions that are so different from the gestures of the western singers and musicians. Take a look by yourself:

Nyatiti Remix

Agnieszka — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:02:51 +0000

The day before I recorded the old man, we met with the traditional nyatiti player Joseph Oganga. Usually Oganga is singing while he accompanies himself by playing nyatiti.
Whenever I asked him either to sing or to play nyatiti he was a bit irritated. Playing Nyatiti without singing he couldn´t avoid to whistle in between or to create weird sounds with his mouth. And whenever I asked him to sing the song a cappella his hands coudtn´t stand still. Instead of playing nyatiti his hands flourished most of the time.
Three days ago I recorded some beats and atmospheres on top of the recordings we did in Oganga´s village. First and foremost I used my kalimba and played some simple beats with my fingers on the back of the instrument. Hitting the instrument the metal tongues of the kalimba begin to ring which always creates a nice chord in a minor. I also recorded some simple marimba lines.
http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/nyatitiman.mp3 ^{Example No.2}

Album Sessions No. 1

Agnieszka — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:33:52 +0000

10 days ago Sven began to work on the kenyan album. From today he will post some audio examples once a week. Hopefully these extracts give you an impression about the album process. Of course the mp3s are not perfectly worked up yet. They don´t represent any finished tracks.

Session No. 1:
First I began to work on the material we recorded on march 11th in a small village close to the Lake Victoria. An old man who is a singer and a percussionist played some of his favourite songs at one of these small huts with a corrugated iron roof.
On top of the drum groove he played for us, I recorded a straight offbeat brush pattern on a snare drumhead and two figures on my wooden bass drum.
http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/oldman2.mp3 ^{Example No.1}
I am not so sure yet about the marimba rolls in the second verse. Also the vibes at the end of the mp3 is may be a little bit to cheesy but I think the groove works pretty well.

Here is the video Agnieszka made of this unique encounter:

atmo recordings and a jam session

monade — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:50:02 +0000

Our last day at Kisumu: In the morning Sven went for a walk to the center of Kisumu and recorded some of the atmosphere and soundscapes.
http://barabara.fm/videoblog/music/16-3-Atmo-Kisumu.mp3 ^{Atmo Kisumu}
In the evening some young guys invited us to join a small jam session at Kiboko Beach. A very nice guy called Erartus, who is a singer, a guitar player and a Nyatiti player, Agnieszka and Sven took a Tuc-Tuc to Kiboko Beach. A Tuc-Tuc is the main cab at Kisumu; it has three wheels and makes a hell of a noise…. Listen to our Tuc-Tuc-Ride to Kiboko Beach.
http://barabara.fm/videoblog/music/16-3-TucTuc.mp3 ^Tuc-Tuc
At Kiboko we played some music with two acoustic guitars, a melodika, and some small percussion instruments while the crickets played there own music a stone´s throw away from us.
http://barabara.fm/videoblog/music/16-3-Kibokosession.mp3 ^{Kiboko Session}

Kisumu countryside sessions

monade — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:15:34 +0000

What a day! Tabu, George, Patrick, Joseph, Agnieszka and Sven went to the country side of Kenya, very close to the Lake Victoria. Joseph is working on a research project about the history and the developement of Ohangla while Patrick is working on a film documentary about the same style.

First we met with a Nyatiti player called Joseph Oganga and everybody was truly fascinated by his playing and also by his personality. Listen to a short extract of the music, Oganda played for us.

http://barabara.fm/videoblog/music/nyatiti_oganga_110309.mp3 ^{Joseph Oganda}

Later on Oganda joined us to visit one of his good friends at Aluny Village, who is also a great Nyatiti player. His name is Okumo Korengo. Sven asked him if he could play an instrumental nyatiti-take. After the recording Sven asked him to sing to of what he had just played. He was very confused because he had never recorded an overdub before…. But it was really great!

Then we all made a short stop at the home place of the grandmother of Barack Obama. Strange place. A lot of people around her tried to make some pictures or tried to talk to for at least a minute.

In the evening we went to the home place of Ogoya. Ogoya is an 80 years old Dodo-singer. She has performed in Brazil and in France.
The act of welcoming of Ogoya and her neighborhood was amazing. Everybody was dancing, singing or playing an instrument. It was simply a huge African party.
After the welcome ceremony we were invited to Ogaya´s hut to pray.
Then we did several recordings. And all of the recordings are great! First Ogoya sang acappella.

http://www.barabara.fm/videoblog/music/ogoya_110309.mp3 ^{Ogoya Solo}

Then she was accompanied by four ladies who were all about 80 years old.
After the recordings Ogoya invited us for dinner. We ate traditional Kenyan food and drank Coca Cola…..

work and dancing in Nairobi

monade — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:01:55 +0000

Sven has set up his equipment at the auditorium and is rehearsing for the concert. He has already met with a young Nyatiti player from Nairobi called Ratai and finally Sven and Ratai did the first recording for the barabara-project.

http://barabara.fm/videoblog/music/ratai_060309.mp3 ^{First Recording/Ratai}

I was busy working on the barabara-website. Now we are all going to the finissage of an exhibition that took place at the Goethe-Institut: ‘It’s a pity that we only exist in the future’. Our friend DJ Andi Teichmann came from Berlin to play one of his amazing sets at the opening.
The party is taking place at a bar close to the institute, a publication accompanying the exhibition will be launched, djs are going to play music, I’m curious to see how and where the people party.