NYEGE NYEGE TAPES
The brand new and hottest label of the moment - Nyege Nyege Tapes – doesn’t come from Berlin, London or New York for a change, but rather from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Nyege Nyege is ‘Ugandan’ (or more precisely: Luganda) for ‘the feeling of a sudden uncontrollable urge to move, shake or dance’. Exactly the effect that the music of Nyege Nyege artists like Otim Alpha, Nihiloxica, DJ Kampire or Sound Of Sisso want to generate. The translation of Nyege Nyege sounds even more explicit in Swahili, read: ‘horny horny’.

Whereas labels like Soundway, Analog Africa or Awesome Tapes From Africa mainly released reissues in recent years, Nyege Nyege has focused upon contemporary ‘outsider music’ from East Africa ever since its inception in ’16. To date, the label has put out six releases that have mainly led a popular life on Bandcamp. In addition, the label also has a recording studio (Boutique Studio) and the show pony is their annual Nyege Nyege Festival at the source of the Nile.

So now its time for a real Nyege Nyege Tapes two-dayer, that was re-named by the label as ‘Two days of supreme ass-shaking music from East Africa’. Let yourself be carried away by an allround experience, with the crème de la crème of label’s artists, DJ sets, workshops & readings. Basically: the perfect conclusion to the season!

Info & Tickets Wednesday 20.01.

NIHILOXICA
Without a doubt the show pony and biggest surprise on Nyege Nyege Tapes! Nihiloxica consists of no less than seven percussionists, strikingly combined with analogue synths. Boomkat described their sound as “a tentative, spooked out meeting of minimal, pointillist drums and dissonant synth pitches that hunch and roll out like some meeting of Mark Ernestus (Rhythm & Sound) and Coil.”  Add to that their DIY-punk attitude and a dose of gqom (the South African version of house) and you’re getting close. On Berlin label CTM, they have already left an indelible impression live.
 

OTIM ALPHA
Former boxing champion Otim Alpha honours the motto ‘If you have been born you can dance.’ He started out adding lustre to wedding parties, no surprise then that Forced Exposure describes his music as: “Essentially computerized Acholi wedding music, weaving its traditional, see-sawing folk fiddles and call-and-response vocals with stripped, pounding drum machine polyrhythms in a sort of hypnotic, minimalist delirium.” Shall we just say: somewhere between Shangaan Electro, Konono No.1 and Caribbean soca.

DJ KAMPIRE
DJ and writer Kampire Bahana grew up in Zambia in the ’90s and quickly became intrigued by the scene around Nyege Nyege Tapes. Her mixtapes are still – just as her DJ sets –uplifting and still what she calls a mix of ‘bass heavy tunes, African polyrhythms and old school Lingala instrumentals‘. DJ Kampire: “Bass and beats get me dancing. I’m really into these re-dos and edits of old Afro-Latin music that a lot of contemporary DJs are doing because the music is similar to and influenced by Congolese music like rumba and soukous.”

SPYDA MC & NILOTIKA CULTURAL ENSEMBLE
Authentic percussion ensemble that operates under the title ‘Edutainment in spiritual upliftment’. Their motto: Each One Teach One. A wink to Rastafari is never far removed.