Hey music junkie,

Where are you reading this from? I'm writing this missive from a hotel room somewhere in Addis Ababa. But before I tell you how I got here, here's how last weekend went down.

As you know, last Friday was the Grand Finale of the UK Kenya 2025 Season. And we celebrated with the first volumetric concert In Protopia at Aspire Centre Westlands. Even though there was attractive AI art on the walls, the music was the main attraction.

Luo queen Koko Koseso made us dance like our wild ancestors to her vibrant Afrofusion music. [MONRHEA] mesmerized us with her dance performance and experimental music manipulation, ethereal visuals by Black Rhino playing in the background.

And finally, urban taarab princess Zaituni showed up with a strange headset and black outfit which captured her body movements and mapped them on an avatar on the screen behind her. But we preferred her live and acoustic alongside Anariko on guitar. Together they serenaded us with Swahili songs that would make you fall in love!

Afterwards, my sistars and I went to Birdies Bar & Golf in Riverside for the afterparty. While I was not dancing to DJ Mwakie’s fire Afrohouse set, I was playing indoor golf in the cozy restaurant. And drinking dawa because that rain, weh!

And finally, fellow Hadithi Homie Onyango took Monrhea and I to our first Ohangla party. Prince Indah live at Vibanda Village on Jamhuri Day. Oh we were not ready!

First of all, the place was packed more than Moi Sports Centre during the previous Blankets & Wine. 3 fights erupted in a span of 2 hours. And watching drunk couples dance was just as entertaining as the band.

Let me just say this - live ohangla ni tamu sana. Prince Indah has a lovely voice. And Jangos know how to party, even more than Nairobi house heads 😁

If Ohangla is to Luo, then Mugithi is to Kikuyu and Mwanzele is to Mijikenda.

After recovering from that cultural experience, I attended the Social Tribe’s end of year backyard party at Kivulini Eco-Park Karen. The Saturday night rain caught us off guard but it did not stop the party. When we were not dancing indoors, we were playing board games inside the bandas or getting to know each around the warm bonfires.

In the process I made new connections over dinner, sharades, and a Kenyan board game called Thicker Than Blood which is as or even more intense than Monopoly. After the music stopped at 2am, I exchanged notes with our entertainers of the night DJ Akim and DJ PainKiller (true story). And introduced someone to uji power in the downtown CBD before going home at sunrise.

Sunday was not for sleeping. Instead, I packed a suitcase, said goodbye to my family, and took a taxi to JKIA. After a long but smooth check in process, I managed to board Ethiopian Airlines right on time.

My first impression - a plane is like a public bus in the air (if you're flying economy). Still I was giddy as a little child flying for the first time, especially during take off.

My favourite parts were floating above the cottony clouds, learning Amharic from my two neighbours, and being served food and drinks by pretty Ethiopian air hostesses. One and a half hours later, we were welcomed by the most beautiful cluster of stars on the ground. Addis is truly the city of lights at night ✨

A shuttle van then transported us Kenyans to a nearby city hotel where I checked in and slept soon after. While feeling like the luckiest girl on earth 🥹

In case you're wondering, Tabu Osusa, myself, and other cultural practitioners are here for a week-long residency on preserving East African music. I'm already learning so much from my fellow East Africans about their music and culture while fulljoying Addis. Which is the perfect aftermath after this…

PODCAST OF THE MONTH

Recording traditional East African music

Two weeks ago, I hosted an online panel on how to record traditional East African music - remember? Together with cultural collectives Singing Wells, Uli and Tata, Music from East Africa, Baobab Studios and field recordists Ingabire and Mbutch, we had the most insightful conversation ever.

In 1.5 hours, we discussed why traditional music archiving is important right now, the technical process of recording music in remote areas, and the lessons they've learned along the way. My favourite part was discovering opportunities for young artists like us to be part of this cultural preservation work. As I said, super insightful 🙂

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Industry Social at KODA Nairobi

Would you like to meet and connect with other cool creatives like you in Nairobi? Then welcome to KODA’s second industry social this Wednesday from 6pm.

This time, there will be a panel discussion featuring industry movers Dylan S, Coco Em, Porgie Gachui and Tania Campbell. If you're a DJ producer, feel free to showcase your unreleased music in Room 2. And if you can, bring clothes and dry foods for Gua Africa’s donation drive helping communities in need 🙏🏾

Heat House at Masshouse Ngong Racecourse

Afrohouse and oontz lovers please stand up! And step into Heat House, the global party series curated by NYC-based Nigerian DJ and model Wemi.

The first ever edition in Kenya will feature top international DJs from Portugal, UK, and of course Kenya. This Friday night is your unique chance to experience underground club culture meets African electronic music right here in our backyard. Basically get ready to sweat 🔥

Pop Up Sale and Medical Fundraiser at Kreators Africa

You've probably heard of Kenyan filmmaker and artivist Nick Wambugu who directed the GenZote protest film #ThePeopleShall. And was recently named Business Daily’s Top 40 under 40 after surviving state detention. Now the nation’s hero needs our help.

After being diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disorder, he's fundraising to get a life saving transplant in India. Join this artist pop up sale and fundraiser this Saturday to show your solidarity ✊🏾

And before I forget, thank you for voting for LaMusicJunkie as Best Entertainment Creator last strong. We didn't win the BAKE Award but we’re still winning in life. And that's what counts, right? 😉

Until next time
Stay high on music
Furaha