Hey music junkie,

Have you ever gotten back to work after a weekend and actually felt excited about working? No? That's how I'm feeling thanks to Tupone.

But before Tupone, I attended the Culture Grows Symposium by East Africa Arts aka British Council aka UK Kenya Season. Thursday was full of panel discussions, and I caught the afternoon ones about how culture and digital heritage intersect. My biggest takeaways were

• Always respect those who you are seeking information from eg. Local community during a project

• Know your language first before you learn a foreign one

• You can build your own museum! (As we tried to during the last session)

On Friday, I attended my son's Sports Day. Even though I don't like the idea of the school system, I love how fun these events are. Both children and parents run, dance and cheer together. And I even got to compete with mine in one race, we got a bronze medal. In the end, our green house won the day 🙌🏾

After the fun and games, I went to work to edit and upload the previous Hadithi Hangout recording. But this was interrupted by friends and TCHNO Takeover at The Mist. Which was allowed, because we fulljoyed the Afrohouse -Techno live set by Clebz and Slammy, and the wavy Berlin Techno set by Elfadil from Sudan/ UK.

And when the oontz oontz became too loud for our ears, we retreated to The Salon. Which had its own vibe, House of Payne was recording an Afrohouse set which blew my mind away. Why? Every single track was Kenyan, and most of them were new to my ears! I will definitely share the video with you once it's up!

After 1.5 hours of sleep, I was up and ready to go to Sparrows Creek Ecocamp in Nkoroi. We started Tupone at midday with Afrikan yoga in the garden which Odanga led. During the tujuane session, I taught a quick lesson on fruit combination before we savoured the watermelon (alone). Baibui reintroduced us to smudging and made us create art using mud which was so much fun. Bolt came up with a choreography on the spot and we danced to Safari by Bien together like the hottest dance crew.

And when the sun set, we shared an African dinner, sipped the sweetest muratina, and had deep conversations by the bonfire around sustainability and community. At midnight, Cheif played his conscious songs on the guitar which encouraged us to share vulnerable stories of our lives. How we stayed there until 5am despite the cold, blame it on our ancestors.

Even though the Sunday plan was to visit Oloolua forest, baibui and I slept the whole day inside a tent. We woke up at sunset to more food and bonfire time. And after playing with the children and connecting with the community one more time, we travelled back to Nairobi on Moonday.

As you can tell, Tupone was healing and so much more. I came back feeling happy, refreshed and ready to roll. So let's roll!

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

Hadithi Hangout Chapter 9

Remember the Hadithi Hangout recording I mentioned earlier? I finally managed to edit and upload it on Soundcloud at 4AM. But you know what, it was so worth it!

In the beginning, we journeyed back to the 1960s to find out who really wrote the iconic Swahili love song Malaika. But the real gold is in our conversations on why artists should create physical copies, how to overcome jealousy, and reclaiming the joy of simply creating.

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Hadithi Hangout “Mwomboko” at Santuri Salon

Now that you've listened (or will listen) to the previous Hadithi Hangout, karibu to our next session. This Thursday, we'll dissect the only Kenyan dance that's rooted in tradition while influenced by European ballroom. The name: Mwomboko.

Come meet the mwomboko pioneers, listen to their Gikuyu accordion music, and learn some dance moves too. It's gonna be… wait for it.. LEGENDARY 😎

Alte Swing presents Geng Geng at Shelter Ke

Furahiday is the first day of August aka sherehe day. And Alte Swing is back at Shelter Ke with a special genge edition, headlined by Nairobi's favourite DJ duo Geng Geng.

Fellow night stars Lukorito, Karuga and Kamushez will also light up the stage with their alte music vibes. And because it's world girlfriend day, there's a special ticket for lovers and alte hunnies. Basically the place to whine your waist till the AM 💃🏾

Groove and Green Uganda x Kenya Connect at The Mist

If you attended Kilele Summit 2025, you've met this Ugandan artist. Maganda Shakul of Nilotika Cultural Ensemble is coming back to Kenya this weekend and bringing his friends together for a green cause. That is to connect Uganda and Kenya while championing climate change awareness, African fashion and music.

On this Sunday’s lineup are IamRonny, Fakher, Maganda from Uganda, Dr Obwakss and DJ Raha from Kenya (that's me), and Elsie from the UK. Expect soulful Afrohouse, deep drum and bass, and electrifying Bakisimbatronics, a new type of electronic dance music from Baganda kingdom 🙌🏾

Now you know what's up in Nairobi. Remember to try something new, have mad fun, and take time to relax afterwards. Lazima Tupone ✨

Until next time
Stay high on music
Furaha