Hey music junkie,

I'm writing this from a wooden couch bed underneath a brown makuti shade. If you know me by now, you can guess where I am. Before I tell you why I'm here, let's talk about the fun-tastic weekend in Nairobi.

It all started on Thursday evening. After our herbal medicine class at Museum, Sense Afriqan and I walked to KITFest 2024 where she was vending ukwaju juice and her special simsim. Meanwhile, I watched a football dribbling theatre performance where Cathy Matete and Munyasya performed the soundtrack.

But the highlight was experiencing the Tao Mbao Mbao wooden matatu installation where we listened to people's matatu stories, met Irungu the creative behind it and even danced to rhumba inside the matatu. Good times and great hits.

On Friday, the plan was simple. Support my Kilifi DJ friend during his first gig at MUZE. After delivering him a djembe, I danced different while admiring the dazzling light show. Kürïbã and Ko.da, who performed together at Spotlight Sessions in 2023, played a mix of shata, gqom and house music for their Afroswing set. But why are MUZE speakers so loud bro?

Saturday was one jam-packed day. After a few winks of sleep, I was up at 8AM and caught the 10AM ride by Karibu Nairobi to Industrial Area. The Kenyan creatives behind Kairos Futura welcomed us to their atelier and took us round the inspiring Hakuna Utopia? art exhibition.

After lunch, we had a kikao conversession aka round discussion on what utopia means to us and how we can create our own micro-utopias in a dystopian Nairobi. And we left with free seedballs to plant trees and signed postcards of photos shot by Wango.

This was only the calm before the storm. At 9PM, I was starting my Geng Geng set at The Mist. For the first hours, we vibed to classic Kenyan music from benga to twist to chakacha. And during the second hour we turned up to genge, kapuka and even debe music by Manchild. And let me tell you Maina, we had so much fun!

Just check out the highlights here ✨

This was only a warmup to SnSe and Karrl’s set. They played 2000s throwbacks back to back that got us reminiscing about the good ol times when we were young, wild and free. What a nostalgic moment.

At around 2am, I finally went up to the rooftop which was on faya thanks to Nairobi Dub Club. The main man Alborosie from Jamaica lit up the stage and rastas from all walks of life jammed with him. And of course Umojah Sound System delivered the healing bass as always.

Thanks to jaba juice, Ethiopian coffee and honey wine, we stayed until 6am when the sound finally simmered down. And then javved to town to drink uji power together. Perfect ending to a perfect night.

I am truly grateful to everyone who showed up for my first Geng Geng gig. And also those who wanted to come but couldn't. There will be another one, this is only the beginning.

This week I'm back to one of my favorite places in the world. Yup you guessed it, Kilifi baby! If you're around the coast or planning to come because of Kisima Wellness Festival, here's where we can hang out.

But first…

PLAYLIST OF THE MONTH

New music of the month - October 2024

Even though we're already halfway through the new month, it's never too late for new music, right? In October, we received a mix of R&B, hiphop and mugithi tracks (for the culture yoh).

If you missed these, catch enthralling live performances from Mutoriah & The Orchestra concert and Kethan’s live looping show. And some NuNairobi bangers such as Ngili Ngili by XPRSO, Thrifted by Kerby and Burudika by Matata. Faya tracks that you might just hear at the next Geng Geng 😉

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Open Mic Night & Gratitude Circle at The Terrace

Do you love to have deep conversations about life and what matters to you? Then join our Open Mic Night and Gratitude Circle at The Terrace.

After a series of weekly Mind Tours online, today’s is a physical meet where we'll draw each other live. And talk about all the sustainable things we love, from books to places to people. This will also be the perfect prelude for the Baitu Series 3 happening this weekend 😏

Our Land Our Freedom film screening + Q&A

And speaking of The Terrace, this Thursday they're hosting a special film screening and Q&A session. Our Land Our Freedom is an award-winning Kenyan documentary by Zippy Kimundu and Meena Nanji which recently premiered at NBO Film Fest.

The docu which took 8 years to make follows 2 brave Kenyan women who are seeking justice for Mau Mau veterans. And one of them is related to Field Marshall Kîmathi wa Waciûri. If you're not in Kilifi, you can catch it at Prestige Cinema and Unseen Nairobi this month 🎬

Baitu Series 3.0 at La Bendera’s Hotel

And for the creme de la creme, I'm so excited to be emceeing this lovely event in Kilifi. Baitu is all about growing a conscious community of sustainability thinkers, dreamers and lovers, where ancient wisdom is modern innovation.

In this third edition of Baitu, we'll explore vernacular architecture, healing sound and adult play. Expect two wholesome sunny days of yoga sessions, practical workshops, ital food, jam sessions and art exhibitions. And on Saturday night, we'll celebrate with an African dance and bonfire afterparty under the full moon 🌝

Being in Kilifi is like a holiday dream come true. I hope to experience it with you. And share this with someone who's chilling under a makuti shade.

Until next time,
Stay high on music
Furaha