Traditional music
As in many parts of Africa, Kenyan musical traditions vary from one ethnic group to another. Among the Bantu peoples, for example, percussion predominates, and drums such as the famous ngoma are widely used. The term refers to the instrument as well as to a rhythm or dance. Among the Kikuyu, one of Kenya's most important Bantu tribes, women can be heard performing traditional songs and dances, intended for initiations, weddings, hunting or work. Related to the Bantu, the Mijikenda people of coastal Kenya cultivate a dynamic folk tradition, also mainly based on percussion.
Luo music is characterized by syncopation and a strong emphasis on the voice. Rich in vocal ornamentation, songs are often structured in call-and-response patterns. Also featured here is sigalagala, a type of ululation practiced mainly by women, generally the highlight of the musical performance. The emblematic instrument of Luo music is, of course, the nyatiti, a type of lyre with five or eight strings whose sound fascinates the whole world (American musician Andrew Bird, for example, used it in some of his songs). Most often played alone, it is sometimes accompanied by other instruments typical of the region, such as theoporo, a long horn inserted into a calabash, or theorutu, a single-stringed fiddle. Far from being confined to folklore or tradition, nyatiti features a number of star musicians, such as Ayub Ogada, whose songs have been featured many times in films (notably The Constant Gardener), Suzanna Owiyo, who mixes luo sounds with pop or folk, John "Rapasa" Otieno or Anyango (of Japanese nationality).
The music of the Maasai, historically semi-nomadic, is traditionally instrumentless, purely vocal and polyphonic. Rhythms, meanwhile, are generally performed by the body. Among neighboring Turkana and Samburu, we find wind instruments such as the kudu, an antelope horn, and call-and-response songs.
Finally, among the Swahili peoples, the most common musical tradition is taarab, a fusion of styles combining sung African poetry, percussion and string instruments inherited from Egypt, Western India and Bantu rites.
One of the country's finest traditional music and dance events is the Lake Turkana Festival, three days of festivities celebrating the cultural richness of the different communities living around Lake Turkana, nicknamed the "Jade Sea".
Popular music
The mainstay of 20th-century Kenyan popular music is undoubtedly the guitar. The instrument has been a fixture in the country since the 1950s, when albums by legendary Congolese guitarists such as Edouard Massengo and Jean-Bosco Mwenda became available in Kenya. Congolese musicians, such as the Orchestre Virunga, enjoyed early success in Kenya in the 1970s and 1980s. It's also a Congolese genre, soukous, which has historically been one of the country's great favorites. Otherwise known as "Congolese rumba", this style has seen a number of star groups in Kenya, including Super Mazembe and Les Mangelepa.
The other essential Kenyan aesthetic is benga. The pop music of the Luo people, one of the country's major ethnic groups, benga developed between the late 1940s and 1960s in Nairobi, blending syncopated melodies imitating nyatititi with South African soukous and kwela. George Ramogi and his group CK Jazz are considered the fathers of the genre. The genre was popularized in the 1970s by Shirati Jazz, an ensemble formed by Daniel Owino Misiani and Migori Super Stars, the first stars of the discipline. A pillar of Luo identity that has the whole country dancing. If you're looking for the current (self-proclaimed) king of benga, Ken Wa Maria is the man to turn to. A great name in the genre, he performs regularly in the country, and has been seen in the past at the Alliance française de Nairobi and the Koroga Festival. It's also worth noting that Nairobi's famous Carnivore restaurant sometimes hosts concerts where it's not uncommon to hear benga. For the record, the first Kenyan artist to grace the stage of the aforementioned restaurant, in the 1980s, was Joseph Kamaru. An icon of benga - and a recognized activist - Kamaru is a giant influence on younger generations of musicians, as well as one of the country's best-selling artists (half a million copies sold throughout his career).
Current music
Nairobi cultivates a hyper-dynamic contemporary music scene. While reggae, followed by hip-hop and dancehall, have long held the lion's share of the spotlight, electronic music and more varied aesthetics are increasingly making their presence felt in the country's clubs. When it comes to Afro-pop, the big star is the group Sauti Sol, four Kenyans behind a veritable musical phenomenon in Kenya in recent years. In fact, it was they who sang to welcome Barack Obama to his father's homeland in 2015. Their hits, constantly played in nightclubs, mix pop rhythms and traditional sounds, while recounting the lives of young people, partying, love... On the rap front, Henry Ohanga, aka Octopizzo, takes the cake: born in Nairobi's biggest slum, Kibera, where he now shoots all his music videos, he has become one of East Africa's most popular musicians. Still in the rap department, it's impossible not to mention Muthoni Drummer Queen, the female incarnation of the Kenyan rap and electro scene. Rapper, percussionist and producer, Muthoni is a committed artist, feminist and anti-system activist.
As in most parts of the world, Kenya has seen the development of its own rap scene. Here, artists rap in English, Swahili or Sheng, the local slang. Apart from the two mentioned above, the few names to remember from the genre are Bamboo and KayCyy, two local MCs who have embarked on successful careers in the USA (especially the latter, who is close to Kanye West), Khaligraph Jones, renowned for his flow, and Petra Bockle, Naiboi, Monski and Camp Mulla. The latter group is sometimes referred to as the Kenyan Black Eyed Peas, and has enjoyed massive success in the country. After several decades of living in the country, hip-hop has become acculturated and given birth to typically local cousins such as genge, which mixes rap and dancehall - Jua Cali, Nonini and Jimwat are worthy representatives - or boomba (also known as kapuka), a hybrid of rap, reggae and African musical traditions.
By now, electronic music is not far from being popular in Kenya. The genre attracts hundreds of people to the turntables. The DJ collective EA Wave is one of the most dynamic in the country, and organizes numerous concerts and parties in Nairobi's top venues, such as the K1 Klub House, a very large complex that is part club, part sports bar (with match broadcasts on the big screen) and part restaurant, or the Muze Club, a must for Nairobi's trendy nightlife. It's thanks to this effervescence that the Kenyan electronic scene is growing by leaps and bounds, with pioneers DJ Rachael now joined by young prodigies such as Slikback, noted for his rough, epic electronica, and KMRU, more intrepid and avant-garde, infusing real pieces of Kenya - via field recording - into his deep ambient-drone compositions. More brutal is the duo Duma, signed to the fabulous Nyege Nyege Tapes label, whose bestial productions have received rave reviews from the press.
The dance
Unsurprisingly, Kenya is particularly rich in traditional ethnic dances. For the most part, they still play a fundamental role in terms of identity and community life. Among the most remarkable are, of course,adamu, the jumping dance of the Maasai; mwomboko, the couple dance of the Agikuyu, generally performed by the oldest members of the community;isikuti, the Luhya tradition of energetic, rapid movements of the shoulders, waist and feet; and chakacha, very common among the Swahili.
Some ensembles have adapted these ritual dances to Western-style ballet choreography, such as the Nairobi National Dance Ensemble or the Nairobi Dance Company, which can be seen performing on the stage of the Kenya National Theatre in the capital. In addition, the Lamu Art Festival and the Bomas Of Kenya cultural center offer their fair share of traditional Kenyan dance performances.
