Unganisha came together in 2017 when Kenyan musician Labdi Ommes who has broken cultural gender barriers by mastering the orutu, the traditional single-string fiddle instrument, was introduced to the Norwegian experimental music producer Bernt Isak Wærstad.
The two met through a mutual friend and before long they were exchanging creative ideas through WhatsApp.
The two musicians met physically when Labdi attended the Oslo Afro Arts in 2017 through the support of Music Norway, the official promotional organization for the country’s music.
It is hard to imagine a musical adventure more audacious than combining the acoustic rhythms of an indigenous stringed instrument with cutting-edge electronic dance music.
That cross-cultural experimentation is the product of a Kenyan-Norwegian duo known as Unganisha who officially released a new EP titled “Kucheza” last Friday showcasing their bold fusion of traditional and contemporary styles.
Unganisha came together in 2017 when Kenyan musician Labdi Ommes who has broken cultural gender barriers by mastering the orutu, the traditional single-string fiddle instrument, was introduced to the Norwegian experimental music producer Bernt Isak Wærstad.
The two met through a mutual friend and before long they were exchanging creative ideas through WhatsApp.
“We started this collaboration by randomly sending each other voice notes and samples on phone and what was just an experiment has become an amazing project which we have performed to audiences in Kenya and Norway,” says Labdi.
The two musicians met physically when Labdi attended the Oslo Afro Arts in 2017 through the support of Music Norway, the official promotional organization for the country’s music. They had just two days to put a show together which eventually gave birth to Unganisha.
The release of the five-track EP came as Labdi had been in Oslo for three weeks preparing for the première of Mamarina, a stage performance, based on one of the group’s songs about identity and acceptance.
2021 was a career fulfilling year for her, learning music production skills in South Africa, participating in Co-Creative Spaces, an artistic research program, and recording several musical collaborations with artists across the world.
She also performed for the current season of the World Music sessions for St John’s College Oxford University which combines research into global music with live performance.
The London-based electronic dance music magazine Mixmag named her as one of the top female African musicians shaping the electronic dance music scene. This young musician has already broken cultural norms by playing an instrument that is traditionally the preserve of male musicians.
Her objective is to inspire young musicians to venture into playing authentic African instruments, which face the danger of extinction if not passed on across generations.
“I am challenging gender-based notions within traditional music,” says Labdi.” I do this to inspire women to take up different creative roles and to push the agenda that women can and will do everything.”
Each week she uploads an orutu interpretation of popular songs on her social media pages as part of exploring the possibilities that lie in the fusion of traditional instruments with contemporary music.
There are videos of her playing a variety of Kenyan pop hits, Amapiano, Bongo, and rumba, just about every popular genre, given her unique twist.
The title of the EP “Kucheza” is a reflection of the experimentation, collaboration, and fusion of different cultures to create music.
“We gave it that name because that is our approach to making music,” explains the group about the 5 songs. “We play a lot and experiment freely with few limitations.”
The energy of the album is set by the opening track “Chunya” a fast-paced song propelled by Labdi’s hypnotic vocals weaving lyrics between English, Kiswahili, Dholuo.
Drummer and singer Kasiva Mutua adds her skills on percussion and vocals to two songs on the EP, the infectious dance groove of “Koro” and “Lwang’ni Hotel”, a humorous tale inspired by a food stall located on the shores of Lake Victoria where people gather for Nile Perch and other delicacies despite the swarm of the lwang’ni (flies).
“Leko” is a sequel the group’s previous single “Mamarina” the story of a girl who traverses the dream world in search of herself, battling between the conscious and subconscious.
“We are not trying to make a specific genre or style of music, we are always free to explore any direction which feels interesting to us,” the duo explains in a statement announcing the release of the EP.
“Unganisha is more than just the music,” they say. “We also get inspired by learning about each other’s cultures and spending time together in both Kenya and Norway.”
Labdi formally trained as a visual artist at Kenyatta University and she applies her skills to creating exciting and bright visuals to accompany the music as can be seen on the artwork of all their songs.
Bernt is constantly experimenting as a composer and producer challenging the group to venture into unchartered territory as they create their music.
“Bernt pushes me to delve into the most obtuse and distorted sound styles and creating a song is always a journey. My orutu had been sampled and made to sound like a random instrument,” says Labdi.
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