The multi-talented Ugandan artist tells about his contribution to Extra Soul Perception

Why did being part of ESP initially appeal to you?
The idea that every one of us was different gave me a reason to accept the challenge and the opportunity to try something new influenced by other open-minded artists. It felt the right spirit to follow because my personal skills and growth have always evolved a lot around exchange and collaborations.

How was the experience of both creating and performing together?
It was exciting from day one in Nairobi at the Supersonic Africa facility because we all accepted and respected each other’s skills, personalities and styles. Since there were no genre restrictions, this gave us room to experiment with our various approaches and try new ways of doing things. No one held back on their overwhelming potential and performing together felt like a family; like we had all known each from long before.

Tell us about your tracks on the EP – ‘In My Soul’ with Karun and ‘Ancestry’ with Lex Amor and Hibotep.
Both tracks came about from an improvised and spontaneous vibe. For ‘In My Soul’, I pulled out one of my unfinished beats, Karun listened to it and did a one take freestyle. The results were so engaging that I saw an opportunity for her to rap and sing in Swahili for the first time on a record. She did all the harmonies and I finished the arrangement overnight.

I don’t even remember how ‘Ancestry’ started but we were experimenting with different drum tracks, switching up roles on production and sampling our voices. It was lovely and smooth and reminding us of home. Hibotep called on the ancestors to bless the session and indeed they did because they made me and Hibotep sing with Lex Amor finalising the arrangement.

What was your early route into music and performance growing up?
I have been very active in the arts as a dance practitioner since my childhood and then started sampling, mixing and making music independently for my choreography and for other collectives in and outside of Uganda. I didn’t have a formal music upbringing and have taught myself using educational tools online and exchanging with other creatives.

How would you describe your music today?
My sound is afrofuturist - it paints a hybrid mix of the future, now and history. My objective is to give African traditional instruments, organic rhythms and unique voices a poetic, electronic instrumentalism in order to tell stories that have never been told before. I want my work to preserve and develop African cultural heritage.

What should the world know about Kampala?
Around 77 per cent of Ugandans are under 25 years old, makings us one of the youngest populations in the world. Kampala is creatively versatile, untapped and yet on the rise to becoming a new market. We have big influences from Nigeria, Jamaica and western mainstream sounds but the local music scene is still vibrating at all levels and everyone is a dancer when it comes to party after party, all day and all night! The country’s underground scene has also continued to develop and gain global attention thanks to the birth of Nyege Nyege festival. My role is to create a path for the rest of my generation whose desire is to celebrate their Ugandan cultures in fresh and innovative ways.

What are you working on next?
It’s been a challenging time due to the Covid-19 pandemic but I am making the best out my lockdown situation in Kampala. Expect new hybrid releases this summer.