Chuki EP Takes East African Music To New Heights
Gondwana’s Euggy finally released his highly anticipated EP titled ‘Chuki’ late last year after its successful lead single of the same name. Chuki, which translates to ‘Hate’ in Swahili, is a 6 track EP composed of African contemporary and Afro House music alongside a slew of artists from around the continent. Despite its title, this EP is a body of work with an abundance of love at its core and bliss at its crest.
As their final release of 2023, Chuki tied up the ribbon to what had been yet another successful year for the Gondwana team with their monthly shows around the city and festivals at the coast. Earlier last year they released their Sazile Remix EP that was met with much praise, followed by a few singles that led to the release of this project.
Known for building collaborative relationships with their artists and Djs, some names on this project are familiar and others new. A testament to fine tuning creative chemistry while at the same time challenging new bounds, proving to be fruitful.
Right off the bat is ‘Lamo’ alongside longtime collaborator and friend Winyo, who never fails to bring forward his hypnotising vocals that Euggy always seems to direct so well. It immediately feels like a summer road trip across the country, seeking fun and adventure. It’s an immediate stand out track possibly because to me it’s reminiscent of the classic melodies on Dj Clock and Beatenberg’s Pluto (Remember You) - a sweet introduction to the objectively spontaneous ride listeners are about to engage in.
“Hasira za nini?”, “Mimi na wangu nyumbani, wewe una wako nyumbani”.
Lead single ‘Chuki’ then follows, alongside TekniQ and veteran Idd Aziz who repeatedly ponders “Chuki ya nini, kati yangu mimi na wewe?”. A tale of forbidden love that questions the need for reason and understanding or perhaps the lack of it. The drums lavishly complimenting the sultry keys will guarantee mindless singing in question of mortal entanglements while bopping your head at random hours throughout the day. Chuki, in tandem with the name of the project, perfectly encompasses the feel of the entire EP. It’s a culmination of Afro House, Afro Tech, Rhumba and Benga all in one.
Tina Ardor and Mpho.Wav follow through with the grooviest song that’s made for music festivals! Regardless of whether you understand the lyrics or not, ‘Samaria’ is a song of the spirit. The vocals slowly build up and sneak into your soul with light airy harmonies backed up by a fun drum pattern that makes you want to close your eyes and move your feet. ‘Kolwa’ is a song made for the rave. It starts with deep heavy bass lines, so much so that you can almost see the strobe lights flickering in the crowd. As soon as you get into the groove, Congolese musician Mumba Yachi introduces himself in the track before the Benga instruments make their way into the song. This one feels like a story, a tell tale by the fireplace that has the attention of its attendees, keen on what the next command is before inevitably breaking into dance, and possibly a trance of chant and melody keenly articulated midsong before delivering the drop following through with a euphonious sequence.
‘Dwana Days’ feels like an intrinsic continuation of ‘Kolwa’ but more electronic. Your eyes are closed, you're in the groove, your feet are stomping the ground and synonymous with the beat is the applause brazen from your hands. It’s no wonder it's called ‘Dwana Days’, as a fan - you’re happy to be there! This track genuinely feels like a sonic expression of how prolific Gondwana events feel like. If you haven’t attended any here’s an idea of what you’ve been missing out.
Closing out the EP is an extended version of ‘Lamo’ which is a personal favourite of mine, that generally translates to prayer in Luo - and that is exactly what it feels like, a call to the gods. The delicate guitar riffs are really the cherry on top, making the perfect outro to this song and this glorious EP.
Chuki has been described as a Pan African sonic odyssey and I couldn’t agree more. It’s easy to play on loop despite how lengthy the songs are - which I appreciate. I’m not sure if it’s the Luo influence, the House music influence or both, but I both admire and enjoy the choice to make the average length of a song 6 minutes long, which gives it time to magically blend traditional African rhythms with contemporary beats, marking it as a milestone for both the industry and Euggy as a music producer.
2024 looks to be a promising year for Dwana founders Euggy and Suraj, already having performed for Kunye (Shimza’s brainchild) in South Africa to usher in the year, and well into planning for their next Sundowner Showcase set for the 28th of this month as part of their residency at Emara Ole Sereni.
I can’t wait to see and hear what more they have in store for us as they celebrate their 7 years of Gondwana this year!
Follow all their pages for all updates and stream Chuki EP here.
