It’s no secret that one of the Kenyan capital’s favourite, and almost cult like genre is House Music. It penetrated into our nightclubs probably when I was still a tween, but my earliest memory of it is at venues like Club Barn and Club Volar at Ngong Race course, which have since then both been rebranded.
More recently, the phenomenon has been more intimate house events as opposed to larger concerts held at venues like the ones mentioned above. Events such as Aduma and Gondwana, which are Afro-House gigs, happen every month or so in intimate settings at now popular venue Captains Terrace along Mombasa Road.
I asked Kevin Kori and Vincent OneDown founders of ADUMA about their event and the experiences that have come along with it
OneDown and Kori-K: Aduma is derived from the word Adumu which is the world famous Maasai dance where they form a circle and jump, which in more ways than one, explains our Maasai theme. The concept was derived from the fusion of music and dance.
We play African house music and AfroHouse in general, so we wanted a unique name that would bring out the word dance relating to what we play and where we play it. We founded it in October 2018 and has been running for about 13 months now.”
OneDown and Kori-K: “Our main motivation for starting it was our passion for African inspired house music and giving upcoming DJs a chance to showcase their talent because there are lots of very good Dj’s in the scene but are unknown due to them not being given the appropriate chances. We were once those guys, so we chose to change the narrative. Our other goal for starting it was to push the AfroHouse sound to the local population and beyond.”
What makes Aduma different from other AfroHouse parties is the fact that it is all about inclusion and that is our general direction when it comes booking artists well. If you have noticed in the last year we have had a very diverse line up. Like we said earlier, giving a chance to DJs that never had the opportunity to play at any stages is what we do and we sometimes also listen to who our crowd would want to see play at Aduma and we make it happen. We have also curated an all ladies line up which is hardly seen in venues. We want to stop that culture of the same Dj’s being booked in all the events, we are not keen about someone's following if they are good at what they do. If you have been to Aduma before, you will sense a warm welcoming and home-like feeling that's ever present. Personally we've made so many friends from our crowd and that's what Aduma is about, good vibes not really a business.
So far we have only had Aduma at Captains Terrace as our monthly residency but with the vision we hold for Aduma we may sometimes hold it in other venues. In our opinion, the terrace has a great ambiance that sets it apart from other venues. It has a great view of the national park which goes hand in hand with the kind of music we play. This has managed to rope every house lover to come for ADUMA month in month out. The hospitality of the venue is also its selling point. We have managed to create a great relationship with the venue and they value each and everyone who comes for ADUMA.
In a simple statement, how would you individually describe the Afro House scene in Nairobi?
OneDown: Its is like a religion.
Kori-K: Receptive and enjoyed by our diverse crowd in Kenya.
Have you both always loved Afro House music? If so, where/when did the love start?
OneDown: for me I loved house music before I knew it was called house music, but my love for Afro House music started around 10yrs ago while in high school, it sounded interestingly different and I liked that. It amused me how a producer could use hyena laughs and make it sound so good on a track, so I started exploring more and I am still learning and exploring till now. I am also proudly African and Afro House is all about those African elements.
Kori-K: My love for house music started back in 2008 when I went for the first 6AM Beachlife event. I came across different house genres since then but settled on AfroHouse back in 2012. I believe it was at Beachlife 2012 where I keenly listened to an AfroHouse set by Jack Rooster that prompted me to know more about the genre and the artists associated with it. Before I knew it, I was in my bedroom trying to beat-match two AfroHouse songs together.
Is that the only genre you play/are interested in? If so, why? If not, what else?
Kori-K:I play other genres other than AfroHouse. I play African house music (yes, it’s different from AfroHouse), disco house, progressive house - let’s say house music is generally what I play. I never like limiting myself to any one genre. I play music depending on the setting and/or time, but I always make sure it has an African element to it.
OneDown: Afro House is not all I am interested in, I listen to other genres within the house music realm. I am also a sucker for old skool music hence you will spot me playing lots of remixes to classic tracks.
Other than events and deejaying, what else do you both do?
OneDown: I am an economist by profession but I am in business. I own and run a company called OneDown Investments Limited which focuses on real estate development, property management and financial consultancy. I am also an upcoming producer.
Kori-K: I am a finance and Budget consultant for an international NGO in Nairobi. I am also in the Knowledge management department in the same NGO.
How many editions has ADUMA had so far and what has then journey taught you?
We have had 11 Aduma editions so far ( we missed one in May)
What we can take from this journey is consistency, hard work and patience. We believe these are the tools that can help you succeed at anything you build. We are also fortunate to run Aduma together which has taught us that two heads are better than one. It is more like a baby we are co-fathering and just like a baby it will have good days and bad ones, sometimes the parents will disagree on matters of the child.
Our vision for Aduma is to positively change the electronic music scene not only in Nairobi but East and Central Africa.We plan on growing Aduma to the level of bringing back 3-day festivals. In the near future, we have an upcoming event on the 23rd of November where we will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary with Prince Kaybee as the headliner.
You can get the tickets on Mookh here: and you can also visit the event page link for more details here:
Last but not least, OneDown has a radio show titled ‘African Moves’ which is a mix show that he started 5yrs ago that currently airs on Drums Radio in London (U.K). He describes it as his way of giving back to society, a way of expressing himself and a channel through which he gives his take on African-inspired house music. “The reception has been overwhelming and I wanna thank all the listeners”.
Both say : THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FANS, ADUMA IS MORE OF THEM AND LESS OF US!!
