UNGANISHA: From being a DIY Electro-Pop Duo to introducing a new sound to the music landscape in East Africa and Europe
With the countless challenges that come with being an independent artist in our modern world, it is no surprise that many upcoming artists that are paving their own way and gaining a strong following seem to be relying on the now long and trending DIY culture. From orchestrating their own video animation & directing, mixing & mastering, music production and theatrical production, Unganisha, a cross-cultural duo that consists of Kenya’s Labdi Ommes (Orutu and vocals) and Bent Waerstad (electronics) is becoming accepted by many in East Africa and Norway as a self-made and highly infectious Electro-pop phenomenon.
Given their improvised 2-piece live performances that vary in contrast from their more tight-knit studio productions, their sound matches the closest to African EDM as any electronic duo possibly could with hints of disco and rhumba hidden in the up-beat bass lines, high-octane beats and transient melodies.
Their eclectic sound matches seamlessly with their radiant infusion of afro-urban garments that synch well with the funky use of lighting and the poised yet lively energy they bring onto the stage. Their personalities on screen and in person seem an odd contrast to their music as slightly conserved, thoughtful and yet deeply playful. They have their sites on establishing themselves beyond the East African industry towards South Africa and the UK
I caught up with the duo 2 weeks after their riveting performance during the Kilifi New Year festival, which was received with wide acclaim, as they put up their first solo show in Kenya at the Moov Cafe in Kilimani that took place this past month on Saturday the 14th, 2023. They unveiled to me the hurdles they have overcome, how they met and an insight into their creative process.
I find the lyrics to your single 'Mamarina' very memorable, how did it come about?
Labdi: It's a song that grew on us and it’s a song that we were able to create a whole project out of, it’s just about a girl who wants to explore the world and get people to dance
Bent: That inspired us to do a whole performance-dance piece for teenagers, now we have a show called 'Mamarina' in Norway. We have a small excerpt on our YouTube channel about it. It’s about expressing yourself through visual art and sound. We've performed the show twice in Oslo and Larvick. The plan for this year is to go for a tour in Norway and perform in schools around the country as a part of a cultural program.
Excerpts from premiere of Mamarina by Unganisha, recorded at Popsenteret, Oslo 9th of February 2022
Your most recent music Video for the song 'Krismasi' that you released a few weeks ago was quite timely & fun to watch, tell me more about it?
Bent: Well it’s a Christmas song that we put out the year before and actually it was during one of those periods when we were so busy with some really intense projects such as the ‘Mamarina show’ and we were both in the studio together. We felt like we just need to have some fun. The whole album project stems from just having fun and not being too serious or pretentious so we thought, why not just do something fun for a few hours and make a Christmas song? More as a joke at first. It's corny, we had a lot of fun making that and went on to finish it in just 6 hours. Even the artwork was sketched out by Labdi in transit and she was like, “Can you just do a hippo with a red nose and antlers?” (laughs) We also just wanted to have fun with the video and we decided to organise a Christmas Party for a friend. Tendai Gichuhi was our set designer & Gregory Alusa was our camera man who also helped us produce the video for 'Chunya'.
What inspired your very colourful music video for your single ‘Kucheza’?
Bent: I wanted the video to be close to Labdi's mouth as it's all based on this vocal sample that I collected from her, I wanted you to feel like you were in someone's mouth, It's also kind of and cartoony and has that playful 80's vibe. We just shot it in a few hours at my hotel in Nairobi".
Labdi: It was inspired by lack of funding (laughs), boredom and just having random ideas because Bernt practically shot and edited the whole thing. He learnt how to do everything on the same day we conceptualised it using YouTube tutorials. Just like we did for the animation of our single 'Leko'.
Tell me more about that, how did that come to life?
Bent: We wanted to do an animation video as Unganisha is very much about a visual collaboration. We worked with a writer called TJ Thorne to write a story based on the 'Mamarina show' within the context of this song. It's inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland'. A psychedelic, weird, through-the-looking glass sort of thing. Originally, we had planned to work with a local animator but it didn't pan out so we decided to do it ourselves, Labdi literally was sending me new hand-drawn sketches everyday through the cyber cafe as I learnt how to use 'After-effects' and managed to piece it all together!
Labdi has made a name for herself in East Africa’s music scene as a Luo speaking songstress and Orutu player. On the other hand, Nairobi doesn’t know much about you yet (Bernt), tell me more about yourself, how did you start making music?
Bent: I didn't do any music production until we started Unganisha. I studied Music Technology. I listened to a lot of rock growing up but later progressed to more contemporary and experimental music as most of my other projects also are. I've also been doing a lot of traditional recording and mixing
Tell me more about yourself and how you ended up meeting each other?
Bent: I had already been very curious about getting into production and the music scene in Nairobi so when I was introduced to Labdi by a mutual friend in 2016, I thought maybe we could share some ideas.
I was teaching at the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology before I progressed into a freelance Artist and started doing production for theatre and live performances. Before we met, I was touring in Zimbabwe and Malawi with a Nordic-Electronic-Pop group called the 'Northern Dunes'. I thought it would be fun to make something fun, colourful and that people could dance to when we met which is when I started producing electronic music. We didn't have a plan, everything came out quite organically and that’s why Unganisha sounds very eclectic, it's not one sound because we’re not trying to make Amapiano or Afro-Beat or whatever, we just do what we feel is fun
During my next visit here in Kenya, I set up shop in my hotel room, taped the microphone to a chair and shot music videos in the backyard. Later in 2017 I managed to bring Labdi for our festival in Norway. 2019 is when we really shifted gears and released 'Kucheza' and got booked for more festivals after getting some good feedback there.
What is the Electronic scene like in Norway?
Bent: It's big but far more streamlined, everything fits into a specific genre. As much as we have gotten a good reception there and people are coming to our shows, we try not to fit into a box which is both a good and bad thing. On one hand, we stand out and we're more unique. The downside is that radio stations and booking agents are not sure where to place us.
How has the cross-cultural experience as a travelling group been for you?
Labdi: It’s been great, we’ve got to learn a lot and be inspired creatively. I feel like whenever you move to a different place, your brain expands somehow no matter what you do. Travelling is the best way of experiencing new things. We’ve got to travel a lot within Norway and other places which is great exposure. It’s been a great privilege.
Has it been difficult balancing the highs and lows of a full-time career?
Labdi: I used to do a lot of side-hustles but I had to take a stand and decide this is what I want to do as they were taking up a lot of time from what I want to do. It was difficult at first but somehow, I have managed. Music is a career where you have first to invest more than you get back.
Bent: It’s the same for both of us. Many people see the tip of the iceberg, but what you don’t see are the sacrifices we have to make. We both chose this and I have been very lucky as we have also been to receive funding from grants in different instances to travel together.
Checkout their latest release ‘Nisadie’:
