Gondwana: An Afro House Phenomenon
Gondwana is known as Nairobi’s (if not Kenya’s) most prolific African Electronic music label and events company, and for good reason. With what started as a fun idea for Suraj Mandavia back in 2015 before later collaborating with partner Eugene Onyango in 2016 and officially forming a functional machine by 2017, their journey has been nothing short of inspiring.They have had numerous events, stand-out such as Dwana In The Wild, as well as music projects like Sazile and many more that are unique to them.
What birthed the idea of Gondwana?
Suraj: We went around Nairobi and realized there was no representation of our culture in the scene. It would be very hard to convince someone who’s lived their whole life in Kenya, and only been exposed to music on the radio, to listen to Techno and such because they don’t really know/understand that sound. At the same time we felt there was music that could bridge the gap between the two through the instruments, sound and rhythms that we use and that’s what we did.
Euggy: The idea for the record label started on its own before morphing with events, to also bridge that gap. As I was learning to make music I made connections with some African electronic musicians and basically wanted to create a platform where we could showcase our skills as Djs and producers, as well as provide that platform for others in that space.
Last year you did your first African Tour as a label. How was that experience for you as both artists and entrepreneurs?
Suraj: We’d never done anything like that before. A stream of 6 shows in 5 cities around Africa was definitely a physical challenge, but the beautiful thing about it is that we partnered with people who share the same vision, goals, ethos and values as us, which made it a lot easier to collaborate on a professional level.
What lesson stood out the most to you?
Suraj: During summer last year I came across Visa challenges whereby I had to choose between performing between two cities because of the process of getting them. A lot of people travel in summer, so it takes a little longer than usual.
Euggy: It was the same for me. It’s now easier to travel to South Africa, which is where we did most of our shows but last year we had to apply for both African and European visas, which meant we didn’t have our passports with us half the time. So just have everything in order before travelling. 6 months prior if possible and adjust as you go. Another is how to market for the different places we went to. The people we collaborated with already knew us and what Gondwana was, but I think if we did more marketing we would have gotten an even bigger crowd than we already had.
You also celebrated your 6 year anniversary last year with non stop consistency from the start. What else would you say is a key ingredient to your success this far?
Euggy: Other than consistency, I would say quality. The quality of our shows are very important to us and how we run things. Staying true and authentic to your niche and direction is also important.
You’ve worked with so many amazing artists and DJs such as Sun - El, Buruntuma, Winyo and Vidza over the years. How do you draw in these big collaborations and steer them forward for the long run?
Suraj: I think one thing that sets us apart from most people is that our focus is always the music. The way we get to collaborate and have conversations with all these different artists is that we are fans first, and our audience is the same. At the same time we also feel that there’s a lot of quality music, artists and experiences that easily get overlooked when running a business. So sometimes it might not make financial sense to hire certain artists because of the returns, but the experience takes higher precedence. So looking at the bigger picture, we know that it will make sense 5/6 months later because of the experience we gave our audience that will keep them coming back.
Euggy: Money will always come if you stick to the vision. People love music and will remember the kind of experience you gave them at the end of the day.
We also read the producers and DJs we work with - their vibe, the music they play and if it will match with us or not. Kato Change, Winyo and Akoth Jumadi have been really amazing to work with. Creativity is about love and there’s respect, so we flow really well and it works.
Most memorable collaboration this far as a label and as an events company?
Euggy: Sazile EP was one of my favourite releases to put out. It got such a great response, especially from Kenyans. We cut across cultures and started bridging the gaps we wanted to, which was inspiring to my work as well.
For events, it was the Kaleidoscope Festival in Watamu held September last year as part of our African Tour. Everything worked out perfectly and our sunset set was insane! The turn out was amazing, the vibes were amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
Suraj: That event for us was like the perfect merger of what we’re about which is creating a music moment. Everyone who came to the show really understood what Gondwana is about and I’m super grateful for the opportunity to connect like that.
The release I’m most proud of is definitely the Sazile EP and for the same reasons. The process of making and releasing it was very beautiful and enjoyable.
How has it been working with (Kenyan) vocalists on the genre?
Suraj: Funny story. When I collaborated with Kato Change and Winyo for the Abiro remix, Winyo was not interested in the sound at all. It was up until he saw the reaction to the song on Black Coffee’s Tomorrowland set that his eyes were open to the possibilities.
For Idd Aziz, it was the total opposite. He’s been making Afro House before it was even called Afro House! Everyone can see the love and appreciation for the genre, and that opened the eyes and doors for local artists to explore and collaborate.
Euggy: For a lot of local artists, it’s their first time exploring the genre. So it’s always fun to kind of direct them with that sound organically.
You guys tend to work around a theme for all your events e.g Sundowner and Dwana In The Wild. How do you come up with these themes and how do they represent you as Gondwana?
Suraj: Our hook is nature. We started out at Captain's Terrace which provided this Sunday sunset vibe with a view of the national park with carefully curated music to go around it and good sound and we realised that nature gave us options. Our focus with Dwana In The Wild is to take you from your normal outing and put you in the wild. We’ve taken people inside The Nairobi National Park and The Amboseli National Park as well and immersed them in the full experience of nature.
We also have a carnival-like experience with Sunday Out, which is also a whole other production that accommodates a lot more people with bigger sound, lights and stage etc. All in all we make sure that nature is somehow incorporated with our events.
Euggy: Music can be played and perceived differently in different settings, also as per the different roster of artists we book. So we feel that it’s important to have a mix of big and small shows in order to grow, just to keep things interesting and give people different experiences.
I think the themes you chose around your events have also played a big part in not only music tourism but also local and international tourism as well. Did you expect this to be a result of Gondwana and how do you think this can be expanded?
Euggy: Yes, just by keeping interesting and by pushing the boundaries as much as possible. This could be explored more with the help of the government and whoever’s in charge of all these spaces who can even guide us on how to do these things properly. It’s an equal exchange of showing what Kenya has here and what we can take out there as well.
Suraj: I feel like we have a great product and the whole world needs to hear it. The internet plays a big role on how far we can reach as well.
What are your thoughts on the cultural exchange between here and for example South Africa? Especially in terms of DJ’s and electronic African music.
Suraj: Some of the most established Afro House vocalists come from Kenya, such as Idd Aziz and Winyo, who actually helped expand the listenership of Afro House and cut across cultures. So for us it’s just about building an infrastructure that works. In SA, Afro House DJs easily get large followings, so it makes financial sense for them to be booked here. For us, unfortunately it’s not the same. The talent is there but the numbers are not (financially speaking) to book us as Kenyans. It’s easier to connect with people who consume your music and build relationships with them who then make it possible to travel there and play shows. The genre is also still fairly new on a global scale so there’s still time to grow.
Euggy: South Africans are the biggest consumers of house music in the world. They already have so much they’re listening to at home before thinking of looking outside. However, we have been booked by other African countries such as Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria, who are accepting of us and what we have to offer. It’s just a matter of being consistent and building a fanbase.
How do you feel about the House scene in Nairobi right now?
Euggy: We have one of the biggest party scenes in Africa right now in terms of house music. I’ve heard this from many South African creatives and producers who come here and their jaws drop at how things are done here. They love it here and they often come back. We have new record labels, event series and Afro House artists coming up, so it’s growing faster than it was 2/3 years ago. Things are very vibrant right now.
The lads are out for world domination. As they continue to put in the work to become the biggest superstars by doing bigger/better shows and collaborating with the greats, you can listen to their newly released Sazile Remixes EP, and look out for Euggy’s upcoming project with single release Chuki. Look out for all their latest events via their social media and a bigger Africa Tour this year around the European summer as well.
All photo’s courtesy of Akash Chotai.
