Fast rising East African underground movement takes centre stage in sound cloud’s series “Scenes”, album debut set for tomorrow

By Reporter

One of the hottest emerging communities in music today, East Africa’s fast-rising underground music movement, and Nyege Nyege’s powerful influence in the region and beyond is explored in the latest episode of SoundCloud’s music discovery series, “SCENES”. “SCENES: East African Underground” and “Music for the Eagles”, a first-in-the series companion album released with famed Nyege Nyege Tapes, starts streaming today on SoundCloud and all major streaming platforms.

As a global platform for connectivity, collaboration and community, SoundCloud plays a unique role in spotlighting next-gen music landscapes. In “SCENES: East African Underground” and on “Music for the Eagles”, discover the thriving artist communities who find each other IRL, via the Nyege Nyege collective and on SoundCloud who are forging their own path and alternative sounds out of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

“SCENES’ and compilations like ‘Music for the Eagles’ are focused on driving global music discovery around the trailblazing communities of artists and passionate music fans who are propelling mainstream music trends of tomorrow,” said Leon Sherman, Director of Editorial, SoundCloud. “From first spotlighting the genre-bending scene, Digicore, to PC Music and Hyperpop, which have swept popular music this year, we are excited to now amplify the future-facing sounds of the East African underground movement and the incredibly influential Nyege Nyege Collective.”

“Nyege Nyege and SoundCloud share a love for underground music and community building,” says Derek Debru, co-founder of Nyege Nyege. “’Music for the Eagles’ is both music that engages audiences into new sonic territories and also an opportunity for many emerging artists to get a formidable spotlight to further their career and engage with global audiences.”

“SCENES: East African Underground” tells the story of a group of innovative artists building a creative community and sharing it on a global scale, powered by future-forward music pushing the boundaries of hip-hop, experimental electronics, dance, and sounds from throughout the region. The video features commentary from these artists and others creating diverse, multi-faceted sounds across the scene, including: Vibrant, bass-heavy trailblazer Kampire; Genre-bending, globally celebrated DJ Slikback; Respected, razor sharp MC Aunty Rayzor; sonic sound producer KMRU; Kampala-based label, collective, and Nyege Nyege Festival co-founder Derek Debru; and, US-based artist and advocate for the movement Suzi Analogue.

“My exposure to the underground electronic music scene in Kampala is when I really started to be free,” Slickback says in the episode, and adds, “It’s unbound in the way artists express themselves and respond to sounds.”

With 14 never before released tracks from emerging scenes of the continent, “Music for the Eagles” features exclusive works from local heroes, and introduces up-and-coming talents representing a variety of unique genres. Artists featured include local heroes such as Nairobi-based rapper, singer and producer Boutross, Traditional adungu and nanga harp master and singer, Otim Alpha and Tanzanian producer Jay Mitta, with his unique take on the sound of singeli. The album also introduces up and coming talents like Kenyan future-pop artist KABEAUSHÉ, Ugandan grime, hip-hop and punk master MC Yallah, and features artists beyond East Africa including Durban’s Phelimuncasi with their signature style of Gqom, along with many more from a diverse range of underground scenes.

“East Africa is bubbling with so much music right now, and young people are taking risks and finding new sounds, people are starting to be more curious about each other and mingle their scenes,” said MC Yallah of her sound on the album. “That’s why I wanted to mash up my hip hop vibe with Nairobi’s metal sound.”

About “SCENES”

Rising communities and culture-shifting collectives form and grow on SoundCloud and continue to drive what’s next in music — from SoundCloud’s early days as the home to the hottest DJs and artists to giving birth to brand-new sounds and genres (like SoundCloud rap). SoundCloud’s original series “SCENES” explores the unique elements of these collectives and movements — how they are shaped by a sense of community versus by their sounds or genre, the artists gaining traction are younger than ever and more DIY, and the 3-minute song is no longer standard.

Check-out all SCENES episodes, Personal Computer Music, an innovative hyperpop movement brought to life by groundbreaking producer, singer and songwriter A.G. Cook and his record label PC Music, and Digicore, shaped by a young, diverse, internet-inspired generation of DIY creators. Stay tuned for updates on “SCENES” via SoundCloud’s Youtube channel, Instagram, and Twitter.