Tracka De Day: Owiny Sigoma Band’s “Hera” (Sun Araw Remix)

August 22, 2011 Leave a comment



The original “Hera” is a tribal affair – full of folky Kenyan drumbeats and a chanted, repeating chorus – but when Sun Araw, the woozy one-man psychedelic outfit, gets on the Owiny Sigoma Band’s track for a remix, he transports it to outer space. Sun Araw said of the original and the remix, “inspiring rhythms, sort of just went voyaging on them.”  The inspiration seems mutual.  Jesse Hackett, who plays keys for Owiny Sigoma and the Gorillaz, talks about Sun Araw’s remix:

I was lucky to meet with Cameron (aka Sun Araw) last year and had an immediate musical connection. I had found his music online and immediately loved it. Its warm soulful tones, deep spiritual intensity, and amazing sound struck me straight away. When I met Cameron, I found he was a total music specialist, articulate, and open minded and very specific in his tastes. Sun Araw’s Beach Head EP was the soundtrack to my first visit to LA and I was lucky to go jam with him and some friends one evening. I love his music and it’s a great honor that he did a mix for our group. I hope to do more collaborations with him very soon.

Check it out right here:
Owiny Sigoma Band – “Hera” (Sun Araw Remix) by noraritchie

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Audio: Owiny Sigoma Band’s “Doyoi Nyajo Nam” (Quantic Dub Remix)

August 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Owiny Sigoma Band’s new release, Tafsiri Sound EP features four awesome remixes of songs from their self-named album, which dropped earlier this year. The project, brought to us by Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, is a compilation of Owiny classics and funky artists like Quantic, Hello Skinny, and Jesse Hackett. “Doyoi Nyajo Nam” was already one of our favorite Owiny tracks, but when Quantic got on the remixed track, they brought it to a whole new level, adding afrofunk, bass, and XXL drums to create a booty-shaking, chest-thumbing dance floor worthy jam. This remix is a total summer concert anthem. Download the track for FREE here. Love it? Read more about the EP, and get it in vinyl or go digital.

Listen to the Quantic remix of  “Doyoi Nyajo Nam” by Owiny Sigoma Band

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Audio: Owiny Sigoma Band Drops 12″ Remixes Ft. Quantic

June 30, 2011 Leave a comment

Owiny Sigoma Band, supported by Gilles Peterson‘s Brownswood Records, drop 4 fresh remixes on a 12″ titled Tafsiri Sound (drops July 11th, UK / July 12th, US).  ‘Tafsiri’ means translation and interpretation in the linguistic and lyrical sense in Swahili, Kenya’s predominant language – so it seems the perfect word to describe a release of flips, remixes, and transformations.  On this release you’ll find 2 remixes from Quantic, flipping “Doyoi Nyajo Nam” into a real summer festival anthem.  Also included are a “Margaret Okudo” remix by Owiny Sigoma Band co-founders Jesse Hackett (keys), and a flip of “Owegi Owandho” by Tom Skinner (drums).  Listen to a teaser stream of Tafsiri Sound below, and prepare to cop the 12″ July 12th.  The original release is available now, as well.
Owiny Sigoma Band – Tafsiri Sound 12″ by Brownswood

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Audio: Owiny Sigoma Band “Wires”

March 30, 2011 1 Comment

Owiny Sigoma Band, a musical exchange program backed by token UK producer/BBC radio personality Gilles Peterson, explores the relationship between London and the Luo, and showcases Kenya’s contemporary sounds- a music that has been eclipsed on the global stage by the popularization of South and West African music. The project, which will be released on May 2nd, was the initial vision of Hetty Hughes and Aaron Abraham, co-founders of Art of Protest, an organization established to promote local musicians. In 2009, the pair invited London-based musicians Jesse Hackett (keys), Louis Hackett (bass), Sam Lewis (guitar), Chris Morphitis (bouzouki/guitar) and Tom Skinner (drums) to collaborate with Joseph Nyamungo and Charles Okoko from the northern village of Owiny Sigoma. The debut release, Owiny Sigoma Band, is the product of the initial demos making their way to Gilles Peterson’s inbox, at which point they were signed to his imprint Brownswood, and sent back to Nairobi for another recording session with Joseph Nyamungo, Charles Okoko and their friends. “Wires,” their first single, is a bouncy spring-time groove, sprinkled with gentle vocals, percussion, and a simple disco beat. Listen to “Wires” below, and enjoy the teaser above.

Wires

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