Abubilla Music

Ketebul Music – Kenya

Written by Steph

Every once in a while, you come across something – be it a cause, a concept – that strikes such a resounding chime within you that you feel the need to TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT (and now we can – thanks, worldwide web).  Introducing the world of KETEBUL.

We here at Abubilla Music, being the community-minded music maniacs that we are, are dedicated to sharing our exciting discoveries with you. And this latest is the one we’re getting  A BIG bee in our bonnets about.

Introducing Ketebul Music – a not-for-profit organisation based in Nairobi, whose aim is to promote and nurture traditional, indigenous African music. Not only do they manage and promote Kenyan musicians and artists and allow them to flourish and create the music that is the rhythm and heartbeat of their lives, but they also aim to “identify, preserve, conserve and…promote the diverse music traditions of East Africa”.

For us, and hopefully for you too, the preservation of music and culture is vital. It’s exciting to hear new threads and genres of music every day, thanks to artists and musicians discovering new ideas and musical tools to experiment with. But it’s also useful to know where you’ve come from, as well as where you’re going. Borrowing ideas from others (or just plain nicking them) for your own music can be really fun, and have good, bad, and hilarious consequences (more on this later).

That’s why the work that Ketebul do at the GoDown Arts Centre in Nairobi is so very important – its providing people with the chance to showcase the talent that’s emerging there  not just to the world, but amongst themselves, in their own community.

One of the artists that’s sponsored by Ketebul is a musician named Ogoya Nengo, whose wonderful track S.M.Otieno you can hear on Ketebul’s Myspace page.  Ogoya Nengo (her stage name, which means “Prized Daughter of Magoya”) has been singing in the indigenous, popular style of Kenya, “dodo”, since her early childhood, whilst accompanying her mother and sisters to the river to bathe or collect water. After having met and performed for the executive producer of Ketebul Music at a party where he was the guest of honour, Ogoya Nengo has now toured Africa and Europe with Ketebul, along with releasing an album. There’s a really interesting interview with her here, where she discusses her style of music, how things have changed for her, and what we can expect from her in the future.

Going back to the idea of musicians borrowing melodies from their forebearers – it would seem that they’ve been doing it for yonks, with no shame, and often to ill effect. Classical composers did it  – they nicked popular folk music to give it a bit of oomph. Guilty:

Bartok. He did it ALL OVER THE PLACE. Probably none of this was his: (OK, maybe some of it)

Who he nicked from: The Romanians

Guilty: Procol Harem, with Whiter Shade of Pale

Who he nicked from: J S Bach

Guilty: Kanye West

Who he nicked it from: Curtis Mayfield

Just a few examples of musicians that have built on work that’s come before them.Have a click on the Ketebul Myspace page to hear a few examples of when a traditional and modern music fusion will sit well on your ears 🙂