Papillion

BIO

Papillon (born Martin Murimi) is a Kenyan musician and indeginous instrument maker.

Papillon arrived on the music scene in 2017. He writes original music in several languages and designs and creates his own African instruments.

Papillon looks at African musical instruments with an eye to redesign, combine and upgrade them for a new musical experience. He has taken an eight-string lyre, which is played in one version or another in countries along the Nile River, and set it inside a calabash resonator (similar to those found in the kora of the Sahel) along with two kalimbas (finger pianos), which are played throughout Africa. This ingenious invention allows him to play two different instruments at the same time.

His interest in traditional musical instruments is partially the result of the time he spent under the tutelage of another East African musician who created musical history and achieved world fame by playing traditional musical instruments, the legendary Ayub Ogada.

As a child Papillon joined the Jua Kali Drummers, a Kenyan group of young percussionists that traveled to Europe and other parts of the world. When the group morphed into the well-known Slum Drummers, Papillon took over as the assistant manager under an Italian musical director Giovanni Lo Cascio.

Papillon is currently working on his first major album. He has formed a group of versatile and diverse musicians including an Indian tabla player, drummer, flautist, pianist and guitarist. This group accompanies Papillon on his quest to take back traditional music and build a new musical dynasty based on old African roots.