Kenya: Bengatronics to launch debut album

The album is titled Benga Belt Vol 1 and is a fusion of Kenyan benga, rumba, electronica, hip hop and jazz.

The album's production is a culmination of a project between Kenyan DJ Gregg Tendwa in collaboration with Umoja DJs from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

"I want to bring to life a new sound direction of benga music,” Tendwa said. "Bengatronics aims to encourage young Kenyans to embrace benga as their authentic culture and not be ashamed of it. We want to elevate benga to become a cultural export from Kenya."

Benga Belt Vol 1 features the vocals of Boaz Jagingo, Missing Rotich, Msupa S Queen, John Kithikii, Musyoki Mutua Poet and Abakisimba Troupe. On guitars are John Udulele and Michel Ongaro, while the drumming duties were given to Oduor Bernard Kidum.

The album launch will also see performances by Francis Danger of the Kakai Kilonzo & Kilimambogo Brothers band and Ricky Na Marafiki Band.

For a few years now, benga has received interest from international DJs like Umoja (Netherlands) and DJ Zhao (Germany).

To stamp the lasting authority the genre has on East Africa, Ketebul Music published Shades of Benga, a coffee-table book that lays out the history of the Kenyan music industry from 1946 to 2016. In 2018, the Flee Project from Germany released a film and vinyl collection that included international remixes of popular Kenyan benga tracks. 

After the launch, Bengatronics will embark on an album tour of East Africa. The dates are below:

• 27.07.2019 – MUZE Club, Nairobi, Kenya.
• 04.08.2019 – Bayimba Festival, Kampala, Uganda.
• 23.08. 2019 – Ongala Music Fest, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
• 31.08.2019 – Benga Fest Machakos, Kenya.
• 06.09.2019 – Nyege Nyege Festival, Jinja, Kampala.
• 05.09.2019 – Kuona 1st Sato, Nairobi, Kenya.
• 19.09.2019 – Club Mamba, Kigali, Rwanda.
• 23.09.2019 – Africa Cross Roads, Mombasa, Kenya.
• 14.12.2019 – Benga Fest, Kisumu, Kenya.
• 19.12.2019 – Rusinga Festival, Kisumu, Kenya.
• 27.12.2019 – Mdundiko at Backpackers, Kilifi, Kenya.
• 31.12.2019 – Kilifi New Year, Kenya.