FEMX

FEMX is a project supported by the Australian High Commision, with the goal to foreground non-male participation in the music and music technology space.

FEMX programming cross cuts the different elements of Kilele throughout the week, and involves the following interactions. 

Tuesday 13th - Sundowner Networking Session

Santuri alum DJs will soundtrack the session that focuses on and promotes non-male artists. The event is sponsored by AHC and will feature some words by Elisabeth O’Connor, Anowa Quarcoo and Jane Arnsion to mark the occasion.

Wednesday 14th - FEMX Panel 

We are delighted to welcome Jane Arnison to Kilele, and to Nairobi, having previously worked with Santuri over a number of years sharing her expertise as a producer and mix engineer.

Jane Arnison is a European based / Australian born composer, producer/engineer and sound artist. Her experience in working with music and sound traverses the popular and reaches out into the experimental. Her knowledge is grounded in a combination of studies in new music composition and her early practical experience as an engineer in commercial recording studios.

A duality of technical savvy in combination with a deep understanding of the inner workings of music has been Jane’s calling card throughout her career to date. Always interested in new opportunities and expressions Jane follows her instincts which has led her to a highly varied creative output.

Whether it is producing and engineering a record (Ostguton, Mord, !K7 Records, Human Level, Domino, Netwerk, Poker Flat, Sony), creating sound art installations (Julia Stocheck Gallery/ Michel Lamy), sound design for advertising, or mixing music in stereo or atmos;  the main thread that ties it all together is a fascination with sound as an expressive medium that drives all of Jane’s endeavours. This fascination and lust for knowledge around sound has meant a natural progression into education at universities throughout the world, opportunities for collaboration with music tech brands, educational initiatives and participation in conferences, workshops and festivals. Jane is actively working in the industry to address imbalances in gender in the music industry and creates intersectional feminist events to support the next generation of sound and music makers.

 

Wednesday - Showcases

FEMX will be supporting the presentation of two amazing performances on Wednesday evening.


The first will be Sharon Onyango-Obbo’s presentation of Never’s Conduit - a multimedia installation of work debuted in 2023 at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, for the Artist in Residence program with the African Music Archive.

BYTE

• "In the twenty-third year of the twenty-first century, a call was transmitted from BYTE—an ever-conscious planet existing in a parallel timeline of the far, far, far future. Musicolinguists possessing the skills required to nurture and grow its living consciousness heard this call. Having accepted the summons, they took a quantum leap into the future consciousness, where they believe they are the sole inhabitants of BYTE, although that may not be the case. They spend days sharing learnings, stories, and methods—each of them listening to one another, internalizing how they can contribute to building this new planet they now inhabit. In the realm of their current consciousness, preparations are underway to deploy an experience at the Kilele Music Symposium exploring AI modeling, Trans-instrumentation, Live coding, and Software synergy

• The musicolinguists include:

• YumaRuki - Software developer and music technology enthusiast.
• poppingtonic - Co-founder of Fahamu Inc and Sound of Nairobi. Creative coding formed his interest in programming.
• Christine - Software engineer with a curious nudge for visual coding.
• A9C - 388 - A trans-disciplinary artist and creative technologist using emerging technologies for social good.
• Furaha - A storyteller connecting to her technological roots.
• mkw - Software developer and music technology enthusiast.
• Ndung'u Mbithi - Live performer who has been rapidly advancing in creative coding practices.
• Sayankah - Visual artist exploring the visual articulation of the performance.
• [M] - A sound artist who explores creative coding as a means to navigate uncharted waters.

Thursday - Workshop

On Thursday we will host a track clinic with Jane Arnison - we’ll be prioritising non-male producers but all are welcome. Artists should come equipped with their works-in-progress and Jane will provide expert feedback on your music and mix in an open and welcoming forum.  

Saturday 

The Santuri @ 10 Showcase will feature MX Yallah - the Ugandan / Kenyan MC that has been blowing up internationally over the last years. MC Yallah’s appearance will be supported by the FEMX program.