TALKS AND PANELS
TUESDAY
11.30 - 13.00
Signal Flow - East Africa and global networks
This opening panel will frame the week in terms of developing networks from East Africa with global platforms, festivals and institutions. Attendees can expect to hear from festival directors, media platforms, institutional donors and bookers, as we set the scene for one of Kilele’s key goals - fostering meaningful collaborations and connections.
Moderated by Gregg Tendwa, speakers will include:
Muthoni the Drummer Queen (Goodtimes Africa)
Kwame Safo (British Council)
Mimie Maggale (Sonic Territories Festival Austria)
Geraldine Hepp (Piranha Arts Berlin)
14.00 - 15.00
Tickets, please.
What are the emerging or existing challenges of e-ticketing platforms? This panel will draw together representatives of Mookh and HustleSasa in Kenya, and the global dance music ticketing platform Resident Advisor, to provide insights into the sector. We’ll look at the role technology is playing, including Web3.0, as well as discussing how editorial and brand partnerships play a part.
Andy Lemay (Resident Advisor)
George Gachui (Mookh)
Dennis Mungai (Hustle Sasa)
15.00 - 15.30
Mbwana Radio Service
Nassoro Mwinyi and Carrol Oumum present an overview of the Amplifying Coast Music Heritage project, which involves a documentary on the Mbwana Radio Service and associated artists, as well as the showcasing of Khonjo Kolio, a ‘zaire’ band from Malindi.
15.00 - 15.30
NEWF - Impact storytelling : Composing music for wildlife films
Following the success of the Compose yourself labs, NEWF is extending insight into the world of wildlife-film composition, an area in which African musicians are often left out of the equation.Led by film-director Sam Thuku and award-winning composer Labdi Ommes, this workshop will create an entry-point for upcoming Kenyan musicians/composers into the vast scene of wildlife films.
16.00 - 17.30
The Ethics of Collaboration - Panel
European interactions with African music have been fraught with exploitation, exoticism, and appropriation since the first recording equipment was developed. As musical technologies such as sampling emerged along with the democratisation of music making, the opportunities for exploitation also increased exponentially. As new technologies such as AI are changing the landscape once again, ethical collaboration, preservation and cultural exchange is more important than ever before.
Mod.Wairimũ Nduba
Panelists:
Labdi Ommes (Uganisha)
Bernt Isak (Uganisha)
Dr. Kahithe Kiiru (Samplebar / Bomas of Kenya)
WEDNESDAY
11.00 - 11.30
Artificial Intelligence & Music - an overview w/ Philippe Pasquier
11.30 - 12.00
Preparing the next-gen of music industry leaders w/ Emilien Moyon (Berklee Valancia)
AI, Virtual Realities, New Creative Frontiers; the music industry is facing a unique combination of challenges and opportunities from a content-creator perspective as well as from a business perspective. Based on over 15 years of experience in some of the best academic institutions, Emilien will present some of Berklee’s educational principles that they implement to develop the skills and mindset that successful leaders need to navigate a rapidly-changing environment and competitive landscape.
12.00 - 13.00
Afrorack and Feldermelder present Rolleqx
The artists met due to Feldermelder running a residency program ar smem in Switzerland. Brian (Afrorack) applied through Pro Helvetia, and spent a considerable time in Switzerland in 2022. After this residency, Brian initiated a collaboration that was then funded by Pro Helvetia too. Now they are on the brink of sharing it. The pair recorded close to 11 hours of music in a Studio in Fribourg Switzerland in the beginning of 2023. “It was basically us two in a room making music and discussing the world. From this point we selected the parts that seemed worthy to work on a little more and slowly developed enough music to make a release. A lot of back and forth later and here we are with the first tracks of Roll'eqx. The pair will be sharing the process and results of this residency in East Afrca for the first time.
14.00 - 14.45
Thanks to technology that is getting ever cheaper, plentiful and more available, making instruments and musical interfaces is more accessible than ever before. This is an exciting opportunity for artists and musicians to build musical instruments and interfaces that are unique to their specific goals, but current electronic music culture has a strong history of using specific kinds of materials and interface conventions which might suit only a very narrow group of electronic music practitioners. In this talk, I describe the power of incorporating local, easily-available materials to build musical interfaces that are unique to all of us, and not only how the things we use every day can incorporate every musician’s own culture and aesthetics into the tools they use, but how they can offer us new ways to relate to the instruments and interfaces we use to create music that matters.
15.45 - 16.00
The fascinating parallels between globally recognized electronic music genres and rich local African genres and what fusing these two sounds would mean.
This presentation explores the untapped potential of fusing these distinct styles, shedding light on why investing in this fusion could elevate both local and global appeal as well the reasons as to why this is actually a good idea. He will speak on the transformative power of this fusion, as it not only expands the market for electronic music in Kenya beyond urban exoticism but also creates a more inclusive and sustainable music landscape. This innovative approach fosters cross-cultural interaction, essential for the growth of the local electronic music scene.
16.15 - 17.30
Technology has changed the way we listen to, discover, and enjoy music. It’s also changed who we hear from, allowing for the creation of new sounds and bringing new people into the fold on every side of the music industry.
In this panel you will hear from Jane Arnison, Shi, Kem Kem and Sharon Onyango-Obbo as they share their experiences carving out space in the industry, share hot takes on what they're seeing and anticipate in the future, and provide practical tips for people looking to break into the industry. The panel will be moderated by Anowa Quarcoo (aka Sonic Griot).
FEMX is supported by the Austrailian High Commission in Nairobi.
Astrid Bin - It’s never just a slider
Thanks to technology that is getting ever cheaper, plentiful and more available, making instruments and musical interfaces is more accessible than ever before. This is an exciting opportunity for artists and musicians to build musical instruments and interfaces that are unique to their specific goals, but current electronic music culture has a strong history of using specific kinds of materials and interface conventions which might suit only a very narrow group of electronic music practitioners. In this talk, I describe the power of incorporating local, easily-available materials to build musical interfaces that are unique to all of us, and not only how the things we use every day can incorporate every musician’s own culture and aesthetics into the tools they use, but how they can offer us new ways to relate to the instruments and interfaces we use to create music that matters.
15.45 - 16.00
Bridging Global and local soundscapes in Kenyan electronic music - Victor Munyasya
The fascinating parallels between globally recognized electronic music genres and rich local African genres and what fusing these two sounds would mean.
This presentation explores the untapped potential of fusing these distinct styles, shedding light on why investing in this fusion could elevate both local and global appeal as well the reasons as to why this is actually a good idea. He will speak on the transformative power of this fusion, as it not only expands the market for electronic music in Kenya beyond urban exoticism but also creates a more inclusive and sustainable music landscape. This innovative approach fosters cross-cultural interaction, essential for the growth of the local electronic music scene.
16.15 - 17.30
FEMX
Technology has changed the way we listen to, discover, and enjoy music. It’s also changed who we hear from, allowing for the creation of new sounds and bringing new people into the fold on every side of the music industry.
In this panel you will hear from Jane Arnison, Shi, Kem Kem and Sharon Onyango-Obbo as they share their experiences carving out space in the industry, share hot takes on what they're seeing and anticipate in the future, and provide practical tips for people looking to break into the industry. The panel will be moderated by Anowa Quarcoo (aka Sonic Griot).
FEMX is supported by the Austrailian High Commission in Nairobi.
THURSDAY
10.00 - 11.00
Halim El-Dabh listening session w/ Nyokabi Kariũki
Nyokabi Kariũki will expand on her recent artivle ‘On learning that one of the first electronic works was by an African, Halim El-Dabh’.
11.00 - 13.00
Tim Grund: Building live-electronic instruments with Pure Data derived from tape-music compositions
In this workshop, we will present a method of employing MIR (music information retrieval) techniques in order to prepare a live-electronic setup in the open source audio software Pure Data (PD). We will showcase a dedicated live-electronics setup for the re-interpretation of the piece „Leiyla and the poet“ by Halim El-Dabh (1959) and discuss the challenges in extracting the source sounds from a tape music mixdown. Participants will learn about MIR techniques such as beat tracking and source separation, work with the software PD, the provided setup and develop their own interpretations of El-Dabh's music. For participants, please bring your own laptop, headphones and eventually a MIDI-Controller.
14.00 - 14.30
Kostia Rapoport - Randomization Techniques in Live - Electronics Performance
Talk: As part of the 'Études for Live-electronics' project, Kostia Rapoport will present his instruments and interfaces when performing with Ableton Live and show the different development stages of his live project when being used with different hardware controllers. Specifically he will talk about his approach on randomization techniques, looping multiple tempos and his explorations of real-time visualization processes.
14.30 - 15.00
Favela Sounds - A Conversation with the Founders
Favela Sounds is an international slums culture festival that takes place in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, and offers workshops, debates and shows to over 30,000 people annually, occupying the political center of the country. The festival proposes to present the most diverse musical styles of periphery worldwide and its modes of production. What can East African cultural producers learn from this?
with
Guilherme Tavares
Amanda Bittar
FRIDAY
10.00 - 11.00
Distribution and New Technologies for Royalty Collection
A presentation on the profound impact of digital music distribution and how creatives can strategically utilize these platforms to reach and expand their global audiences. The digital landscape has revolutionized the music business, providing artists with unprecedented opportunities for exposure, revenue diversification, and collaboration on a global scale. Additionally, we Äll hear from Mr Ndiritu, a tech entrepreneur, music producer and founder of Huruplay. He has developed innovative software to help artists track royalties effectively, addressing a critical need in the evolving music landscape. The technology, currently in closed testing, utilizes AI to monitor music play across numerous stations in East Africa, providing real-time notifications to artists for prompt royalty claims.
Moderated by Selina Onyando
Beth Achitsa (The Orchard)
Kim Ndiritu - (Huruplay)
14.00 - 15.00
KMRU - FRAUGHT
Performance of life often adheres to linear methodologies fixated on reaching specific endpoints. Artistic practices align with these principles, maintaining control over th unfolding of events. Consequently, when faced with an ontological crisis, disruptions occur, events unfold, and tension builds. This upheaval prompts a profound sense of occurrence, leading to a reorientation that highlights the multipositionality of the self, fostering a spirit of unstable curiosity.
Drawing inspiration from the concepts of distortion, fermentation, and chaos, the research delves into various nuances of signal processing through distortion circuits. Distortion introduces a sonic dislocation and unfamiliarity, akin to natural processes like fermentation, where organisms and bacteria transform seemingly mundane foods int complex and esoteric behaviours. Similarly, waveforms exhibit similar behaviour whe subjected to nonlinear techniques, often resulting in a spectrum of new harmonics. These creative artifacts born from the distortion process act as conduits, dislocating
conventional processes. The project involves a familial reversal, embracing inconveniences, disruptions, and chaos as active components of context- to uncover commonalities in contrasting tones and non-hierarchical noises hence presenting new
methodologies for exploring the unheard. Fraught introduces an obfuscation of source materials—sounds, texts, noises, objects altering how we engage with process- context and redefining creation-performance as reframing of meaning embodying a spirit of curiosity.
Drawing inspiration from the concepts of distortion, fermentation, and chaos, the research delves into various nuances of signal processing through distortion circuits. Distortion introduces a sonic dislocation and unfamiliarity, akin to natural processes like fermentation, where organisms and bacteria transform seemingly mundane foods int complex and esoteric behaviours. Similarly, waveforms exhibit similar behaviour whe subjected to nonlinear techniques, often resulting in a spectrum of new harmonics. These creative artifacts born from the distortion process act as conduits, dislocating
conventional processes. The project involves a familial reversal, embracing inconveniences, disruptions, and chaos as active components of context- to uncover commonalities in contrasting tones and non-hierarchical noises hence presenting new
methodologies for exploring the unheard. Fraught introduces an obfuscation of source materials—sounds, texts, noises, objects altering how we engage with process- context and redefining creation-performance as reframing of meaning embodying a spirit of curiosity.