122: Introducing Kenge Kenge, by Kenge Kenge

Kenge Kenge (Kenya)
Introducing Kenge Kenge (2007)
8 tracks, 68 minutes
Spotify ∙ iTunes

I’m writing today’s post a couple of weeks ago (it’s always nice to keep a bit of a buffer innit). It’s a balmy evening during the Easter bank holiday weekend and I have a tin of cider with me. I reckon this is probably the ideal setting for the music of Kenge Kenge.

Kenge Kenge are a band from Kenya whose musical style takes the guitar-based benga back to where it started, with the musical instruments and traditions of the Luo people – it’s similar in this way to the album Luo Roots that we’ve talked about before. That compilation showcased a number of different approaches to benga roots, and Kenge Kenge have their own, too.

They use mostly traditional instruments such as the oporo horn, the asili flute and the nyangile box-and-ring (as well as a bass guitar), but their sound is most definitely built around the orutu. The orutu is a one-string fiddle that (for Kenge Kenge at least) is almost always played in pairs. The harmonies that they describe are always open fourths or fifths, but the melodies that they play are always so major, it just makes it all sound so jolly, all of the time. The actual timbre of the orutus is interesting, and the first time I heard it, I couldn’t really tell what it was. It sounds quite hollow and wooden to the degree that it sometimes sounds more like a flute rather than, for example, a violin, but its scratchiness and imprecise tonality sets it completely apart. This impreciseness just adds to its charm, and together with everything else makes Kenge Kenge’s music perfect for a sunny day.

That holds true to all of the tracks on this album, it’s all good. But my favourite song by Kenge Kenge is actually a stand-alone track that was released slightly later than the album. It’s this one, 'Obama for Change':

When Barack Obama was running for president, it’s no surprise that most of Kenya was behind him, and Kenge Kenge had that extra incentive – Obama Sr is also Luo, and from the same region, Alego, as the band. Their song to aid his campaign is an uplifting message of hope and solidarity: ‘American people all vote for Obama’ and such. And it worked! He probably won because their song was so infectious. Shame they didn’t write one about Hilary Clinton.

If it’s still so warm and sunny by the time this post goes live, well for one, global warming, let’s do something about it, but also, there’s your excuse to stick on Introducing Kenge Kenge dead loud, open a tinny and appreciate this sonic joy.