the sands of time

bands in spellcast
the noise we listen to

the programme

the sands of time

bands in spellcast

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the noise we listen to

17

#csr 2015

27

Sometimes less is more. And sometimes an editorial note is just that-a note.
From my team with love,
Enjoy!
Kendi Gloria, Editor

profiles

37

guest interview

46

just love

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We strive to leave our mark wherever we

live. Life as we know it is a struggle and we are ever buffeted
by the storm of the sands of time. Left alone and unguided in
this storm, many are lost yet every once in a while there arise
those who stand unmoved by the storm and all who come after
them can look back and get the strength to look forward. Let
us not fear that ability in us to be that reference. Instead, let us
instead reach for it in humility and love. In this storm in which
we find ourselves, Spellcast shall ultimately be the art guide
and haven.

OF TIME

THE SANDS
By Moses Opere

hat is time? A human concept to

because Spellcasts very first birthday was

measure change? Is it a new plane

fast approaching and so the creative director

against each other in the hopes of winning.

that we hope to master to enable us to plot

(famous Mr. A) and his crew began prepara-

Alas, due to unavoidable circumstances, the

past, present and future events on a yet

tions for an anniversary show that was later

Acawars which were scheduled for Septem-

unknown graph? In truth, I too cannot fully

christened Safari Sanaa. This was a great

ber as well was indefinitely postponed as was

and confidently answer that question ... yet.

highlight for the year 2015. In Safari Sanaa,

Sarafina, which was as of then (July) far from

This phenomenon called time affects us all, or

Spellcast provided a forum in which its young

complete. This was a low moment for all of

should I say we notice time because of all the

members and friends received the opportu-

Spellcast since everyone had been really and

changes affecting us? Its all confusing, really.

nity to showcase their talents, from dancing,

truly excited for the two events; especially

In any case, time gives us the ability to make

to singing and acting. The show was a great

as Accawars had a monetary incentive (the

plans and even make references in terms

success even as Spellcast turned a whopping

amount is unclassified for security reasons). In

of past, present and future and you know

one year.

place of the postponed shows, there would

what they say (or rather what Bil Keane said),

As Spellcast grew older, more members were

be a smaller show in Braeburn that would

Yesterdays the past, tomorrows the future,

incorporated into the family as the group

basically showcase peoples talents and

but today is a gift. Thats why its called the

known as Yizwani, which is Zulu for Hear, a

provide previews for the three major shows in

present. This is intriguingly true for today as

group of young talented boys. I can attest to

the Great Itinerary of Spellcast (GIS): Sarafi-

you happen to be reading this work of art, a

it that those young boys were heard loud and

na, Mnyanzi wa Menza and Gor Mahia. Even

true gift.

clear.

with the aforementioned setback, Spellcast

Nathaniel Hawthorne said that time flies over

As the younger members were preparing

was then hit by a harder one just a couple of

us, but leaves its shadow behind. I believe

and performing, the senior half of Spellcast

weeks before the show: The Braeburn theatre

his words, because it is my job to look into

was busy with two major works in the kitch-

was undergoing renovations and would be

that shadow and tell you what happened. In

en, namely Sarafina and Mnyanzi wa Menza.

unavailable for both rehearsals and perfor-

this case, I shall endeavour to look into and

These two were to be the major shows of

mances. Things began to look dire indeed

beyond the shadow of the year 2015 as expe-

2015, with Sarafina in September and Mnyanzi

and the evil god of panic tried to grip us in

rienced by SpellcastMedia KE.

in December to close the year. In between

his chilly tentacles but Spellcast proved to be

As soon as the year 2015 started, we knew we

these two there would be other shows like

too hot. We rallied and managed to book the

just had to bring about great things, things

AcaWars, a great and epic battle between

Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)

newer than the year itself. It just had to be

various Acapella groups that would face off

Auditorium. Adverts had to be changed rap-

idly to show the change of venue.

the Apartheid story and tell it in the modern

Despite all the setbacks, the CUEA show,

day in a way that would bring out the truth,

labelled Indlela Wathi was held successful-

not for bitterness, resentment or even worse,

ly with a beautiful African Theme and the

revenge, but for honour to those who paid

newer members got the chance to showcase

the ultimate sacrifice and for the memories,

their talents and get the feel of being on

lest we forget from whence we came and

stage in front of a live audience, perform for

be lost in the sands of time. The script was

them, and get an immediate response.

beautifully done and soon the D-Day arrived

Post-Indlela Wathi, it was all hands on deck

and Spellcast literally took flight with its best

for the Sarafina show, which had been sched-

performance yet. The Sarafina Arc of Spell-

uled for October in the newly renovated

cast has many fond memories, the greatest

Braeburn Theatre. A Writing Committee was

of which (besides the performance itself)

formed in which the creative young minds

was the Sagana Camp held for team-build-

delved deep into African History to draw out

ing and rehearsal. The Spellcasters found

BANDS IN SPELLCAST
Bands have been a phenomenon for over a century now, and have constantly been the centre piece of pop culture throughout the
world. Tuja May and Rebbeca Claire got a chance to interview two bands that are associated with Spellcast and that continue lifting
the Spellcast Banner high. Tuja May Spoke to a band of women with powerful voices while Rebecca Claire spoke to a contemporary band, with a fresh twist.

< Music, a bridge for us to cross the raging river of time.

themselves in that camp and returned charged up, ready to light the stage. Two fully sold-out
shows stand as a testament to that.
After Sarafina, the directors and the creative team decided to give the members a break to
recover (and finish exams) and rest in preparation for an even bigger 2016, a year full of promise.
I can safely say that 2016 will be a tremendous and momentous year for Spellcast, not because of pride or misguided hope, but for the simple reason that we strive to leave our mark
wherever we live. Life as we know it is a struggle and we are ever buffeted by the storm of
the sands of time. Left alone and unguided in this storm, many are lost yet every once in a
while there arise those who stand unmoved by the storm and all who come after them can
look back and get the strength to look forward. We do not fear that ability in us to be that
reference. Instead, we strive to reach for it in humility and love. In this storm in which we find
ourselves, Spellcast shall in time be the art guide and haven.

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U-ZWAZO
Interview by Tuja May

Together we are a prayer, together as a clam.

U-zwazo. Why the name?

U-zwazo is a name of a Japanese and Haiti Origin meaning Gentle Birds. We are in fact like birds. Gentle yet dauntless. If music was a forest we would be the birds that build nests on less preferable trees. We are majorly an a cappella
tri, we make use of the power that lies in well arranged harmonies with little or no use of accompaniments which is
unlike what has so far been largely exploited.

How many members does the band comprise of?

Three of us; Gabriella Kanja, Joy Anami and Ivy Ngiru. More than friends, we are family.

How did you all meet?

U zwazo started out exactly a year and 2 months ago, in church, Consolata shrine, where all of us are members of the
youth group, and are Parishioners In the church.
Our aim was basically to reach out to people through music, and send as much positive vibes as possible to our audience. In short, we found a home in music, and we want to share this home with the world.

What is your biggest challenge?

Our Biggest Challenge will have to be balancing school and practice but as we said, we stick together because we are
family.

What would be your biggest achievement so far?

Our greatest achievement would be bringing the homeless home. What this means is, using music to speak to the
souls of our audience,
Being able to capture emotions and pass messages, and even if for a few minutes and Bring the Beauty and intelligence of the universe among men.

Parting shot?
Our Final words would be Sourced from a book titled SUNDIATA:an epic of old Mali writen by D. T. Niane...
the world is full of mystery, all is hidden and we know nothing but what we can see. The silk-cotton tree springs from
a tiny seed-that which defies the tempest weighs in its germ No More than a grain of rice. When the seed germinates
growth is not always easy; great trees grow slowly but they plunge their roots deep into the ground.
Love, live laugh...

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come through for you without asking too many questions.

Risa: who can be a one-lady-band on her own, chooses to
play the bass guitar in the band. She is a musical genius.
Almost never speaks, unless she feels the need to do so. I
like to think she speaks through her instruments.

Black& I...that is an interesting name.

Why the name?
Our name is based on what we do and who we are. Black,
is for the kind of music we play. Our art is black, not in the
colour sense, but in the cultural sense.
I, because we are one. When we think of ourselves, we
are not several individuals put together, but a single unit.
Youd understand it now, when we say, I am an awesome
band :)

How many members does the band comprise

of?
We are a 7-member band at the moment.

How did you all meet? And tell us a little

about each one of you.

BLACK AND I

We met mainly through Spellcast and mutual friends.

Interview by Rebecca Claire

Lee: Our acoustic guitarist and vocalist. He kind of plays

the role of our Lee-der lol. Extremely strong-headed, he
helps us meet deadlines; stay committed and pushes us
to the limits. He contributes a lot to our development and
progress.
Samora: The lead vocalist. She plays a social role in it all.
Sort of keeping tabs on people. She seems to be a key
determinant of the mean energy of the band.
Martin: our bassist, would pass for a comedian. Hes the
joker amongst us. You can always be sure of having a
laugh with him. He is also amazingly innovative.
Gabu: our drummer. If I was to describe him in two words,
theyd be photophobic and crazy. He helps taps into
everyones creativity by encouraging us to go crazy with
what we do. Music is an art, art is not confined to rules.

Last but not least, Eugene: our Manager. Definitely the

bands biggest support system. Hes a producer so basically plays all our instruments on computer. This plays a
big part in helping us integrate our sounds and just blend
everything together and mix it all up well Hes like our live
idea box.

What motivated you to all come together

and do what you do as one?
I wouldnt say that anything in particular motivated us.
We all had our individual arts and we simply decided to
put them all together and see what would come of it. We
really didnt know what was coming for us, neither did
we have any concrete plans prior to forming the band. It
was kind of like an organised jam session, and from there,
bonds were formed. I guess the rest is history.

What is/are your greatest achievements

since you started out?
Our greatest achievement was probably being able to
land a gig within about 3 days of forming the band. It was
extremely short notice, but with help from here and there,
we managed to pull through. The organisers of that very
first gig still call us up whenever they need a band. Being
able to build such loyalty with clients right from the start
is humbling.

Where do you see yourself in the nearest

future..?
We are focusing on expanding our fan base. Near future
is relative, for now though,we want to amplify our name
and our music out there.Lets leave it at that.

Thats his sort of thinking.

Nyokabi: On the keyboard and cello. 99% of the time,
she just goes with it. Shes so chill. Maybe a bit too chill?

Parting shot?
Watch this space!

Haha, shes one of those people you can trust to always

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Its all about perception.

You see...
The sun is actually white... It just appears yellow through the earths atmosphere.
But that doesnt stop children from painting yellow circles in the corners of their
pictures.
And we enforce it.
With our sunflowers and halves of yellow suns.
But thats just a sliver of our human experience. You know?
That tall guy with the hoodie pulled over his head? He just wants to get home.
The woman in the short skirt the side of the road? Her first time in this city... Shes
lost.
The guy in the Merc with the nice suit? Hes the chauffeur.
And it goes further...
Deeper...
Where glowing smiles hide pain,
And rambling mouths hide crippling anxiety.
But we just see that jovial girl.
That idiot who wont shut up.
Dont think of this as me blaming you for anything.
Im not, I really am not.
But Im just saying that if theres anything we as a race are effective at, its deluding
ourselves.
Our lies are not malicious at first, but they are comfortable.
Or, at the very least, easy.
They let you switch off your brain and just let instinct control you.
They let you fear.
They let you hate.
They let you love.
They let you feel without having to struggle with the true madness of it all.
They keep us sane.
But they give us stereotypes.
They give us prejudice.
They give us yellow suns.

By Samuel Chris Kombo

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Born in the US and Europe, EDM can be divided into three, based on its roots:

By Eugene Muthumbi

hat is Electronic Music? And at what point in history did humanity first consider this haphaz-

-House from Chicago

ard mix of frequencies to be music? Well, if my mom and the internet are anything to go by,

-Techno from Detroit

-Trance from Germany

Electronic Music is noise that began when all talent was lost and computers discovered. Oh, was that
mean? Oops, Id apologize for their ignorance and arrogance but sadly, its not in my place to do so.

HOUSE

Quite concisely however, a less soul-jarring definition would be something along the lines of any music

This danceable and quite repetitive genre was greatly influenced by Disco and Funk. Characterized by a tempo of

made using synthesizers and other electronic instruments.

between 120 and 130BPM, a 4x4 beat, a minimalist progression and an offbeat hihat, original House Music didnt

Now, what is Electronic Dance Music (EDM)? Commonly (atrociously and absolutely wrongly, I might

have much to offer: no big build ups and/or breakdowns. Yup. Thats right. It was rather bland, boring and drawn

add) referred to as Techno, Dubstep or House by the more ignorant folks, I dont think one needs the

out. I mean, 12 minute songs are really hard to listen to when its all repetitive. It is, however, the father of many more

anecdotal rocket scientist to realize that its a blanket term that refers to Electronic Music that one can

exciting subgenres including (but not restricted to):

dance to. See? It isnt that hard to figure out I think.

But why do people seem to always want to vehemently attack and belittle this monster of a genre?

Progressive House

Well, my sentiments, simply put, are that most people hate what they dont understand; and really, what

Featuring the works of the likes of Deadmau5, this name was derived from the slow progression of the songs in terms

better way is there to understand something than to try classifying it into manageable bite-size groups?

of evolving melody lines, buildup of layers without clear choruses or break downs and a calmer vibe.

I mean, thats what they did to the gigantic, unfathomable, ever-growing taxonomic tree in biology

Contrary to popular belief which has been propagated by record labels (Spinning Records and Revealed Record-

which now seems to be a bit less scary than it once was (Though it still wreaks havoc in many a minds:

ings Im looking at you), artists and promotion websites, it is NOT the same as instrumental house (#justsoyou-

mine included).

know).

However, before we delve into the awesomeness that is EDM, you must understand that, just like the
biological systems of this universe, it is difficult to organize and box in all the subgenres of EDM into

Deep House

definite groups due to their overlapping similar characteristics (in terms of rhythm, tonality, etc.), wrong

This beautiful, emotive subgenre is slow, bass-heavy and relaxing. But like many other genres, you will find that this

labelling by the worlds population and endless mutation of this type of music over the course of time

original sound has been replaced by a faster, more hyped, sound that masquerades as it.

which results in discovery of new subgenres every other day. We will however try our level best to sum-

Labels like Anjunadeep are a good place to start in your search for quality Deep sounds.

marize a genre (that could quite easily qualify to be the largest of them all) in a few paragraphs. Do you
think you can keep up? Okay then. Lets get started!

Electrohouse

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TECHNO
Next up we have Techno (which, I must reiterate, is not the same as EDM. Its the not all drugs are medicine story all
over again).
Being the US (Detroit, to be precise) version of Electropop, it was characterised by Electropops robotic sounds, a 4x4
beat just like house and a lot more repetitiveness. It was almost a replication of the Eurosound with some soul infusion and (thankfully,) it doesnt have subgenres per se. It is however mashed with other genres to bring about its many
forms and changes for example: Tech-house and Tech-Trance.
This is like the baby brother of all these House subgenres. It has flooded the industry with uplifting catchy melodies,
clear build ups, drops and choruses. It is found in large quantities in clubs and festivals. Songs in this category are

TRANCE

many a times (heartbreakingly and painfully) thrown under the umbrella that is Progressive House.

Originating in Germany, this amazing genre places its focus on more complex melody lines, a dreamy soundscape and
dance-ability. With a tempo of about 130-140BPM, the spacey-ness of the music brings about the trancey effect.

Other notable subgenres include: Afro-house, Tech-house, tribal, minimal, French house, Eurodance, Electro, Tropical

Notable producers include the likes of Armin Van Buuren and the legendary Paul Van Dyk.

House and the infamous Bigroom House that had its boom (<pun fully intended>) in 2012.

It is broadly split to hard and soft trance and therefore the old, original trance is no more. #teardrop
Its subgenres include:
Uplifting Trance
This is characterised by drops and massive, airy melody lines. The songs are quite literally half-build up and halfbreakdown.
Seemingly quite different from old school Trance (which had no drops, was slower and more dreamy), Uplifting Trance
is usually made in an Intro>Build up>Relief>Drop>Chorus>Outro kind of structure.Paul Van Dyk and Artys The
Ocean is a beautiful example.

Progressive Trance

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Just like its cousin, Progressive House, its slower, softer, and dreamier than most new school Trance subgenres.
Above and Beyonds older works easily showcase the beauty of this subgenre with songs like Cant Sleep.

#CSR2015

Psychedelic/Goa Trance
As the name suggests, this subgenre is thought to have originated in India and is characterised by a fast tempo, no
uplifting melody and trippy acid synths and arpeggios. One usually has to have some xenobiotics swimming in their
bloodstream to understand this one.

By Gachura and Waitherero

Becoming a Spellcast Media member requires commitment. It is almost like being married. Even
so, we believe giving back to the community is our way of thanking the Universe for our gifts.

If you thought that it ends there, then you need this write-up more than anyone. Tired? Go get another glass of your drink of choice because we are only just getting started!

And that for us is the greatest commitment we seek to uphold. The following are CSR projects we

Other subgenres worth mentioning include:

Electropop (Electronica fused with Pop), Synthpop (Electronica fused with Rock) and Technopop- This was all thanks
to Kraftwerk: the godfather of Electronica
Hiphop- Yes, even this self-sustaining genre/culture is under EDM. Influenced by RnB, Reggae and funk in the 70s, it
is characterised by breaks and vocals (aka Rap). It grew to influence numerous non-4x4 genres like Breakbeat, Jungle,
Triphop and Dubstep.

undertook last year despite the insane year we had.

Morning Star Childrens Home Kiambu. The home is located a 10min drive from Kirigiti town
off Kiambu road. The aim was to have a day where we can just share with the young ones while
cooking, cleaning and playing with them. Kalongo anyone? The home houses about 50 children,
from the age of about 3 years to a few in campus. Several have completed school and are work-

Breakbeat- This one is characterised by a broken beat (Well, duh!).

Drum and Bass (DnB)- This one tends to be one of my favorite subgenres and is characterised by broken beats and
Reggae-like basslines.
Dubstep- While it was originally slow, dark, bass-heavy and chill genre, it has evolved into a high energy, glitch and
aggressive commercial Dubstep (read Skrillex). It is characterised by the snare hits on the third beat instead of the
second which is unlike most EDM.

ing as doctors, business people and theres one playing volleyball with the Kenya National Team.
Coincidentally on the day of our visit, a delegation of the children was going to support her at
the Kasarani Stadium. We had our fair share of fun with the children and the day was a complete
success.
The next was a Painting Expedition Lavington Mixed Secondary School.The school is located in

Downtempo- This slow, calm and chill-out genre lives in the shadows of its bigger, louder and more obnoxious

Lavington, just past Lavington Mall opposite Lavington United Church. A public school that serves

brothers: only being played in chill-out rooms at raves. It covers Chillout, Ambient, Triphop and Lounge.
Garage- This one is heavily influenced by house and is characterised by a vocal and hiccupping, time-shifting beats.
It includes: 2-Step, Speed Garage and UK Garage.
Hardcore- Hardcore is known for its fast tempo and gritty sounds. It has numerous subgenres including: Happycore,
Hard Techno, Hardstyle and Nightcore which rarely make sense unless you are tripping on some acid.
And finally, Trap which is one of the youngest of the subgenres and is closely associated with new school Hiphop and
also has a number of subgenres under its name: Chill Trap, Festival Trap and Melodic Trap, just to mention a few.

240 students started in 2009 to serve the children who resided in Kawangware and Gatina Slum.
The mission of the charity was to paint two of the schools classes for their form four students and
furnish the teachers tables. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to interact with students or staff
as this exercise was undertaken during the school holidays. But we did interact with the paint on
our bodies.
The last and most interesting perhaps in the nature of our interactions was a visit to Deep Sea. A
rehabilitation home located around deep sea slum past Highridge. The home serves the home-

I dont know if you have realised how mind-blowingly far-reaching this genre really is. With its fingers stuck three

less around the slum. The proprietor Mr. Clifford Oluoch attempts to rehabilitate them through

phalanges deep in so many pies, we have only managed to scratch the surface of what could probably qualify to
be termed the biggest iceberg in music. And really, more than just bombarding you with names and genres you
probably wouldnt recognize if they slapped you in the face, this was to allow you to understand that this is a diverse
genre with a place and space for everyone. The number of subgenres (Yes, there are many more that even I have
never heard of) is just a testament of the worlds creativity and self-expression. No blanket statement can ever cover
this genre because all this ( all that Ive written out) is only a few frequencies in the spectrum that is

other avenues such as sports and music aside from providing food and shelter. The objective of
the community service was to help nurture the talents of the street children that are in the home.
With that, we were able to teach them a brief skit to perform for a small audience over Christmas.
They are quite the talented ones! We also had the opportunity to have a session with the children
and share with them some words of encouragement.
And you? Have you given lately?

the noise we listen to.

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photography
C Y A

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Cyan is a photography series exploring the

sky in a different light, literally. The sky is contrasted
with various objects, most especially the clouds, which
help to bring out the otherworldly feeling of the pieces,
and yet still keep them grounded in reality.
Cyan is above all, a celebration of different
ways of seeing the world around us.
by Anonymous

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by Anonymous

PROFILES
These are the profiles for the team leaders in Spellcast.

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LEE OYUGI

University of Nairobi, Medicine

I joined Spellcast solely as a singer but became an instrumentalist as the Spellcast band came into being. So now

An artist in love with beauty.

most of the time I am an instrumentalist and will be seen with the guitar but from time to time I sing. My experience

Charles Nyiha was recently also given the post of Co-Creative Director, and he too is now a member of

so far has been fantastic. I have loved every step of the way and Im waiting for more. I have met wonderful people,

the Board.

inspiring people and had a lot of laughs. I have found friends in Spellcast and Im almost sure that they are and will
be there to stay. Well aside from school, I love to play the guitar as you might probably have already deduced, watch
rugby, play rugby, hit the gym, watch a meaningful movies, swim, meet people.
Lee Oyugi was recently appointed as the new Marketing Director, making him a member of the Board. He has taken
over from Abby Kamau, who was appointed Co-Creative Director and COO.

CHARLES NYIHA

University of Nairobi, B.A in Design

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TUJA NDERITU

Strathmore University, LLB

I fell in love with theatre when I joined Spellcast. I had liked it before, but the sanctity in which I hold it now

I love experiences. I love expression. Art is an expression. Spellcast is an experience.

is unexplainable! My soul leaps and I feel such a presence when there is a spotlight on me and I become a
character.

DAVID GACHURA

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FLORENCE WANJIRU

DAIZY NDUTA

University of Nairobi, Computer Science

Brookhouse International School, BTEC Music

Im an introverted extrovert. A tad shy, especially in new environments. Im a lover of the simple things in life.

Yes. Its Daizy with a z. I believe laughter is food of the soul (people think I have a laughing problem) A

and math. and cats. Acting brings my soul to life. Takes me to nirvana. Allows me to feel so many things at the

crazy fan of Bob Marley and The Weeknd. Im a music lover,an upcoming sound engineer. I source my inspi-

same time without the commitment of actually feeling them. Its like a fleeting escape.. My escape.

ration from everywhere and everyone. And I am just; Too weird to live and too rare to die.

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VICTORY MUSUVIWA NGUNNZI

JKUAT, BSc. Public Health

I joined Spellcast Media when it first started in 2014. For the time Ive been there my experience has been amazing. Ive met alot of really great people and learnt alot from each and every one of those people. When I first joined
my aim was just to find something interesting to keep me busy before the start of University but it turned out to be
so much more than just a fun thing to do. Its been great and I look forward to working with Spellcast for many more
years to come. So, a bit about me. I love food and my mum. But of course mother comes first. I have a little brother

NICHOLAS KANYAGIA

that I adore. Okay hes not exactly little but anybody with a sibling would understand.

Strathmore University, BSc. Informatics

I joined Spellcast mainly because of my friends. Im a gamer and an anime freak... Emphasis on the freak... The FREAK!!

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If you are not making music what would be your next favorite thing?
If Im not making music, my next favorite thing is creating networks. Meeting new people learning new ideas, sharing what I know with whoever is offering to listen hehehee then grinding on implementing what I learnt. Which is still
music related. But here is the order FAMILY - MUSIC - FRIENDSHIPS. Catch me every other lucky weekend in shorts,
as usual, with my son at a bouncing castle or trampoline near you :) or just at home fixing dinner when everyone else is
probably at the local joint watching soccer having a beer or something :)

What inspired you to start UTAM FESTIVAL and develop to where it is today?
UTAM FESTIVAL was inspired by the need to foster a culture of nurturing heritage. We have so much artistic heritage
that can be put out there to stir income generating projects to change lives of many and yet its hidden in our cultures
that we have neglected and looked down on it as backward. This is a Kenyan Annual Multi-Cultural Music Festival that
gives a platform for global cultural integration using Art. We aim to showcase expose and share East African arts and
GUEST INTERVIEW

culture to the world, as well as displaying and sharing cultures from around the world in Africa to build peaceful coex-

FADHILEE ITULYA

istence, lasting friendships and exchange program opportunities in all fields of performed and visual Art.

With the New Year what are your plans for UTAM FESTIVAL?

Interview by Glynnis Maina

The only plan there is, is to grow!!! Utam festival 2016 is going to be bigger better brighter and we pray so hard that
On the 29th of November 2015, Spellcast Media closed the 2015 creative curtains by performing at Utam Festival, held at

we keep the theme and not conform to a commercially inclined event. We are value based and so we hope we can

The Elephant. It was a successful event aimed at promoting the African Culture through arts. Our very own Glynnis Maina

get as many partners as possible so the vision above can be achieved with minimum constraints, UTAM is much big-

spoke to the master mind behind the event who is also an amazing musician whose music is deeply rooted in Culture-Fadhilee

ger than Fadhilee. Its a Cultural institution , its a movement.

Itulya.

Who is Fadhilee Itulya?

With the recent posts on social media Utam Festival has received a lot of attention having
featured artist like Wangechi and the numerous sponsors on your posters. How did you
manage to pull this off?
It would be a lie to say that all this was just me and being good at this, the truth is Utam just like the name itself is

Fadhillee: Fadhilee Itulya is an enterprising young musician, collaborating with other artists, in an effort to produce

built on the solid foundation of RELATIONSHIPS. Our culture is to keep close ties with every person we meet; in fact

innovative shows and be able to share and put into practice his knowledge for the development of the Arts scene in

the African society has a general view that the community is one. This was put across very clearly to every last person

Africa.

that was part of Utam 2015. There was a whole team of talented youth behind the scenes that worked day and night

When did you start your career as a musician?

to make the mark and keep the standards. There were well wishers and friends who came in to support, artistes that
offered to just be part of Utam in solidarity with a fellow artistes dream, institutions that gave themselves to support

I first set off his music carrer with Alliance Franaise de Nairobi, one of Kenyas leading cultural operator in 2008.

at minimal cost. And may I take this golden chance to say a honorary Thank you to these true Ambassadors of culture.

I also feature on the Spotlight on Kenyan Music Vol. 4 compilation released in 2008 following a country-wide talent

And thats was how we pulled it off.

search. Spotlight on Kenyan Music programme was initiated in 2005 by Alliance Franaise de Nairobi in partnership
with the Department of Culture and leading Kenyan music promoters, to develop authentic Kenyan music rooted in
the countrys diverse musical traditions. It exposes and accompanies talented musicians in their quest to further their
musical careers

As a youth what would you advice young people who aspire to produce music like you have
and even probably put together a festival celebrating music or any other art?
I would advice all youth chasing after any career in life be it in or outside arts to Defend their dream, have a single

What Genre of music would you classify your music given its great diversity? I mean it even
touches on a bit of jazz

eye. Be so committed in what you pursue until your brand goes before your name. Have a character of humility, ask
for help, work on your people skills, dont burn your bridges, relationships will welcome you where even your money is
unwelcomed and most importantly be accountable to someone.

I find it so hard to answer that question all the time. Thing is, its Different. See, over the years I have been exposed

Getting a bit personal, who is Martina Abrahamsson she appears a lot on your page and
you on hers, is she that special someone?

to a vast spectrum of music and musicians thus I have exchanged, adopted and learnt various styles or genres that
I fuse into my music to create quite a different sound that becomes almost impossible to fit it in a box of specifics.
Though I can say its theme based, creatively scripted, critical, political, sarcastic, poetic, sometimes about love, then

If I tell you, Ill have to kill you.

hurt break- the usual stuff hehehe but Afro fusion in jazz then pop then rhythmic then cotemporary...say close to soul
so lets say alternative afrosoul!

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