Various – Kenya Special 12"
Label Soundway
Cat SNDW12019
Format 12" Vinyl
In anticipation of the forthcoming Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s and '80s compilation, Soundway release a special remix and edit 12" featuring two tracks from the collection and two exclusives ! The A side kicks off with Batida's remix of a 1977 benga 45 (Ndiri Ndanogio Niwe) from the Mbiri Young Stars. Fast 120bpm plus 4/4 rhythms with liquid guitars and machine-gun drumming are married with kuduro drum programming. Second up and surging with sub bass, British production duo The Busy Twist inject The Kalambya Boys' Kivelenge (also from 1977) with a slice of London club culture. Many late 70s Kenyan benga 45s were cut loud and heavy with often ludicrous amounts of low end squeezed onto sides that technically shouldn't have exceeded three-and-a-half mins but frequently topped five. Perfect fodder for remixes these cuts were way ahead of their time production-wise and sound even more amazing considering the limited equipment Kenyan engineers had at their disposal in the late '70s.
2018 repress - 140 gramms vinyl in a plain Kraftpak sleeve instead of house bag
Tracklist
A1 Mbiri Young Stars - Ndiri Ndanogio Niwe (Batida 1977 Remix)
A2 Kalambya Boys - Kivelenge (The Busy Twist Remix)
B1 Nairobi Matata Jazz - Mapenzi Hayana Daktari (Frankie Francis Edit)
B2 Gatanga Boys Band - Tiga Kundega (Hide & Smile Edit)