Nyege Nyege Festival is happy to present its fifth edition this year from 5 to 8 September 2019 at Nile Discovery Beach (Source of the Nile) in Jinja, Uganda.
Blossoming from regular Kampala-based arts collective, Nyege Nyege was established to support the East African music community offering residencies, studios, and then a record label as well as an artist management agency. The festival was subsequently born as a platform to showcase the artists’ new productions, developing both the local arts and culture industry and connect underground musicians from around the continent with one another.
Many of the artists performing at Nyege Nyege will have spent time in their residency program producing new works to showcase at the festival and also to be released on one of their two record labels, Nyege Nyege Tapes and Hakuna Kulala.
In its past four years the festival has grown to put Uganda on the map as not only a tourist destination but as an epicenter of electronic music as much as its predecessors like Berlin, Johannesburg and London.
This year the focus shifts towards Asia and the African diaspora while still maintaining a stacked lineup of artists from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and others from across the African continent. There is expected to be over 300 performers coming from over 30 countries, playing across five stages.
Highlights include the legendary 8-piece band from Kinshasa Fulu Mziki, which will make their first appearance outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They will be in Kampala for a month building instruments, costumes and recording an album in the Nyege Nyege Studio.
This year, Nyege Nyege will also explore the spectrum of alternative pop sounds from a new generation of African producers including Ethiopian EDM sensation Rophnan and Ugandan Afro-Pop diva Sheebah. DJ Diaki, the Balani king of Bamako will bang out his showcase of Mali’s unique sound system culture, Menzi, Phelimuncasi and Yugen Blakrock will bring hard SA sounds from Gqom to hip-hop, whilst WZN the synth masters from Mauritania will enchant the crowd with their desert psychedelia. Infrapa will breathe new life in his twisted kalindulasoukous hip-hop from Kisangani.
Nyege Nyege Festival also showcases many East African artists that have released music on the label such as Slikback, Duke & MCZO, Sisso, Jay Mitta, MC Yallah, DJ Kampire and more.
Many of these artists have since performed at prestigious festivals around the world such as Unsound, CTM, Melt!, Norberg Festival, Pukkelpop, Sonar and more. Soon Nyege Nyege will announce a round of new incredible releases from new artists that will also present their work at the festival this year.
Building on its growing links with Asia, Nyege Nyege invites DJ and label boss of Chinese label Genome 666, Kilo Vee as well as Chinese Underground producers Hyph11e, Gooooose and 33EMYBW. From Japan, alternative hip-hop and break-core artists DJ Scotch Egg and DJ Die Soon will also participate in a month long residency.
Continuing to create links within the African diaspora in America and Europe, the festival will showcase for the first time ever in Africa, Detroit techno’s legendary kingpin, Juan Atkins, as well as Chicago based Footwork producer EQ Why, New York’s DJ Shyboi and Suzi Analogue.
While from Europe, Marseilles Frap-Core innovator Moesha13, will be joining Congolese Swiss Bonaventure, that after her residency at Boutiq Studios in 2018 will release an album in collaboration with local artist Rey Sapienz, UK-based Josey Rebelle, and Belgium’s DTM Funk. Returning will be the Dutch Nyege Nyege resident DJ Marcelle.
This year will also feature a showcase from the Milan’s Saturnalia Collective, highlighting the growing linkages the experimental music festival who have hosted Nyege Nyege artists in Italy for the past two years.
Works developed during the residency will be presented for the first time at the festival, in front of party people and festival organizers from all corners of the world.
The Nyege Nyege Festival is supported by The Boutiq Foundation, Bell Lager, Uganda Waragi, Coca Cola, Talent Africa, Nyege Nyege Tapes and The Ministry of Tourism.